ღ Without You ღ
by Lolly4Holly
Summary: Post Fannysmackin episode. Nick/Greg preslash. Nick and Greg are discovering they have feelings for one another after Greg tells Nick hes leaving Las Vegas for good. Can Nick convince him to stay or is it too late to reveal his feelings for him? COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1: The Discovery

**ღ****Without You ****ღ**

**By Lolly4Holly**

**Rated:** **T** – **M** later on **(NC-17)**

**Pairing:** **NICK/GREG** Nick Stokes and Greg Sanders pre-slash **Don't like? Don't READ!**

**Summary:** Nick and Greg pre-slash. This is set post Fannysmackin' episode from season seven. Nick and Greg discover that they have feelings for one another after Greg tells Nick that he's leaving Las Vegas for good. Greg goes over the deep end with his guilt over Demetrius James, feeling pretty useless as though his life isn't worth living. Can Nick convince him to stay, or is it too late to reveal his true feelings for him?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of its characters. I do however own **Jean** Sanders! She's totally mine since she's modelled after my own mother :D

**Warnings:** Spoilers for seasons seven and onwards. **M/M** slash relationship. Out of character personalities as I don't think they were real enough on the show and lots of outrageous Jean moments.

**Authors Note:** This story isn't finished yet, but when it is I'm going to re-edit the chapters again as a few of them have some inconsistencies as I have changed the story so much while writing it. I'm sorry if it doesn't make sense to you, but you have been warned. When I get a few spare days I'll try and re-edit the chapters that have this problem.

**First published January 31st 2010, been uploading and changing chapters ever since.**

* * *

**Chapter One: The Discovery**

Thrashing at the masked attackers around him with all the strength he could muster up, Greg whimpered as their heavy fists pounded back at him in return, striking his vulnerable body in already bruised places. The rain poured down around them, making visibility poor. Greg caught the occasional glance of their disfigured faces and bright blue demonic eyes, but as another strike hit him square in the eye, he could feel his eyes swelling up already.

He tried to call out for help, but his throat tightened even more, making it impossible to breath.

"Pl-eee-asss-e!" He whimpered, struggling to crawl away as he received another blow to his ribs. Soon the pain became too unbearable. Collapsing to the pavement beneath him, Greg gave up trying to fight it and just took the pain, hoping that he would pass out so he couldn't feel it anymore.

Slowly blinking his heavy eyelids open, Greg looked around the room he was in, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight that was pouring in from the window across the room. He sighed slightly relieved as he realised he was in his bedroom and not a dark alley surrounded by people in masks trying to end his life. His vision blurred over as he tried to make out the time on the clock beside his bed. All he could see was a bright green blur, but he couldn't make out any numbers.

Quickly sitting up, his hands rushed to feel his chest as he recalled his dream of his bones being crushed into his body from the thousands of attackers that stood around him, pounding their fists and feet into his fragile frame. He could still feel the bruises of the previous incident under his skin, but no new injuries as far as he could tell.

It was all just a dream.

Greg's hands slowly moved up to his face, feeling the scar on his chin, the slightly swollen cheek bones and the tender skin beneath his eyes; a constant reminder of the beating he received. It hadn't been that long since the beating, but every night he awoke shaking in terror as though he was right back there in that alley, suffering through the pain he was forced to endure, over and over again, months after the event.

Quickly scrambling off the bed, Greg made his way off towards the bathroom just off his room, adjusting the shorts he was wearing as he padded across the cold tiled floor of the bathroom barefooted.

Splashing his face with some cold water, Greg looked up into the mirror above the sink, jumping at the sight of his own reflection. He was much paler than usual, and didn't resemble the old Greg he used to know, especially with the large dark patches circling each of his eyes. They made him look more like an undead zombie rather than the Greg he used to know, which was exactly how he had been feeling lately.

Running a hand across the dark stubble on his chin, Greg thought it was about time that he shaved his chin to at least get some of his young appearance back, but he really couldn't be bothered right now. He couldn't be bothered to do anything right now. The facial hair did make him look slightly older, maybe a little more respectable in the work place, but the floppy mop of hair just made him look a bit rough around the edges.

He really had let himself go, but he couldn't be bothered to do anything about it right now. He was tired, hungry and desperately craving another drink. Not to mention the fact that he had to make up another excuse so that he could get another sick day.

* * *

Carrying his freshly stocked kit in his hands, Nick made his way off through the lab halls towards his supervisor's office after he had finished helping Bobby D, the ballistics lab tech run bullets comparisons from his last crime scene through IBIS to see if they could get any matches. Nick managed to find a hit, then arrest their suspect who gave them a full confession to the murder.

Now he was on his way to Grissom's office for his next assignment, hoping he wouldn't be assigned to lab duty again as he wasn't the office type.

As he reached Grissom's office, Nick took a moment to look at his tired supervisor who was gazing off into space at one of his butterfly collection displays before he gently knocked on the door so he wouldn't startle him from his thoughts.

Absently looking up towards the door, Grissom gave him a slight smile then ushered him inside with a subtle hand gesture. Grissom glanced at the clock then looked towards Nick as he walked inside. "You finished your case already Nicky, you've still got half a shift left."

"I know, it was a quick one." He nodded. "We found the guy based on the gun he used. He used it before to rob a gas station. When we brought him in, he gave us a full confession."

"Good work, Nicky," Grissom smiled towards his CSI that was constantly seeking his approval before he reached out for his bleeping cell phone off the edge of his desk. Glancing at the screen of his phone, Grissom blinked before he looked up at Nick. "You're in luck, 419 for you." Grissom wrote down the details then handed it over to him. "If Greg decides to show up, you can take him with you."

"He still not in yet?" Nick turned his wrist to check his watch. "He's usually early."

"He hasn't been in for the last three days Nick." He reminded him as he started shuffling through the paper work on his desk. "Keep me posted on your case, Nicky."

"Sure." Whirling around, Nick head off towards the locker room, pulling his cell phone from his pocket as he approached the door. After three rings, the call finally went through to Greg's voicemail. "_This is Greg Sanders; leave a message after the tone."_

Clearing his throat, Nick took a deep breath before he spoke. "Hey G, it's me. Just wonderin' if yah comin' in today, bud" Glancing up, Nick noticed Warrick leant against the locker room door frame. "Call me, Greg." Snapping his phone shut in his hands, Nick stuffed it back into his jeans pocket as he smiled up at his friend. "Hey 'rick, wassup?"

"Hey," Warrick made his way over to his locker, spinning the lock into the correct combination so he could grab his jacket from inside. "Still no word on Greggo?"

"Nah," Shaking his head, Nick pulled his CSI vest on then grabbed his kit off the floor. "He's still playin' the sick card. I'm gettin' worried about him man."

"He'll come in when he's ready." Warrick assured him as he searched his pockets for his cell. "He's tough."

"I don't think so man." Nick checked his flashlight was still working, slotting it back into the relevant pocket of his vest before he closed up his locker, spinning his car keys around on his finger as he made his way off towards the locker room door. "I think there's somethin' wrong with him, more than the beatin'. He doesn't seem himself lately."

"Well you weren't the same for a while after you got out," Warrick pulled his jacket on over his shoulders, spinning the wedding ring around on his finger. "The problem is you two are both alone. You don't have girlfriends or any family in the city or any real friends outside of work. It's not good to be alone Nick." He pointed out to him.

"Not the marriage talk again." Nick groaned, rolling his eyes angrily. "I get enough of that from my own mother. I'll get married in my own sweet time, mom." He smirked towards his friend then made his way out of the locker room, heading off towards the elevators.

"I'm just saying man." Warrick shouted after him. Warrick snatched his kit up from the locker room floor then hurried after Nick towards the elevator. He quickly slipped inside with him to ride it down just before the doors closed, giving him the continued best friend advice, "You and Greg haven't got anybody to talk to Nicky. You might wonna consider therapy." He suggested.

"I was talkin' about Greg, there's nothin' wrong with me. I don't need therapy!" Nick protested, stuffing his hands on his hips. Warrick just absently nodded, watching the numbers of the elevator counting down. "You think there's somethin' wrong with me? I'm not stuck in my apartment 24/7, callin' in sick every day. Have you even seen Greg lately? He looks awful."

Just as Nick spoke the elevator doors opened to the bottom floor, revealing Greg stood in front of them in a very large navy blue sweatshirt, baggy shredded jeans and a dark baseball cap over his head, covering his eyes from their view. He looked like a child dressed in his father's clothes as they were far too big for him and didn't go at all with the usual Greg style.

Nick cleared his throat, going to speak first, "Greg, you're here?" He looked at him surprised as he looked even worse than the last time he saw him.

"I'll catch you guys later, I gotta run." Warrick awkwardly smiled at the two of them then made his way off towards his Denali in the distance. "See yah Greggo."

"Bye." The younger man weakly responded.

Nick stepped out of the elevator next, looking at Greg's pale complexion in more detail. With the dark stubble covering his chin, Greg looked even less like himself now, making Nick even more worried that he was losing the real Greg. "Hey, you okay Greg?"

"I'm fine, we gotta case?" Greg reached for the slip in Nick's hands, taking a look for himself. "Grissom called said I'm with you today. We riding in your car?" He naturally assumed.

"Sure." Nick directed Greg off towards his truck, unlocking the doors so they could climb inside. Greg loaded his kit onto the back seat then slumped back into the passenger seat, running a hand across the itchy stubble on his chin.

Nick grabbed his sunglasses from the visor before he drove off, turning the radio down low as he turned his head slightly to look at Greg out of the corner of his eye. He hated the deafening silence, especially with Greg; usually he couldn't get him to shut up. This was just... too quiet.

"So what made you change your mind about comin' in?" He decided to break the silence first.

"Couldn't think up an excuse . . . and I was bored." Greg sighed heavily, giving Nick a slight smile.

Nick sniffed the distinct scent in his car, looking around at Greg curiously. "Greg, have you been drinkin'?"

Absently shaking his head, Greg stared out of his window, scratching the moustache starting to come through on his upper lip. It wasn't as thick as Nick's once was. It looked more like a Brad Pitt's one from the fight club.

"Greg, you can't be workin' if you've been drinkin'." Nick pointed out to him as he could clearly smell the scent of alcohol in his car. "You could get fired, G."

"I haven't." The younger man protested.

"Then why do you smell like..."

"Get off my back Nick!" He suddenly snapped, scowling angrily round at him. "I don't need a babysitter!"

"I never said you did G." Nick pulled up to their crime scene then reached for his kit off the back seat before he climbed out. Greg scratched at his hair beneath his cap then adjusted it to a comfier position on his head before he followed after Nick with his kit in hand.

Greg stayed by Nick's truck as he hoisted up his baggy jeans, attempting to tighten the belt around his hips before he stepped onto the crime scene as he had lost some weight since the last time he wore them.

"Hey Nick, bodies in apartment two C." The officer watching the door informed him as the CSI approached him.

Nodding to the officer, Nick pulled his flashlight from his vest then made his way off down the hall, directing the light towards the peeling walls around him as he made his way off towards apartment two C with the younger CSI right behind him.

Nick entered the apartment first, directing his flashlight around the darkened room to take a look at what they had here. The floor was covered in wood; the walls were a dark auburn colour and the rest of the decor screamed romance central. He ran his flashlight across the dining room table that covered in Chinese takeaway boxes and takeaway restaurant menus. Glancing around the rest of the room, he finally noticed the blood covered body on the floor of the front room.

"Here Greg, you can take notes." Nick set down his kit and pulled out a notebook then dug into his jeans for a pen.

"What?" Greg angrily hissed at him. He was a professional now; he didn't do the note taking for the other CSI's anymore. "I haven't had to take notes since..."

"Well you're drunk, I don't want you to get fired, so you're gonna take my notes." Nick handed over his notebook to the grumpy CSI then handed him the pen. "Don't argue, I'm doin' it for your sake. You don't wonna waste your career away by comin' in drunk to work, G."

"I'm not drunk." Greg muttered under his breath. He started jotting down his observations of the crime scene, shivering as a crack of thunder suddenly rumbled in the background.

"Greg?" Nick glanced up at him, seeing the younger man was trembling slightly. "It's just thunder G."

"I know that Nick, I'm not stupid!" He remarked then looked back down at the notebook, jotting down his notes as he head further into the room. Greg walked towards a large window at the far end of the room, looking outside as another rumble of thunder erupted from the sky, followed by heavy rainfall. Greg shivered again, trying to focus on his work. "Hey Nick," Greg whirled around to face him, sucking in a deep breath before he spoke. "I think I should tell you... that I'm... well... I'm planning on quitting, anyway."

"What? Why?" Nick climbed to his feet, directing his flashlight towards Greg as though he was a suspect.

"Because . . . I don't think I can do this job anymore." Greg clutched the notebook close to his chest, deciding to confess what was really going on with him to his best friend. "I can't sleep Nick, I can't do this job worrying I'm gonna get attacked again. I just can't do it anymore."

"Have you at least thought about this?"

"I have, and this is the decision I've come to... I just... I can't do it. And you can't change my mind either Nick, I'm not staying." Greg pulled the notebook away from his chest, continuing to document the scene as if nothing had happened.

Nick stood staring at him a moment before he continued with what he was doing, trying to think of something he could say or do to change Greg's mind. "I'm takin' yah home after this G," He decided. "You can sleep it off at home so you don't get fired."

Greg replied with an angry eye roll. "I don't care about my job Nick, I just told you..."

"Well I do!" He snapped at him. "You worked hard to get where you are. I'm not gonna let you throw it all away. Otherwise those punks that did this to you are winnin'." Nick argued, trying to get Greg to listen to him. "You can't let them win G. You're stronger than that."

Greg sighed heavily as he listened to the Texan's words that were starting to make a lot of sense to him, but he didn't want to listen. Clutching the pen tightly in his hands, Greg tried to hold back his emotion as he looked up at Nick. "Can we just get on with the scene please?"

"I'm not lettin' you quit."

"You're not the boss of me." The pen in Greg's hands finally snapped from his frustration, causing Nick to look up at him surprised. "Does our victim have an ID?" He asked, getting back to work on the scene. This is why Grissom told them not to get too personally involved with their co-workers, so this sort of thing didn't happen on crime scenes.

Nick gave him a slight smile, finding a drivers licence on the counter. "Timothy Crawford. Forty nine years old. He lives here."

"That's a good sign." Greg readjusted the hood on his sweatshirt then scratched at his greasy scalp before he started to look around the rest of the apartment. "Hey Nicky . . . does the vic have a gunshot wound?" He curiously asked him.

Nick turned back towards the body, looking at his wounds. "Um... yeah. It looks like two gunshot wounds to the chest." He reported then raised his eyebrows as he looked round at him. "Why?"

"There's your murder weapon." Greg pointed it out with an extended arm.

Nick made his way over to the bed, looking at the gun sat in the middle of the unmade bed. He photographed its position then lifted it up to check how many bullets were inside.

"One missing," Greg noted, jotting it down on his notebook. He pulled an evidence bag from his kit, holding it open for Nick to drop the gun inside. "Did you also happen to notice the used condom in the waste basket?" Greg indicated towards the trash can beside the bed. "Oh, and the lube on the night stand."

Nick turned his head towards the waste basket, looking at the evidence he missed. "Good eye."

Greg gave the older CSI a smile as he watched him heading over towards it, snapping a picture before he picked it up with his tweezers. Stuffing the used condom into a bindle of its own, he turned back to look towards the body just as David came in.

"Hey Super Dave." The Texan waved, collecting up the lube.

"Sorry I'm late, Sara had a triple homicide." He set his kit down beside the body, starting to take the liver temperature of their deceased victim. "Looks like he died about... nine hours ago." Greg jotted that down on his notes, scratching at the stubble on his chin once again. "Oh hey Greg, it's good to see you out in the field again." David smiled up at him, widening his eyes as he saw his pale complexion and the dark stubble covering his jaw.

Greg faintly nodded to him then turned his back on him to look at the rain starting to slow out the window. He stared up at the empty sky above him while Nick continued to document the rest of the scene so he could get Greg back home before anyone else noticed he had been drinking on the job.

* * *

Once they were done with their scene, both CSI's loaded their evidence into the back of Nick's truck then head in the direction of the lab to get their evidence processed. Nick stopped halfway at an I-HOP, leaving Greg sat in the passenger seat of his car while he head in to get them something to eat. "Here." Returning to his truck, Nick handed some boxed up pancakes over to Greg, giving him a slight smile as he climbed back into the driver's seat.

"What's this?" The younger man asked curiously as he rubbed his sleepy eyes open.

"Well, what does it look like, G?" Nick smirked as he pulled his seatbelt back on. "It's food G, eat it. I'm drivin' you home." Greg went to moan but Nick shot him a glare before he could even open his mouth. "Eat it Greg, I'm takin' you home. I care too much to watch you doing this to yourself." Nick put his truck in reverse then backed it off out of its parking spot, heading back off towards Greg's apartment. Greg picked at the pancakes on the drive home, gazing out of his window every so often at the drying pavement as the sky was beginning to clear from all the rain they had earlier.

Nick pulled up in the parking lot of Greg's apartment a few minutes later then pulled his seatbelt off, ready to climb out the car. "C'mon then G."

"Nick, you don't need to come up with me." Greg stopped him before he climbed out. "I'll be fine. And you can't leave the evidence, do you wonna get in trouble again?"

"Five minutes. I wonna come up." Nick climbed out of the truck, waiting for Greg to get out so he could lock it up.

Greg reluctantly climbed out of Nick's truck, brushing down the crumbs off his sweatshirt as he pushed the door shut, being sure not to slam it too hard as Nick was very protective over his truck. He led the way off towards the elevator then leant against the back wall as he picked at the still warm pancakes in his hands. Nick stood beside him, stealing the occasional glance of the younger man as they rode the elevator up together.

Greg rushed to get to his front door first, pulling his keys from his pocket. "Stay here a sec." He warned Nick.

"G, I've seen your place before. I know how messy it is."

"Just stay here a sec." Greg groaned at him as he unlocked his front door. He pushed the door shut once he was inside, quickly clearing away the bottles and cans of beer off his sofa and coffee table. He knew Nick would probably find them anyway because he was always so interfering, but he didn't want him to see them all over the place and start worrying about him.

Greg set the pancakes down on the kitchen counter then rushed for the front door to pull it open so Nick wouldn't get too bored and start pounding on his front door, possibly even waking his neighbours.

"Come in." Greg ushered him inside.

Nick took a step inside, looking around at the mess that was barely cleared. He noticed a stray beer can under the coffee table, but didn't bother to point it out to Greg that he had missed it in his rush to clear everything up.

"Be right back." Greg stumbled over some of his sneakers left on the floor as he made his way off towards his bathroom. He popped some Valium into his mouth then splashed his face with some cold water while Nick was snooping around his front room, like he fully expected him to.

For some reason, Nick had been extra concerned with Greg's well being lately, constantly caring about him since he was beaten up. He didn't know why, he always seemed closer to Warrick then he was to him.

Greg dried his face with a towel then made his way back out to Nick. "Do you want a coffee or something? When you're done snooping around that is." He smirked.

"I wasn't snoopin'." Nick dropped onto the couch, feeling something hard in his back. He reached back through the cushions, finding a half empty tequila bottle buried between the sofa cushions. "Greg, seriously..."

"That's been there for ages." Greg lied as he grabbed it from his hands, ignoring the accusing look as he carried it off towards the kitchen, placing it on the counter.

"Sure, I'll have a cup of coffee, G." He shouted after him.

"Okay." Greg brewed some of his famous Hawaiian coffee then poured it out into two separate mugs. He handed Nick one of the warm mugs then slumped back on the sofa a few inches away from him, putting his feet up on the table.

"You gonna finish those pancakes?" Nick scrambled to his feet without an answer, grabbing some clean plates from the kitchen along with a fork each from the draw. Nick was the only one who knew his way around Greg's kitchen; he wasn't even sure Greg actually knew his way around his own kitchen. He dished out the pancakes Greg hadn't picked at then made his way back to the sofa to sit beside Greg again.

Greg gave him a slight smile as he took the plate from his hands. "Nick . . . I'm still leaving the lab. You gotta know that." Greg informed him as he picked at the pancakes with his fork.

Choking on his pancakes, Nick struggled to breathe as he looked round at Greg. "What about your job?"

"I don't care about it anymore. Actually, I think . . . I'm gonna move back to California."

"What?" Nick felt like he had been slapped in the face.

"It's not your choice, it's mine." Greg complained as he climbed to his feet then made his way over to the fridge to grab himself a beer. Kneeling down in front of the fridge, Greg grabbed the cold beer off the bottom shelf in exchange for his coffee then made his way back towards the sofa with Nick.

"Greg, you can't let these guys scare you out of your job."

"They didn't. I don't want it anymore." Greg slumped back down onto the sofa, taking large gulps of the cold beer in his hands. "Hey!" He protested as Nick grabbed the bottle from him, holding it out of his reach as he went to grab for it again.

"Greg, why are you actin' like this?"

"Like what Nick?" Lunging for his beer, 'The Warden' pushed him back against the couch cushions, holding it even further out of his reach. "God what's your problem Nicky, why do you always have to be so controlling?"

"If you skulk around like this you're only lettin' those friggin' punks win. They succeeded in makin' you their victim now you're lettin them ruin your life..."

"What do you care Nick?" Greg shouted pushing Nick back as he climbed to his feet to grab another beer from the fridge. Nick put his plate down on the coffee table, following Greg off towards the kitchen, pushing the fridge door shut before Greg could reach inside for another beer.

"I care Greg. I don't want you wastin' your life away coz of some punks."

"Well one of em's dead. Did you forget that Warden? I killed him. He's dead because I killed him. Do you even care about that Nicky?" Tears started to roll down Greg's cheeks the more he thought about it. "I killed someone Nick. You're very quick to forget that. Not to mention the fact that the freaking state paid the scumbags family..."

"Yes I know, G. That doesn't mean your life has to end..."

"Why not?" Greg's voice came out as a shaky whisper as his hands started to shake so badly he thought they would fall right off his wrists. "I killed some kid Nick... you want me to just freaking forget it ever happened like the rest of you can? I can't just brush it under the carpet and forget about it. I can't act as if nothing ever happened like you."

"I didn't forget." Nick protested.

"If that were anyone else they'd be rotting in jail right now." The younger man muttered under his breath as he leant back against the sofa cushions behind him again. "I'm a murderer."

"You didn't do anythin' wrong, Greg."

"Yes I did! I killed him! He's dead because of me!" Nick's heart broke for him as he watched a tear rolling down Greg's cheek, dripping off his chin onto his sweatshirt. "Tell me the truth Nick. If that were anyone else, you'd hate them. You'd be glad to lock them away in a cell and throw away the key."

"No I wouldn't, considerin' the circumstances G; you didn't do anythin' wrong."

"Yes I did!" Greg persisted, pushing Nick out of the way as he stormed off towards his bedroom. Nick had no idea how much Greg was hurting over this. He placed the beer in his hands on the side, deciding not to give up just yet. Greg was far too important to him to just let him give up now.

"Greg, you're not a murderer." Making his way towards the bed, Nick took a seat on the edge as Greg rolled under the covers, pulling a pillow down over his head. "Greg, frankly I'd be worried if you weren't feelin' guilty. You're a good man Greg, you have a good heart. A pure heart. You saved Stanley Tanner. That punk kid killed that other man who had kids of his own, he beat up that young girl, almost killed Stanley Tanner and he coulda killed you... along with countless others. Honestly, I think you did the world a favour G."

"Please, just go away." Greg's voice muffled against the pillow.

"Greg, you didn't do anythin' wrong." Nick wanted to do something more to comfort his best friend. He couldn't stand to see him hurting like this. "You're a good man, that's why this is eatin' away at you so much. Greg c'mon, I'm not goin' away until you talk to me. I can't leave you like this."

"I don't need your help Nick." Sniffing his tears back against the pillow, he turned his body even further away from Nick, waiting for him to leave. He hated feeling vulnerable, especially in front of the man who survived being buried alive and eaten by ants. He felt so weak and helpless which is exactly how those kids had made him feel when they beat the life out of his weak and helpless body.

"Greg you didn't do anythin' wrong. You're a good guy..."

"Good guys don't kill people, Nick!" Pulling the pillow away from his eyes, Greg revealed his tear stroked cheeks and puffy eyes. "A kid is dead coz of me Nick, the way his mother and half the freaking courtroom looked at me; they had already signed the freaking death sentence! I shouldn't be here. I got away with murder."

"Greg you saved Stanley Tanner and countless others with the work you've done. Think of all the bad guys you've put behind bars." Trying desperately to hold back his own tears, Nick clenched his fists at his sides to keep from reaching out for Greg. He desperately wanted to give him a hug and never let him go, but he couldn't do that right now as the last thing Greg needed was sympathy. "You didn't get away with anythin'; you're beatin' yourself up over this enough, Greg. The good you've done outweighs the bad by far."

"I'll always be the CSI with a murder on his record." Greg spoke in a soft voice. "How can we stop people from murdering when we're doing it ourselves?"

"Because you did it to save someone. Lots of cops have at least one death on their record. We protect people, sometimes we have to do bad in order to save people. Greg, you're not a bad guy. You're a great guy. I've worked this job longer then you G, I know a bad guy when I see one."

Greg wiped his eyes with the backs of his hands, clutching the pillow against him tightly. "Do they wear a black cloak and have a curly moustache?" He joked without smiling, making Nick laugh.

"No smart ass." Nick chuckled happy to finally hear Greg's humour was still intact. "You're not a bad guy Greg." He whispered softly. "Sometimes people get hurt or killed in the line of duty . . . that guys better off dead though G. Trust me! You had to do what you did to save Stanley Tanner, he's home now with his family thanks to you..."

"But..."

"In your shoes, I woulda done the exact same thing Greg." Nick interrupted him before he could argue again. "If I was in that position..."

"If you were in that position, you wouldn't have gotten beaten up. You're a tough guy, I'm just a whimp." Greg cut him off again.

"Greg, you're not a whimp. I'm not as tough as you think. I should be embarrassed. I was knocked out, bound and gagged by a sixty year old man." Nick reminded him.

"That's not your fault. He had ether."

"It's not your fault either Greg. They had the advantage. There was more of them. I woulda gone down just the same if I was in your position." He pointed out to him as he continued to try and comfort him. "As would Sara, Catherine... even Warrick. It's not your fault."

"But they still paid the family of a murderer." Greg added wiping the tears from his face again.

"That's the stupid law Greg. Just like when I was abducted, they wouldn't pay the ransom or when we were workin' that actor's case. They thought he was innocent of murderin' those girls just because he was friggin' famous, or even the mob weddin', remember that when my car was stolen and we were all punished because of it. That's just the way the fucked up system works." Greg's tears finally stopped flowing as he listened to Nick's words of wisdom. "You're not the bad guy in this Greg; you're just another innocent bystander that got screwed by the system."

Greg gave his eyes another wipe, rolling onto his side as he clutched the pillow in his arms even tighter. "Well . . . you know Nicky, that actually makes a lot of sense." He spoke softly.

Nick burst into a wide grin. "Well yeah smart ass." He smirked. "See, I do know what I'm talkin' about."

Sniffing back the last of his tears, Greg ran a hand through his floppy mop of hair, finally knocking the baseball cap off that looked completely wrong on his head. He lay in silence for a few minutes longer, watching Nick's eyes running over him. He felt lucky to have such a great friend like Nick, even if he was controlling and always interfering, he was the only person who really cared or even bothered to check in on him since he got out of hospital.

Greg inhaled a deep breath then turned slightly to look Nick in the eye. "Do you totally hate me now?"

Nick shook his head with confusion. "No, why would I hate you Greg?"

"Because I'm an idiot," Greg confessed, watching a smile spreading across Nick's lips. "Not literally though."

"I know you're not an idiot Greg." Nick smiled wider. "You _are_ the smartest person I know. Don't let it go to your head though." Greg giggled softly, clutching the pillow tightly against his body. "So, you're not still leavin' are yah?"

Greg gave him a shrug as he wiped his eyes. "I don't want it anymore, Nick."

"C'mon Greg, you're not just gonna piss away your life's work because of this are you? We all have our moments of weakness, but we have to get up and get back on the horse." The older man complained. "What the hell is wrong with you, Greg? You just wonna throw your life away over all of this?"

"I really don't need a pep talk Nick, especially not you just shouting at me."

"I'm not... I'm not shoutin'. And yes you do need a pep talk Greg, it's been three months. Grissom's startin' to worry and Ecklie wants to fire you."

"Let him."

"You don't mean that G. You've got somethin' good here. And I..." Pausing, Nick looked into Greg's eyes a moment, stopping himself before he said what he really wanted to say. He took in a few choppy breaths, changing his mind about what he was going to say. "And I'd really hate to lose you. I know everyone else would too, you're a part of our team G."

Greg rolled his eyes up at him. "Before I was just the dork in the lab..."

"You're a part of our team Greg, a vital part." He assured him.

"I'm not you Nick; I can't just climb out of a coffin and get back to normal like you did. If I was in that coffin, I would have blown my head off within the first five minutes. I'm not strong like you."

"You are G . . . you came right back to work after the lab explosion, you can again you just have to try. You can't give up."

Greg sighed heavily, looking up into Nick's eyes. "You're not gonna give up are you?"

Shaking his head, Nick gave Greg a slight smile. "No G, I don't give up so easy. And you shouldn't either."

"Why do you even care Nick? You used to call me a CSI wannabe." Greg reminded him.

"You're good at your job G... and I," Nick looked into Greg's eyes wanting to finally say those three little words.

"And you what?" Greg asked waiting with anticipation.

"I-I...I'd hate to lose such a good member of our team." Nick finished, ashamed at himself for being such a coward.

"I'll think about it." Greg whispered under his breath.

"I know you can't go into work today, but you could at least take a shower." Nick smirked getting shoved in the side by Greg. "You are startin' to get a little ripe there Greggo." He playfully fanned his hand in front of his nose.

"How is picking on me going to help your case, Stokes?"

"C'mon Greg, I'm just playin'." Chuckling softly, Nick smiled as he looked down into Greg's soft caramel chocolate eyes. "C'mon G . . . I've smelled worse." He teased. Nick laughed louder as Greg gave him the stink eye. "You might wonna consider shavin' too G. You're startin' to look like a hobo." He continued to tease him.

"Am not!" Greg couldn't help but laugh, playfully shoving Nick off his bed. "Okay you can leave now Mr Stokes."

"I'll be back later after shift." Nick checked his watch. "Hands off the beer too. I'll need you sober."

"Yes mother." Greg sarcastically rolled his eyes at him. "Seriously though, why do you even care Nick? Without me on the team you wouldn't have to babysit me on cases you wonna do by yourself."

Nick just stood in Greg's bedroom by the door a moment, looking down into Greg's eyes. He inhaled a deep breath as he brushed his fingers back through his hair, trying to think of the right words to say to him. But he changed his mind last minute, taking a step back towards the open door. "I'll be back later G." He waved as he walked off.

Greg watched him go then heard the front door click shut. He lay back against the pillow soaked with his tears, thinking about what Nick had told him. He didn't want to leave Las Vegas, he felt at home here. He just wanted a fresh start, where he wouldn't be hated by half the population for killing a black kid in the line of duty.

Greg reached out for the warm spot where Nick was sat, wishing he could have stayed but he had to get back to work. He had never had a friend like Nick before. No matter how hard he pushed, he was always there to help him out.

* * *

Nick drove straight back to the crime lab after dropping Greg off at home, desperately trying to think of a way to express his true feelings to the younger man as he distributed his evidence off to each of the different labs. "Hey Nicky, how's Greg?" Grissom caught up to Nick in the lab halls on the way towards his office.

"Um... well actually . . . he's not so good. I sent him home, he wasn't feeling so good." Nick turned to face Grissom, looking at the expression on his face. He didn't think he should reveal to his supervisor about how much Greg was drinking. Nick knew that Grissom probably wouldn't help him anyway; he was too busy with his own issues to care about what was going on in Greg's mind. "I'm goin' to see him again after shift actually."

"Okay, don't force him to come back though." Grissom cautioned him before he walked off towards his office, closing the door behind him.

Nick sighed heavily in annoyance then whirled around to head back towards the locker room. "Hey man," Warrick caught up to Nick at the door, closing the case file he had in his hands. "I heard you sent Greg home."

"Word really does travel fast around here, huh?" Nick smirked, looking round at him.

"Well I just finished up my B&E case; the manager did it for some insurance thing. So if you need me..."

"Yeah actually, I just got a warrant for his girlfriend's house. They had sex a few minutes before he died and the guns registered to her."

"Cool. So, how is Greg?" He asked curiously, following Nick into the locker room.

"Not so good." Nick grabbed his jacket from his locker, lifting his kit up from the bench. "I'm drivin'." Nick quickly said as he saw Warrick fishing out his keys from his pocket.

"Fine." Warrick grunted, shoving them back into his pocket. "I kinda miss working with Sanders, he always lets me drive."

"Me too." Nick agreed, but he missed him for many other reasons too.

* * *

"_Oh Gregory, it would be so lovely to have you home. Of course you can, you're more than welcome."_ His mother Jean Sanders replied happily over the phone. "_Your fathers actually there on business today. He was going to stop by; perhaps you can come back with him?" _She suggested as she listened to the tone of her sons voice.

"That would be great." Twirling the phone cord around his fingers, Greg stared up at the blank ceiling above him, wishing he could be a man and stay here in Las Vegas, but he was too scared to. He needed a fresh start. "Any idea when he'll be over here?"

"_No, I could give him a call if you want. Why's that sweetheart?"_

"I just really need to get away from this place." Greg sighed heavily, thinking that Nick would be over in a couple of hours, but he didn't really want to talk to him again. He liked his company, just hated the constant pep talks he was giving him lately as it made it so much harder for him to bottle everything up.

"_I'll ring him right now then; I'll call you back on what time he'll be there. Pack a bag just clothes and things, we could always send for the rest of your stuff if you decide to stay here."_

"Thanks mom." Greg sighed softly. "I love you."

"_Oh I love you too honey. It'll all work out, you'll see."_

Greg waited for her to hang up first before he put the phone down on his end. He scrambled off the bed then quickly rushing off towards the bathroom to freshen up. He didn't want his own father to see him in a mess.

_It wasn't because Nick pointed it out to me though._ He assured himself as he picked up the razor. _Why am I even thinking about Nick? _He asked himself as he looked into the mirror in front of him.

He rolled his eyes at himself then started shaving off the beard, moustache and thick side boards before he jumped into the shower to clean himself up a bit as Nick was also right about the smell. He was more than a bit past his sell by date, and he really couldn't stand the sticky sweat on his body anymore. _Why am I thinking about Nick again? _He asked himself, beginning to get frustrated.

It wasn't just that thinking about Nick was bugging him; it was the way he was thinking about him. He was constantly on his mind; some thoughts not to be considered polite about his best friend either, especially about his very male, very straight best friend.

Greg closed his eyes as the hot water poured down over his vulnerable flesh. He licked his lips imagining what it would be like to kiss Nick. _Heaven,_ he imagined. _Pure tender heaven_. His body warmed in both lust and desire, even warmer than the spray of the hot shower pouring down around him. He wanted to feel the older man's bare skin against his own. To feel his hard erection against his own. To taste those heavenly soft lips...

"No!" He suddenly screamed, snapping his eyes open.

He shook his head trying to think about something else, anything else other than Nick would be good right now. _Bunnies, big fluffy hopping bunnies in a field of dandelions. _Greg reclosed his eyes imagining this perfect paradise.

"No!" He screamed again as he saw Nick's face come into view. "Damn it, this isn't working!" He scolded himself. Glancing down at his lower half, he realised there really was something more to Nick that he liked, more than his friendship.

Never before had he thought of a friend in such a sinful way.

"Oh no, no I don't like Nick! I don't like Nick. I don't like Nick. I don't like Nick. I don't like Nick..." He repeated over and over again, closing his eyes to will his body to come down. "I don't even like guys . . . I like hot babes, breasts, long hair, smooth skin..." Greg closed his eyes thinking about the woman of his dreams. He ran his eyes across her perfect toes, up her silky smooth legs and thighs, towards her navel...

"No!" Greg screamed again, opening his eyes in horror as he pictured a man's chest. But not just any man, it was Nick Stokes again. "This really isn't working." Looking down in front of him at the shower knobs, he reached for the cold knob, getting ready to turn it on full blast. "This is so gonna hurt." He warned himself, flinching as the icy cold water pelted down over his vulnerable flesh.

He let out a shrill scream before he shut it off completely, stumbling back out of the shower to grab a nice warm towel.

"Oh no, no, no... I don't like Nick. He's my best friend." Stumbling over to the sink, he looked at his freshly shaven face and clean hair. He was starting to look like the old Greg again, minus the fading bruises on his face. He tightened the towel around his waist, leaning on the sink as he stared deep into his own eyes. "Oh my god, I like Nick." Glancing down at his waist, he felt very painfully tight. "No!" He slapped himself in the head. "I can't like Nick! Why? Why me! Why him?" He screamed angrily at himself, making his way off towards the bedroom to collapse against the bed. "No, I can't like Nick." He sobbed into his cushion. "I can't like him."

Greg reached for the photo on his bedside table of the night shift crew, taken the day of his promotion. He cast his eyes towards Nick stood beside him in the photo, running his eyes across his strong, athletic, well toned, muscular, sexy...

"Oh god!" He whimpered, dropping his head into his hands. Greg rolled onto his back, clutching the photo frame against his chest as he stared up at the ceiling. "Well he is . . . attractive." He told himself, raising the picture again to take another look. "Who am I kidding? He's gorgeous!" Greg searched the vacant look in Nick's eyes, desperately wanting to wrap his arms around him and hug him tightly. He never realised before, how empty Nick's eyes looked.

It looked as though he was the loneliest man in the world.

* * *

"So you and Greg . . . you're not?" Warrick asked cautiously as they drove along in silence in Nick's truck.

"Not what?" Trying to concentrate on the road ahead of him, Nick turned his head slightly to look at Warrick. "C'mon, not what?"

"You know . . . you're not together... or you know, thinking about being..."

"What?" Nick asked shocked at the accusation. "No! Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Sorry man. I just thought after that incident when Greg was beaten up. You totally lost it punching that guy, so I thought there was something going on between you guys."

_I wish. _Nick thought to himself, turning his head to look at Warrick sat in his passenger's seat. "No, nothin' like that, I swear. I'm not into Greg like that man; he's just... like a brother to me. I'd do the same for you or Sara even Cath."

"Okay, sorry man, I didn't mean to offend you. Just so you know . . . I guess I would be totally okay . . . you know if you were . . . you know if you did swing that way."

"I don't." Nick nervously cleared his throat, pointing his eyes back towards the road.

"You sure?"

"Yes!" Nick snapped. "I'm not into Greg... like that." He protested, even though it was true.

"Okay I'm sorry. Let's just forget it okay?" Warrick asked calling a truce. Nick nodded to him then turned his head back to the road in front of him, knowing that he should have told Warrick then and there, but he didn't even know if Greg liked him yet.

Truth is . . . he saw him a lot more than a brother, much more.

* * *

"Hi dad," Greg greeted his father as he pulled his front door open with a forced smile. He let his father in through the door before he threw his arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"Hey, it's okay Greg." Daniel Sanders softly soothed him, hugging his boy close to his chest. "Your mom said you sounded awful on the phone." He spoke softly, feeling his son's body trembling in his arms.

"Awful doesn't even cover it." Greg sobbed into his father's shoulder, suddenly feeling really guilty for skipping town without saying goodbye to anyone, especially Nick.

Daniel softly soothed his boy as he looked around at the state his son's apartment was in. He hadn't visited much in the past year, but it all looked very different. It looked as though a tornado had hit it, throwing beer bottles and clothes all over the room, along with a few Chinese food cartons and stale pizza boxes.

Greg always did have a messy room growing up, but his wife Jean would never let things get this chaotic. The stench of stale fast food was still fresh in the air, but Greg felt terribly thin in his arms, almost as though he hadn't eaten in weeks.

His wife would be horrified if she stepped foot in this place, so he was glad it was him to see how bad his son had got before her as she always was a worrier.

"Are you all set to go then?" Daniel looked around the apartment, spotting Greg's bags packed by his bedroom door. Greg nodded slowly then reluctantly pulled out of his father's arms. He dried the tears from his eyes on the sleeve of his sweatshirt then returned to his bedroom to grab some shoes. Dropping down onto the edge of his bed, Greg pulled his sneakers on, just as there was a knock at the front door.

Daniel looked at his son then round at the door behind him. "Do yah want me to get that Greg?"

Greg faintly nodded to him as he tied his shoe laces. He then quickly scrambled off the bed, remembering he had forgotten to pack his toothbrush. One of the most important things, even though he suspected his mother would have plenty of spares around the house, she was always so well prepared, but he really wanted his own.

Daniel turned around and made his way off towards the front door. Pulling it open, he saw a rather handsome jock stood in the doorway. "Yes?" He asked the man stood in his son's doorway.

Nick looked at the man who opened Greg's apartment door, seeing he was clearly Greg's father as there was a distinct similarity between them, only Greg's father had normal hair and he looked slightly older, obviously because he was.

"Howdy, I-I'm Nick Stokes, friend of Greg's." He introduced himself.

"Oh, hi Nick. I'm Daniel Sanders, Greg's father." He reached his hand out to shake the other man's hand. "Greg's told me a lot about you Nick."

"Really?" Nick nervously scratched his head, looking around the man to find Greg. "Um... Greg, is he... is he here?" He asked, wondering why Greg's father was here and Greg's bags were packed.

"Yeah, he is. Greg!" Daniel turned around to watch his son emerging from his bedroom door. He looked at Greg's shocked expression then turned back to look at Nick. They both seemed as shocked as the other to see each other. "How about I get this stuff down to the car?" He offered, lifting Greg's bags off the floor.

"Thanks... dad."

Nick gave Greg's father a slight smile then stepped aside so he could carry the bags out of Greg's apartment and off to his car outside. Nick looked towards Greg once he was gone, giving him an accusing glare, "You're leavin'?" He asked, sounding hurt.

"Not for good," Greg pulled a clean hooded sweatshirt down over his head, not wanting to face his mother in a dirty one. He took a few steps closer towards Nick as he flattened his hair down. Looking at the hurt look in his eyes, he started to feel guilty for leaving him, right after he just discovered his feelings for him. Even though Nick didn't know how he felt, or what he was thinking about him, he felt like somehow he was betraying him.

"Actually Nicky, I don't really know yet... I just... I really need a break from all of this."

"What about work?"

"I'll call Grissom and tell him I'm taking a leave of absence." Greg sheepishly explained, shoving his hands deep into his sweatshirt pockets. He couldn't even bare to make eye contact with Nick after all the thoughts he had been having over the past few hours.

Which of course only made him feel even more guilty for just leaving town with no real explanation. Being face to face with the man who had just rocked his fantasy world felt really weird, especially as he was still his very straight Texan friend. He was having an even harder time trying to settle his body now, let alone trying to keep his eyes from wondering across the actual sized curves of Nick's muscles, whereas before everything was in two dimensional view. The three dimensional view of Nicky really was quite the hotty.

"You really didn't hear anythin' I said to you earlier did you G?"

"I did, but I still need a break." Greg grabbed his keys off the side, heading off towards the front door, but Nick stopped him, knowing this could be his very last chance to talk to him.

"Please Greg, don't go." He pleaded, holding Greg in place with his hands on his shoulders. Greg shivered under the touch of the older man, bringing back all the feelings he was having for him earlier in the shower. "C'mon Greg, please don't go."

"Don't make this harder Nicky, I just need a break from all this." Shrugging off Nick's hands from his shoulders, he made his way off towards the front door once again.

Nick clenched his teeth in frustration. He knew if he wanted Greg to stay, he was going to have to do a lot more than beg him to.

He grabbed Greg's wrist quickly before he disappeared off out the door and out of his life for good, pulling him back towards him. Greg looked at Nick stunned, but before he could protest or pull away, Nick closed the distance between them, closing his mouth over Greg's, kissing him passionately, like he had dreamt of doing in his fantasies for years.

Greg was completely flabbergasted. He stood perfectly still, allowing Nick to deepen his kiss. The warmth of Nick's tongue in his mouth sent shivers through his whole body, making his eyelids flutter with excitement.

It was more heavenly then he could have ever imagined.

Greg felt his whole body starting to warm once again with pure lust and excitement, just like it had in the shower, only this time it was more vivid as he could really feel Nick's warm tongue in his mouth, his moist soft lips against his own and the warmth of his masculine body, just inches from his own.

He was on cloud nine.

Slowly breaking the kiss, Nick watched Greg's eyelashes flapping like angels wings as he re-licked his lips, tasting the sweet nectar of Nick Stokes on his breath.

Nick took in a few choppy breaths for courage as he looked Greg right in the eye, making him melt before he began to speak in his raspy Texan voice, "See Greg, here's the thing... I'm... I kinda," Nick inhaled a heavy deep breath, feeling a little light headed. "I love you Greg." He finally blurted. "I-I always have actually, ever since the first moment I saw you. I can't just let you walk out of my life Greg. At least not without tellin' you."

Greg looked up at Nick shocked. Was he dreaming? Was Nick high or something? Did he drink too much beer again and this was some very vivid fantasy that felt so real and so heavenly? How could this possibly be happening? He didn't know what to do.

He knew his father would be waiting for him, so he made a break for the door again.

"Wait, please Greg," Nick pleaded him, holding both of Greg's arms, trying to keep him put. "I'm layin' my heart out on the line here G. You can't just go..."

"Why did you wait until now to say anything?" Greg whinged, hating the fact that he desperately wanted Nick's lips against his own once again. More than that, he wanted his hands on his body; he wanted his body pressed against his own. He only just realised his feelings for Nick less than three hours ago, he couldn't believe this was really happening; the day he realises that he has feelings for his best friend, just so happens to be the day that he himself expresses his undying love to him.

_Things like this just don't happen. _He thought to himself, looking up into Nick's eyes burning into him, causing his heart beat and breathing to quicken.

"Please Nicky, just go. I can't... I can't do this right now. I'm barely holding it together as is. And why did you have to do this to me now?" He complained.

"Because I was too afraid you'd reject me . . . from the looks of it my fears were correct."

"Nick, you're putting me in an impossible situation here." Greg dropped his head into his hands, running his fingers through his hair.

"Please at least just tell me you don't feel the same before you leave."

Tears started to form in Greg's eyes as he stared into Nick's eyes, he wanted to tell the truth, but he didn't understand what was going on with him. "Nicky . . . I don't." He said in a low whisper as a tear rolled down his face. "I'm sorry." He shook his head, feeling another tear pooling from his eye as he kept his eyes locked with Nick's. "I'm sorry, I have to go. My dad's waiting for me." Pulling himself out of Nick's arms, he looked back at the broken man, feeling extra guilty now. "Would you... lock up for me?" Greg dropped his keys into Nick's hand, taking a few steps back from the broken man in front of him.

Nick stood in silence, watching the love of his life running off down the hall, not knowing if he would ever get to see him again.

As soon as Greg got outside, the tears started flowing down his cheeks. He had never even thought of Nick in that way, now he was craving him desperately, wanting to kiss him again. Greg took slow deep breaths feeling as though he was about to have a panic attack or pass out.

"Greggy, you okay?" His father asked, walking over to him.

Greg looked up at his father, sniffing back his tears then shook his head as he wiped his eyes with the clean sleeves of his sweatshirt. "I can't stay here anymore dad." He sobbed into his hands. "I have... I have to go."

"It's okay. Come on." Daniel led his tearful son off towards the car, feeling his body trembling as he helped him into the passenger seat. Greg buckled his seatbelt up then looked out of the window beside him, turning his head towards apartment window, constantly thinking about the kiss. He licked his lips again savouring the taste.

Nick tasted like a forbidden fruit, a heavenly sweet sinful nectar. And just like ecstasy, he was instantly craving more...

* * *

**(5,000 word difference from the Original chapter I posted)**

**First published 31st Jan 2010 = Re-edited version by Lolly4Holly on 8th Jan 2011**

**Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2: Where to from here?

**Chapter Two: Where to from here**

"Dad wait!" Greg quickly shouted before they got too far away from his apartment and more importantly, too far away from Nick.

"What's wrong? You forgot something?" Daniel asked, screeching the car to a sudden halt at his son's sudden outburst. Greg lunged forwards as the car stopped, being pulled back by the seatbelt against his chair before he hit the dashboard. He looked round at his father then nodded before he quickly pulled his seatbelt off and scrambled out of the car as fast as he could. "Greg?"

Greg ignored his father and ran straight back towards his apartment building as fast as he could, swinging his arms at his sides for more power and speed. He impressed himself at how fast he made it back, sighing in relief as he saw Nick's truck still sat in the parking lot.

Hustling off through the parking lot, Greg hurried off towards the elevators, frantically pushing the button for the lift to get to him quicker as he panted heavily with exhaustion. He anxiously waited for it to arrive for a few seconds, but it was taking too long so he burst through the stairs doors, starting to wheeze from the cold air outside entering his lungs, but he pushed on, taking the stairs two at a time to reach Nick in time.

He started to wish he had taken one of the first floor apartments and not the ninth as he looked up at the mountain of stairs in front of him.

Greg pulled himself up using the stairs railing as he felt as though he was going to collapse from the lack of oxygen in his body. Bursting through the doubles doors with a large number nine imprinted on it, Greg wheezed heavily as he rounded the corner of the hall, seeing his apartment door was still wide open, meaning Nick might still be inside.

_Yes._ He sighed in relief then hurried off towards his apartment door, hoping to see Nick inside as he ran through the door. He smiled slightly relieved then leant on his thighs as he panted heavily with exhaustion, ready to collapse at any moment.

"I really gotta stop drinking." He muttered to himself then looked over at Nick who was still in his apartment, sat with his back against the wall. Hunched over in tears with his knees pulled close to his chest, Nick didn't even notice the younger mans presence in the room.

The heart broken man looked as though he had just literally dropped to the floor where he was stood when Greg left the room.

Nick finally looked up as he heard Greg's heavy wheezing. He gasped in shock as he looked up at him as he thought he had left for good. Quickly wiping his hands across his cheeks to wipe away the evidence of his tears, he inhaled a deep breath, trying to think of something to say. "What are you doin' here G?" Nick finally found his voice.

Greg tried to pace his heavy breathing, inhaling deep breaths before he dropped to his knees beside Nick, looking at the tears in his eyes that he had caused. "Well, I..." Greg looked at Nick's lips, reaching out to wipe Nick's tears away with his soft fingertips. "Can you just kiss me again Nicky?" He simply requested.

He looked up at the younger man confused.

"Please Nicky."

Nick trembled slightly as he felt Greg's soft fingertips wiping a tear away from his chin before it dropped to his chest like the others. "You want me... you want me to kiss you again?" He stammered with confusion.

Greg nodded, not about to make the first move as he was too nervous.

Nick sniffed back his tears then leant towards Greg to capture his lips with his own. His hands slowly moved up towards his face, gently cupping his cheeks in his hands as he kissed Greg for the second time. This time Greg responded to the kiss, feeling warm tingles rushing throughout his body. He couldn't believe he was really kissing his best friend, but it was _the _most heavenly kiss he had ever experienced in his life.

Nick slowly pulled back from Greg's lips, dropping his hands to his lap as he rested his forehead against Greg's. They both panted their hot breath across one another's lips, desperately wanting to taste each other again as they filled their lungs with air.

Greg kept his eyes firmly shut, licking his moist lips that tasted of Nick's sweet nectar. "This feels so wrong . . . but so right at the same time." Greg whispered against Nick's parted lips.

"It feels perfect to me G." Greg leant closer to Nick, tasting his masculine soft lips again. His body warmed with lust and desire once again. He could feel his body tightening as his heart soared from the sensation of pure lust clouding his thoughts.

Greg slowly pulled back, licking his lips as he opened his eyes to look into Nick's. "Nicky . . . why didn't you ever tell me... that you loved me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Looking down at his hands in his lap, Nick inhaled a deep breath for courage before he spoke, "I-I've been ashamed . . . I've always been ashamed of who I am." He glanced up at Greg, looking deep into his welcoming warm eyes that made him melt. "I'm gay Greg . . . I've been hidin' it for years, even from myself half the time. I've always been ashamed of bein' gay . . . I've hidden it from everyone . . . I tried to hide it from you, but I fell for you. I can't control it anymore Greg. I've fallen head over heels for you." He admitted.

Greg sat back on his heels, looking into Nick's eyes as he told him the truth. "Why... why do you... why do you love me?" Confused, Greg looked at Nick's expression, wondering what he saw in him. "Why Nicky? No one's ever loved me before."

"I do . . . I've always loved you . . . I think you're beautiful."

Greg's cheeks flushed hot red as he looked deeper into Nick's eyes, feeling warm tingles swirling around his stomach. Just as he was about to speak, his cell phone started to ring. He dug it from his pocket, snapping it open in his hand. "Hello?" He groaned at the interruption.

"_Greg, are you alright? I thought you were abducted or something." _His father panicked.

"No, I'm fine . . . honestly." He half smiled as he looked up at Nick, feeling his body warming still with the Texans eyes on him. "Hey dad, could you just give me a minute? I'll be out in a sec."

"_Sure I'll wait for you."_

Greg slowly pulled his phone away from his ear then snapped it shut in his hand. He looked at Nick a moment, knowing he was going to be annoyed that he was still leaving. "You're still goin'?" He asked, just as shocked as Greg expected he would be.

"Well Nicky, like I said . . . I really need a break." Looking down at his hands, Greg attempted to explain his reasons, "I can't... be around here anymore. You can't just spring this upon me and expect me to stay Nicky, it's not that easy. I don't know if you noticed, but I'm a mess."

"Believe me, I've noticed." Nick nodded as he looked into Greg's tearful eyes. "But you _are_ comin' back, right?"

Greg replied with a shrug as he looked at the hurt expression in Nick's eyes, only making him feel even more guilty. "Nicky, I don't know... maybe when I come back... we could... we can probably figure out what this is between us... but I can't... right now. It's too much."

Nick sighed heavily, knowing Greg probably wasn't coming back. "Okay."

Greg licked his lips then reached out for Nick's hand to hold in his own. Nick looked at him surprised as Greg laced their fingers together, tenderly brushing his thumb across the back of his hand. "Nicky... I've never felt this way about anyone before. I don't know if it's real or not... all I know is that I care about you a lot... and when you kiss me I get butterflies in my stomach." Nick smiled softly, thinking the exact same thing. "I've never felt like this before... especially not from just a freaking kiss." He chuckled, making Nick smile wider. "And I really I can't believe you kissed me."

"Why not?"

"Because, well I've never... you know, kissed a man before . . . and I can't believe you're my first." Greg tightened his grip on Nick's hand, feeling his heart racing inside his chest. "I really like you Nick, but I've never been with a man before."

"It's okay Greg. I've never felt this way about anyone before you. I don't wonna rush you G . . . if you're not ready, I understand."

Greg smiled through his discomfort, looking into Nick's comforting eyes. "You know, out of all the conversations we've ever had, this is definitely the hardest." He chuckled softly as he anxiously looked up into his eyes. "I've never even thought about another man before... now I can't stop thinking... about you."

"Kiss was that good huh?" Nick joked.

Greg nodded, desperately wanting to taste his lips again. "Say Nicky, doncha have a conference coming up next week?"

"Yeah, with Grissom at the Pacific Palms Hotel, it's the first of three I have to attend. Why?"

"Well, my parents live near there." Chewing nervously on his bottom lip, Greg sucked in a few deep breaths for courage. "Maybe we could... you know talk about what this is between us?" He suggested. "You don't have to, I just... I don't want to leave our friendship like this. I care about you... you've always been a good friend, so if you want..."

Nick smiled softly as he saw Greg blushing for the first time in his life. "Are you tryin' to ask me out Sanders? That must have been some kiss to get a date." He smirked.

"Best I ever had." He admitted in a soft whisper, blushing even brighter red as he looked down at their fingers laced together.

"Hey G," Nick gently lifted Greg's chin so he could look him in the eyes. "Me too." He confessed. Greg sighed softly, wondering why he was so nervous around his best friend. Closing his eyes, he struggled to think of what he could possibly say to make the situation a little less awkward. "Greg, what are you thinkin' about?" Nick whispered softly, tightening his grip on Greg's hand.

Greg's bottom lip hung out with confusion. "Am I awake?" He suddenly asked.

"Yes." Nick chuckled softly. "You're awake Greg. Wide awake."

"So this is really happening?"

"Yeah." Nick nodded as he gently caressed Greg's cheek with his thumb.

Greg leant forwards, desperately wanting the taste of Nick in his mouth again. He tilted his head to the side, closing his mouth over Nick's for the third time. His body warmed with excitement as their soft lips touched so delicately.

Each of their bodies tightened and warmed as their kiss grew more confidence.

The warmth of Nick's tongue in his mouth made his heart quicken. Their tongues slowly glided across each other, exploring the others mouth, leaving no corner untasted, even more sensual then their first kiss.

The lingering sweetness of Greg's lips against his own was so much better than he ever could have imagined.

Greg slowly pulled back, tracing Nick's jaw line with a soft fingertip. "So Nicky, whaddya say? You wonna hook up in LA?" He cheekily smiled.

"Definitely."

"Okay, I have to go." Greg lips gently touched the corner of his mouth before he climbed to his feet. "Bye Nicky." He whispered softly, not really wanting to leave. He felt as though he could kiss Nick forever. He was grateful for his large hooded sweatshirt as it hid his tightened body from Nick. "I'll call you later, Nicky."

"Okay." Nick nodded, watching Greg slowly making his way off towards the front door of his apartment. "Bye Greg." He smiled in awe at the expression on Greg's face. He looked like an adorable little lost puppy. He felt a lot better about this goodbye than the last one. Instead of feeling hurt and torn, he felt warm tingles in the pit of his stomach. Then he realised he wouldn't be able to see Greg for another week, making him feel hurt and torn once again as though a part of him had left when Greg did.

He felt as though he had already traded souls Greg, and their fate was sealed.

* * *

The wind gently blew in through the open passenger side window, ruffling its way through Greg's mop of hair. The sunshine was just starting to rise against the tall buildings of Las Vegas, lighting up their path out of sin city. The life he had left behind him was one of heart ache and pain. From the moment he moved to Vegas, his heart had been pounded into the ground beneath him, over and over again, leaving his life a big empty void.

But then there was Nick.

Reaching for the radio in his father's car, Greg turned the music up, tapping his fingers on his knees to the beat as he tried to clear his mind of all the feelings he was beginning to feel for his best friend. He couldn't believe how downhill his life had gotten so fast.

His father's voice brought him out of his thoughts, causing him to jump as he had completely forgotten that he was in the car with him. "You've been awfully quiet. Daniel Sanders noticed, looking around at his son sat in the passenger seat of his car. He gave his son a soft smile then turned down the volume of the music echoing through the car. "I said... you've been awfully quiet. Usually I can't get a word in edge ways. What's the matter Greggy?"

"I..." Greg sighed heavily then turned to face his father. "I think I'm in love." He blurted.

Daniel looked at his son surprised. "Well, I wasn't expecting to hear that. With who?"

Greg liked it how his father didn't say 'who's the lucky girl?' It made it slightly easier for him to tell him the truth. "Well, see the thing is dad . . . I'm in love . . . with..." Greg looked his father in the eye then whispered, "Nick Stokes."

Daniel raised his eyebrows slightly surprised. "Really? That Texan guy back there? Wow, he's quite the looker..."

"You're not freaked?" Greg interrupted his father surprised. "Why aren't you freaked dad?"

Daniel gave him a curious smile, "About what? Why would I be freaked?"

"Because," Greg scratched at his head, looking at his father who was less stunned than him. "He's a guy dad! Aren't you disappointed in me?"

"Why?"

"Because, it's not every day that you find out your sons a..." Greg struggled to find the right words.

Daniel looked at his son struggling to speak, finding it very odd that his son would ever struggle to speak. His first words were more than enough. He remembered Jean was trying to write down all the words he said in one day, but he was talking too fast for her pen to keep up. "That my sons a what?" He queried.

"Well a . . . queer . . . fudge-packer..."

"Hey! Don't go insulting my son there boy!" He warned him, shooting him a glare. "You can't chose who you fall in love with Greg. Your mother and I have taught you to never be ashamed of who you are. And if you just so happen to be gay..."

"I'm not." Greg quickly interrupted him, folding his arms across his chest as he slumped back in his seat. "I've only ever loved one guy... besides you and Papa Olaf that is. I'm not even sure I do love him. I like him. I just don't know if I do... you know."

"Greg, you sound a little confused."

"I am." Clutching his head in his hands, Greg closed his eyes as he struggled to think. "On the one hand, he's my best friend. The best friend I've ever had actually. On the other . . . he," Opening his eyes, Greg turned to face his father. "Why aren't you disappointed that I... might be gay?" He asked confused by his father's calmness on the subject. "Mom will be, she'll hate me..."

"Nothing could ever make your mother hate you." Daniel shook his head to him. "And, to be honest with you, Greg... and I mean no offence here son. But I always thought you might be."

"What?" Greg shouted, shocked by the accusation. "What made you ever think I was gay?"

"Don't act so surprised mister." Ruffling his son's mop of hair, he chuckled softly, "A father knows his son Gregory... and besides; I never actually thought you were gay. I thought you were bisexual."

"Oh." Greg slumped back in his seat again, staring out of his window. "I never thought about it like that. But I've never kissed a guy before either. Not until Nick, technically... I was the kisse' though." He rambled then turned his head back towards his father, giving him a curious look, "Dad, how did you know... that you loved mom?"

"Well, I was actually with someone else when I realised I loved her." Daniel admitted as he looked round at his son again, continuing to drive the two of them on the long journey back home. "Greg, I'm bisexual. Your mother never wanted me to tell you because you were too young to understand. Then we kinda forgot about it because I only loved her after that," Greg widened his eyes as his father continued to tell him his secret. "I had a boyfriend in college Greg."

"Mom knew?"

"Oh yeah, she was actually into it..."

"No more please, my ears are bleeding." Greg quickly shouted, covering his hands over his ears. Daniel chuckled softly, shaking his head at his son.

Greg slowly pulled his hands away from his ears as he looked round at his father; the man he had looked up to his whole life. He had always listened to his advice and asked him for help in understanding things growing up.

Now though, he needed him more than ever.

"So dad . . . it wasn't weird for you? You know, being with a guy?"

"Yeah it was weird. I was in denial, confused, angry . . . I hurt some people close to me with the words I used trying to protect myself from this big deal. I told my father, he cast me out . . . I don't want that for you Greg." He turned to look into his sons eyes. "My father used some choice words before he threw me out the door, my mother never wanted to talk to me again..."

"Is that why I never knew my grandparents from your side?" Greg queried.

"Yep," Daniel pulled up at a truck stop diner. He turned the engine off then turned his head to look at his son, continuing to give him some advice, "It was weird having a boyfriend at first, but then it seemed normal. If you do love this Nick guy, and you want to be with him . . . you'll have my full support son. One hundred percent." He assured him.

"Mom knew, and she didn't care?" He asked shocked.

Daniel shook his head, pulling the keys from the ignition. "Nope. I was with my boyfriend when I first met her. She was my best friend in college. Then we fell in love with each other. And I'm sure you know the rest." He smirked, knowing Jean had told him many times. "So how long have you and this Nick Stokes been together?" He asked him curiously before they climbed out the car.

"Actually, we're not together." Greg clasped his hands together on his lap, looking down at them as he recalled his first kiss with Nick, followed by the second and third with the tender hand holding. "We're not together; we just... actually, we kinda just had our first kiss when you went down to get the car." Greg informed him, looking up at his father's surprised expression.

"And you left him?" He asked surprised, sounding more shocked then he intended.

"Dad!" His son moaned. "I already feel bad enough as it is."

"Sorry, sorry . . . so when you ran back?" He asked, trying to understand.

"We didn't," Greg rushed to explain, gulping back the large lump in his throat. "It was just a kiss. But the thing is . . . I never knew he liked me . . . or that I liked him." Greg scratched his hand through his hair then looked up at his father. "I do like him though. I've been friends with him for years, best friends in fact. You know that," He smirked as he was always telling his parents about everything that happened at the lab. "I didn't know I liked him that much though."

Daniel smiled softly, understanding what his son was saying completely. "It was the same for me. My first kiss with my ex-boyfriend was weird, but wonderful. A part of me never wanted it to end . . . but it did, I didn't talk to him for a week after that... that is until I started craving him." Daniel enlightened his son, happy he could still help his son, even though he was in his thirties now. "So Greg, if you just had your first, second and third kiss with him, why are you leaving?" He asked him curiously.

"Because I was leaving before he kissed me." Greg pointed out to his father, feeling bad again. "Now he's made me all confused and feeling guilty about it. I never even thought he would ever be gay. He's as straight as they come, a traditional ladies man. Warrick once said he gets more ass than a toilet seat, and it's probably true the amount of women he's dated."

"Maybe they're beard dates, he's trying to correct his sexuality or something?" Daniel suggested.

"Damn," Greg leant back in his chair feeling even more terrible for leaving Nick behind now. He felt as though they should have talked more about what was going to happen between them before he left. Was it just a kiss? Or did he want a relationship with him?

Looking at the expression on his sons face, Daniel had an idea. "Greggy, you wonna turn back? Go and find him?"

Greg looked down at his hands, slowly shaking his head towards his father. "No, I'm not sure I even want to kiss him again."

"Why not? Was it that terrible?" He queried.

Greg looked at his father relicking his lips, still tasting the Texans forbidden nectar in his mouth. Greg shook his head slightly, giving out a soft sigh, "No . . . that's the problem."

Daniel smiled softly, shaking his head at him. "There's nothing wrong with being gay son." He informed him.

"Dad, I'm not gay." Greg protested. "I've kissed one man in my life . . . how does that make me gay?" He asked him, beginning to feel frustrated at the accusation.

"It doesn't son." Daniel shook his head, leaning against the car door beside Greg. "It doesn't matter who you love or what you do, you don't have to label yourself. I just want you to know that if you do love Nick, I will completely support you."

Greg gave him a slight smile as he leant back in his seat. "You know, that sounds really weird coz it's Nick, but thanks."

"That's okay." Daniel smiled at his son proudly then took a step back to let him out the car. "C'mon, I'll buy you some breakfast while I load up on gas. Last stop till we hit home. You need to go to the bathroom."

"I'm not a kid anymore," Greg reminded him, pouting as he followed after his father. "I don't need to be asked if I need to go to the bathroom or not, and we don't have to stop every fifteen minutes on long car drives because I feel nauseous."

"Old habits die hard." Daniel chuckled softly, holding the door of the diner open for his son. Greg gave him a slight smile back then stepped into the diner, feeling so glad that he could openly talk about this with his father, just as Daniel was glad he could still openly talk with his son.

This was a huge step in his son's life and he was glad that he was there to help.

* * *

Parking her car in the lot of the crime lab, Catherine gave out a heavy sigh of exhaustion as she climbed out of her car, glad that the shift was nearly over. She collected up the box of evidence from the back of her car then head off towards the elevators, taking them up to the lab floor. "Hey Judy." She waved to the receptionist.

"No new messages, Miss Willows." The receptionist informed her then got back to work.

Catherine nodded to her then head off towards Mandy's lab first, dumping off some fingerprints she needed analysed. Next stop was Hodges lab to drop of her trace then onto Wendy's for the blood sample and condoms she had found at her scene. The last stop was Archie's lab, handing him the video feed she managed to pull from the motel security camera.

"Thanks." She waved to Archie after giving him instructions to process her tape in front of everyone else's before she stopped off at the break room for the first break of her shift. As she walked in she saw Nick still leant against the counter, staring down at the floor with a deep in thought look on his face.

"Nicky," She snapped him out of his thoughts. "Are you okay?" Absently nodding, Nick continued to stare down at a fixed spot on the floor. "Really... because you've been sat in here for two hours straight." She pointed out to him as she had walked by the break room when she was here earlier and he was still stood in the exact same position. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Nick gave her a slight nod as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"So, what's going on with you Nicky?"

"Nothin'," He lied, sniffing in a deep breath before a tear spilled from his eyes. "It's nothin' really." He assured her.

"Oh C'mon Nicky, I know you." She walked towards the table in front of him, leaning back against it as she folded her arms across her chest, gazing at the lost boy look in Nick's eyes. "There's something brothering you Nicky, I can tell." She pried, waiting for him to speak. "C'mon Nicky, what's going on with you? You can trust me... you have before." She reminded him.

"It's nothin' Cath, really." He insisted, catching a tear before it spilled down his cheek, but Catherine saw it, only making her worry more.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me." She firmly told him, but he remained silent still, so she decided to ask him about something else to get him talking. "So er Nicky, how was Greg when you went to see him?"

Nick looked up at her surprised as he adjusted himself, shifting from one foot to the other a moment before he asked, "How'd you know I went to see him?"

"Warrick told me." She smiled as he finally looked up at her.

"Man, people really do gossip around here huh?" He smirked, anxiously rubbing a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I went to see him... and he's... actually, he's... he's gone." He stammered, desperately trying to hold back the emotion that was ready to bubble to the surface inside of him.

"Gone? Gone where?" Catherine asked shocked.

"Back home."

"Is that why you're so upset?" Shaking his head, Nick returned to staring down at the floor. "Nicky, you think I don't know what's going on with you two?"

"Us two what?" A perplexed frown spread across his head. Did she know that they kissed? How could she know that they kissed? No one else was around when it happened.

"Nicky, I've known for a while. The way you look at Greg, it's totally obvious." Nick blushed bright red as he glanced up at her. "Do you think I'm stupid? You stare at him every chance you get. Don't be embarrassed little Nicky," She teased him. "I think it's cute." Nick rolled his eyes up at her. "Oh come on Nicky, it is. Are you ashamed or something?"

"No, I'm not ashamed." He shook his head, covering his hand over his eyes as he tried to collect himself.

"Nicky, there's nothing wrong with you. Did you even tell Greg how you feel about him?" She checked the break room door was still shut while she waited for Nick to respond. "Nicky, did you tell him how you feel?" She asked again.

"Yes." He finally spoke. His voice came out in a shaky whisper. "I told him."

"And..." She pried. "What happened?"

Nick inhaled a deep breath, annoyed that she was prying, but right now she was the only person he could talk to about this. "And we kissed Catherine." He revealed to her. "We kissed, three times, okay. And he still left."

"Aww," Smiling in awe, she tried to picture it, making Nick roll his eyes at her again. "What? That's cute Nicky. So, how was it?"

"Quit pryin' Cath." He smirked, trying to joke through his awkwardness.

"C'mon Nicky, give us some of the juicy details." She pleaded, taking a few steps closer to him. "How was your first kiss... it _was_ your first kiss right?" Nick nodded, nervously biting his lower lip. "Okay, did you get the warm fuzzy feelings in your stomach, the cold tingles down your spine?" Nick clenched his teeth into his lower lip before he nodded again. "Aww, that's so sweet Nicky. So, what was Greg's reaction?"

"Cath." He whinged, not really wanting to talk about this with her right now.

"C'mon Nicky, nothing good ever happens around here. I'm not gonna tell anyone, I swear." She promised him as she gently placed one hand on his arm.

Nick sighed in defeat, tearing his eyes away from the floor once again. "He didn't freak out or anythin' . . . he said it was the best kiss he ever had."

"Aww!"

"Would you top with the teenage drama queen!" Nick snapped at her, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets. "I had enough of that from my sisters growin' up. I don't need it from you too."

"Sorry." She apologised in a low whisper. "So, what happened next?"

"Then . . . he left, after the first kiss that is. He came back again; he looked as though he ran all the way back. He kissed me again . . . then we sorta arranged for us to meet up later."

"So, he's okay with it?"

"I don't know." Nick shrugged wishing he tried harder to convince Greg to stay. "He just... he left. I don't think he's comin' back, and I'm still really worried about him." Nick raked his fingers through his hair then looked up at her. "I've never told him about how I felt, I told him through a kiss. I think I pretty much freaked him out with that though."

"He'll be back." She assured him, gently smoothing her palm around in circles on his shoulder. "No one can resist your charm Nicky, there's definitely no way Greg can. I've seen the way he looks at you two, there's no question that the boy likes you." Nick smiled softly to her then looked down at his hands again. "So how long until you see him again?"

"Um... about a week."

"Aww Nicky," She put her arm around his shoulder hugging him close. "Why don't you call him? I'm sure hearing his voice will cheer you up."

"I'm not so sure Cath." He shook his head slightly.

"C'mon, anyone kissed by you would be totally love struck, Nicky." Nick blushed at the compliment. "Call him; I'm sure he would love to hear your voice too." She smiled tapping him on the shoulder as she walked over to the coffee machine to pour herself a cup.

Nick pulled his phone from his pocket, looking at it a moment before he hit Greg's speed dial. He let it ring three times then quickly hung up. He had no idea what he was going to say to him or even if Greg was going to pick up.

"You know, I do the same thing after first dates." Catherine smirked, stirring her coffee before she sucked the spoon clean in her mouth. "Thinking about what to say to him? I'm pretty sure Greg will carry on the conversation for you after you've said hello, but you might wonna wait until you're a little bit calmer..."

"I am calm!"

"Nicky, you're shaking," She pointed out to him, taking a sip of her coffee. Nick looked down at himself, noticing she was right. His arms and legs were quivering. His hands were shaking and he could feel his heart pounding heavily inside of his chest. "If you can't think of anything to say, try small talk. You know weather, cars..."

"I know what small talk is." Nick cut her off, shooting a glare up at her. "I'm not stupid."

"Never woulda said you were sweetie." She smiled softly as she gently tapped her soft palm to his cheek. "Maybe you could even arrange a proper date? Isn't that what grownups who like each other are meant to do?" She snickered softly.

Nick rolled his eyes at her again then jumped as he felt his phone vibrating in his hands. He looked down at it, hoping it was Greg, but the caller ID read 'Grissom.'

"Stokes." He answered with disappointment.

"_Nick, you back in the lab yet? I've got something you might wonna see in my office."_

"Okay, I'll be right there." Nick snapped his phone shut then looked up at Catherine, giving her a slight smile. "I'll call him later, Cath. Promise."

"Make sure you do." She waved him off just as Sara walked in.

Sara held the door open for Nick then stepped in the break room with Catherine, giving her a curious look. "What was that about?" She pried herself as she placed her empty coffee mug into the sink.

Catherine gave her a light shrug as she watched Nick walking away. "Beats me. Hey Sara, do you have Greg's parent's number?" She asked curiously as she turned round to face her.

"Yeah." Sara gave her a quizzical look. "Why?"

"I wanted to call and see if he was okay."

Sara looked at her curiously then pulled her cell phone from her pocket to give Catherine the number. "Whys Greg back with his parent's?"

"I think he needed some time off." Catherine jotted down the number then handed Sara back her phone as she made her way off out the break room door. "Thanks Sara." She called back to her.

* * *

Jean Sanders walked off into her son's bedroom, immediately spotting him curled up in a ball in the middle of the bed, just like he used to do when he was upset as a child. Her husband and her son hadn't told her much when they arrived back home. Greg had just said hello to her, told her he was tired then head straight off to his bedroom while her husband retreated to his office, getting on with some of his late filing.

She wanted to know what was going on, she hated being out of the loop, so she had to pry, "Greg honey," She softly spoke, making her way towards his bed. She perched herself on the edge, noticing the dried tear tracks down her sons cheeks as he lay so innocently in the centre of the bed with his eyes firmly closed. "Honey," She softly shook him. "Can I fix you a sandwich or something?"

Greg shook his head without opening his eyes. Jean sighed softly as she looked down at her son, trying to think of something to say or do to cheer him up. She hated seeing her baby so upset.

"Greg, phone!" His father suddenly shouted up the stairs to him.

"I don't wonna talk to anybody right now." He whispered softly to his mother, thinking it might be Nick, but he couldn't think of anything to say to him right now.

"He doesn't want to talk to anybody right now." Jean relayed the message back to her husband for him.

"It's Sara!" Daniel announced, walking into his son's bedroom with the phone in his hand. "It's Sara Sidle, she said she refuses to take no as an answer."

Greg opened his eyes then brushed his hands across his cheeks before he reached out for the phone from his father's hands. Daniel ushered his wife off out of their son's bedroom so he could talk to his friend in peace. "Hey Sara." Greg answered, once he was sure that they were both gone and the door was shut.

"_Hi Greg, so what's the deal with you leaving Vegas without telling me?"_ Sara immediately asked, furious that her pseudo baby brother left town without saying a word to her.

"I'm really sorry Sara, I was gonna tell you." He apologised as he sniffled back the tears in his eyes. "I just... I just really had to get away from things there in Vegas."

"_Well you're coming back right?" _Greg bit his lip as he looked up at the blank ceiling of his bedroom. "_Greg, please tell me you're coming back!"_

"I don't know Sara..."

"_Greg, you can't just hide away from this thing. You're acting like a wimp and I know you're not one..."_

"Yes I am Sara." He objected, feeling the pit in his stomach making his chest ache. The pain soon spread throughout his body, making him feel even weaker as he tried to explain to Sara how he felt. "That's why I left, I'm too weak. I can't do it anymore. I am a wimp Sara." He parroted, feeling the tears in his eyes burning their way down his cheeks.

"_No you aren't!" _She protested, holding her head in frustration. The bad guys were getting three meals a day, all the free time they needed with absolutely no guilt or regret for what they did while Greg was stuck with all of the guilt, blaming himself for everything. "_Greg, wimp's don't __risk their lives to save people they've never even met. Wimp's don't stand up for what's right, you are not a wimp Greg Sanders, so quit acting like one." _She scolded her pseudo baby brother. "_You can take a couple of weeks off, but you better get back here and get your ass back to work soon or I'm gonna have to come down there and drag your ass back here!" _She warned him in a firm sisterly tone.

Greg gulped nervously as he held the phone closer against his ear. "Okay Sara. I promise."

"_Goodbye sweetie, you better call me tomorrow with a better attitude." _She advised him.

"I will." Greg hung up the phone then dropped it to his side while he rested his head back against the pillow beneath his head. Sara may have been using the tough love approach, but Greg realised she was right. Just thinking it didn't make him feel any better though. He was so flooded with emotions. The fear of the beating and being hated by everyone because of what he had done, that and the new found love he had for Nick Stokes was too overwhelming for him.

All that pressure inside of him was starting to hurt his chest.

He desperately needed a break from it all.

Greg reached into the fridge for his fourth beer in less than an hour. Before he knew it the whole shelf was empty and he was out cold. His entire body ached with emotion, and he was desperately craving that next beer to meet his lips.

* * *

"Was that Greg?" Nick stepped up behind Sara, watching her snapping her phone shut.

"Yeah, he thinks he's a wimp. I told him he better get his ass back here." Sara shoved her phone into her pocket then turned around to face Nick behind her. "How are we supposed to help him if he runs away from his problems, Nick?"

"Well, if Greg doesn't want our help, we can't force him to take it." Nick tried to reason with her, even though he was thinking the same thing as her. He could talk to Greg until he was blue in the face, but he still wouldn't listen to him.

"But he's been gone just over three months now Nick. The longer he leaves it, the harder it is to get back on the horse."

"I said the exact same thing to him." Nick grabbed himself a fresh coffee mug then poured out a cup of Greg's blue Hawaiian coffee that someone had brewed.

Greg wouldn't be too happy if he knew someone had found where he hid his secret stash, but Nick was grateful to have it as he clenched his undying thirst for Greg that was now only more powerful now that he had finally kissed the younger man and told him how he truly felt.

"Are you okay, Sara?" He curiously asked her as he looked round at her. She was stood in the middle of the break room with a look of deep thought written across her features.

"No." Shaking her head, she ran her fingers through her hair before she turned to face him. "I keep having flashes of Greg lying on that alley floor. He was so brave. Much braver than me. He told me to process the scene first... him later. He knew exactly where all the evidence was that we would need for the case." Sara slumped back on the sofa, staring down at the floor in front of her. "I couldn't believe how brave he was, but he's not like that anymore. That bravery has gone. It's almost as if he's retreated into himself."

Nick inhaled a deep breath before he made his way over to her, taking a seat on the coffee table in front of her. "He is really brave." He admitted. "I've never known anyone as brave as him."

"But now he's just a shell... that bravery in him, that's gone now. I don't wonna lose Greg. He used to have such spirit. I never wanted him to take the CSI field job." She admitted as she looked up into Nick's eyes above her. "I never wanted him to lose his character; doing this job . . . it gets to you. And it's got to him... the same way it got to me."

"We'll get him back Sara." He tried to assure her. "The lab wouldn't be the same without him. You can't change someone like Greg, we'll get him back."

* * *

"Still working cars?" Greg asked the pair of legs in navy blue mechanics overalls and converse trainers under the hood of the car. The person under the car slowly rolled out, wiping the black oil from the side of her face as she looked up at Greg. "Hi, long time no see." He awkwardly smiled down at her. She still had impossible very green eyes and gorgeous long flowing brown hair.

Greg's weakness seemed to be for lost causes with brown hair. Jade Valentine was one such creature; Nick Stokes seemed to be his latest.

"Greg Sanders." Smiling up at him, she climbed to her feet; wiping her greasy hands down her overalls before she reached out to give him a firm handshake, leaving a grease mark on the back of his hand. "What are you doing here G? Did you suddenly decide to shorten the apron strings between you and your mother?" She snickered softly to him.

"Very funny," He remarked sarcastically as he wiped his hands off on a cloth then stuffed them deep into his sweatshirt pockets. "No, actually I came back for a break . . . and I thought I'd stop by. Papa O said you still worked here."

"Sorry sweetie, I'm over you." She smirked dropping a heavy wrench loudly into her tool box, making Greg flinch to the loud clanging sound.

"I meant to talk." He corrected, leaning against the table beside the car she was working on. He watched as she bent over the hood of the car, even in her blue jump suit overalls that looked very similar to their blue CSI overalls, Jade still had the perfect figure. He noticed she was still a tomboy though by the trainers and the black 'Motor-head' t-shirt under her overalls. Jade would never be caught dead in a skirt and she absolutely hated the colour pink.

Jade smirked round at him as she straightened up, flicking her hair back over her shoulder, leaving another black grease mark on her lightly tanned skin. "So, talk G." She urged him, noticing he was still checking her out.

"Well, how have you been?" He started awkwardly, trying to look somewhere else as she leant over the hood again. He never really stayed in contact with his ex's before, but Jade was special. She was his best friend throughout Highschool; he lost his virginity to her while he was in college, but they broke up several days before he left for New York City.

Their friendship was always considered a peculiar one. They had nothing in common and didn't even come from the same social clicks in school.

Jade was always considered to be a bully in school. Most kids feared her for her hard exterior, even the older kids. Most of her family members had criminal reputations, the few she actually lived with never cared what she did in school either.

Greg was the captain of the chess team, considered to be one of the brainiest kids in school with the cheerleader mother who always helped out for a good cause and the working absentee father. He was also considered to be a geek and a loser as he was so smart, not leaving him overly popular with the other kids in school.

Their friendship started when Jade asked Greg to keep a look out while she lit up a cigarette behind the school hall. Greg being eight years old at the time agreed to it, but advised her that she was smoking her life away. Jade chose to ignore him, but used him as a look out for the rest of the year until they slowly started hanging out even more, when a cigarette wasn't involved.

From then on they had the perfect arrangement. She beat up his bullies, while Greg helped her study to finish Highschool.

"So, how you doing?" He asked her again as she returned to her tool box.

"Pretty good I guess." She smiled softly at him. "What about you, Sanders? How's life in the big city?"

"Vegas . . . not so good." He shook his head.

"Heard about the beating," Jade wiped her oil covered hands down her overalls again. "Surprised you're still standing Sanders; you never were good at throwing punches." She smirked.

"Well I had you to defend me back then."

"True." Jade crawled back under the car, quickly sliding back out to look up at Greg. "You know, I still can if you want. I got a cousin in the lock..."

"No thanks." Greg interrupted before she went any further. "That really won't be necessary, they got what they deserved." Jade nodded to him then crawled under the engine of the car she was working on once again. "So are you seeing anybody new?" Greg asked her curiously.

"At the moment? No. But I won't go out with you again Greg. No offence, but we don't work in a romantic relationship."

"Yeah, I know." Greg nodded agreeing with that fact. She was living proof that romance with best friends didn't work.

"How about you?" She crawled out using her legs, looking up at Greg with a wrench in her hands. "You seeing anybody G?" Greg just stared at her with a blank expression, not wanting to tell her that he was in love with a man. "Don't wonna talk about it huh?" She assumed.

"Well... it's kinda new territory for me." He awkwardly explained.

"You used to tell me _everything_ G." Jade climbed to her feet then grabbed a different sized wrench off the table beside Greg. He looked at Jade wanting to tell her, but he thought it might disgust her so he decided not to.

"It's just really complicated. I'm not really sure how I feel about them." Greg sheepishly explained, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.

"Okay, fine by me." She smiled then got back to work on the engine. "I better get an invite to the wedding though." She teased him as Jean was always pressuring her son about getting married and giving her lots and lots of grandbabies. "Oh," She slid out from the car, looking up at him again. "And if they ever hurt you G, let me at em."

Greg immediately burst into a wide grin at her comment. Nick could easily take Jade in a fight, but it's the thought that counts. "Are you doing anything tonight?" He asked her curiously.

"Working." She immediately responded.

"Working, where?"

"Bar, I waitress. You should stop by." Jade climbed to her feet again then walked round to the driver's side door of the car, leaning in to turn the keys in the ignition. She listened to the soft hum of the engine before she turned it off, satisfied with her work before she pushed the bonnet shut as she made her way over to the table beside Greg. "Here." She grabbed a Kleenex tissue from the box, writing down her phone number and the name of the bar then handed it over to Greg. "First rounds on me G." She winked.

Greg nodded to her as he looked at it a moment. He gave her a slight smiled then shoved it into his jeans pocket so he wouldn't lose it. "By the way... for what's it's worth, Jade. I missed you." He smiled over at her.

"Missed yah too G." She lightly tapped him on the cheek, leaving an oil grease handprint on his face.

"Hey!" Greg pouted, pushing her hand away. Jade chuckled softly to herself then made her way off towards the office to return the keys of the car she was working on, leaving Greg at her station to wipe the oil from his face.

* * *

"Thanks Wendy," Nick thanked her for her work on the two separate blood stains as she had finally managed to isolate his killer. Not even the jury could argue with the evidence this time. Heading off down the hall, Nick searched for his supervisor in all of the labs then stopped at his office as he spotted the old man sat behind his desk with his glasses pressed against his nose. Nick lightly knocked on the frame of Grissom's door before he walked in, clearing his throat as he approached the desk. "Hey Griss, do yah mind if I go down to LA a couple of days early?" He queried, hoping to see Greg sooner as he couldn't stand the waiting.

Grissom looked up at Nick with confusion. He dropped his pen to the desk then pulled his glasses off to look at Nick's expression without the thick frames of his glasses in the way. "Nick, the conference isn't for another six days." He pointed out to him, wondering why Nick was so anxious to get down there quicker as the last conference they went on, Grissom had to practically drag him there.

"I know," Nick awkwardly stuffed his hands on his hips, looking down at his feet. "See Greg lives near there. I wanted to try and convince him to come back to work. He's thinkin' of quittin', and not just for a little while, for good. I can't let him throw his life away because of what they did to him, it's not fair."

Grissom looked at Nick curiously before he started straightening some of the papers on his desk, trying to organise his work. "I suppose we could do without you for a few extra days. But I'm not having you go away all six days." He warned him. "Ecklie wouldn't allow it, and honestly, the lab couldn't cope."

"How many then?" Nick asked, wanting to get out of there as quick as possible.

Scratching his head, Grissom turned his head to look at the copy of the schedule he had pinned up on his wall. He looked at the amount of CSI's they had covering each shift then shrugged as he looked round at the Texan's anxious features. "Um... how about four?" He suggested. "I'm short on CSI's as it is. Can you wait two days?"

_No. _Nick thought to himself, but reluctantly nodded anyway as it was better than nothing. "Sure, I guess that'll be okay." He lied, slightly disappointed, but already he was counting the days until he could see him again.

"Okay then." Grissom gave him a half smile as he joked it down in his planner that Catherine had bought him to remind him of certain things, but half the time he forgot where he left it, so it was of no use to him anyway. "And don't worry Nick, I'm sure Greg's fine."

* * *

**(6,000 word difference from Original)**

**First Published 31st Jan 2010 = Re-edited by Lolly4Holly 8th Jan 2011**

Please Review!


	3. Chapter 3: Young Love

**Chapter Three: Young Love**

Greg and Jade crashed back on the sofa in giggling laughter. They had a few drinks after Jade finished her shift at the bar, talking about old times back in Highschool. The more they talked, the more they drank.

"Oh, hello Jade dear." Jean Sanders walked into the front room, looking at the girl Greg befriended as a child that she had always despised. When they were kids she was always trying to break up their friendship, but she never succeeded as their bond was just too strong. She feared the effect that Jade's influence would have on her innocent little boy. She still feared it even now.

"Hi Mrs S." Jade waved at her, feeling her evil scowl burning into her from across the room.

"Mom, do you have any tequila or whiskey?" Greg asked from his position on the floor as he rummaged through the liquor cabinet in the corner of the room that was full of brandy and things that he couldn't really stand the taste of.

Jean rolled her eyes at him. It was like they were teenagers all over again. Jean always caught Jade and Greg digging into her liquor if she ever left them alone in the house for too long, and it was still happening now when they were both well into their thirties. "There's some in your fathers office." Pointing off down the hall, she watched her son drunkenly stumbling off towards his father's office, leaving her alone with Jade. Once Greg had disappeared round the corner, Jean Sanders turned to look at Jade on her sofa. "What are you doing here Jade? Greg doesn't need you in his life right now."

"He came to me Mrs S; I didn't influence him in anyway." She defended herself, acting innocent as always. "If he doesn't need me, then why would he come to me, Mrs S?" Jean Sanders just responded by giving the girl an evil glare before she turned and walked off through the house.

Greg quickly returned, presenting a whiskey bottle to Jade. "Sorry." He apologised, dropping to the sofa beside Jade.

"For what?" She questioned, reaching for the bottle from his hands to take a swig.

"My mom . . . she still doesn't like you." Greg pointed out to her, feeling as though he should always apologise as Jean could like practically anybody, but not Jade.

"Doesn't bother me," Jade shrugged before she took a gulp of the whisky, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand then handed the bottle back over to Greg. "I'm used to it. Child of a murderer, it's kind of expected, even if you've never met your father."

"Oh." Taking a swig for himself from the whiskey bottle, Greg started coughing as its dry taste scratched the back of his throat going down. "Ow." He whined.

"Still are a light weight, little Greg." Jade chortled, taking the bottle back from Greg's hands.

"Am not!" He protested, holding his dizzy head. "I have a cold."

"Uh huh," She smirked, chugging back a mouthful for herself. "So G, you were telling my about this Nicky guy?"

"Oh no," Greg whimpered as he turned to look at her. "I can't believe I told you that." He complained, dropping his head into his hands in annoyance with himself.

"You always tell the truth with enough booze in yah G." She drunkenly chuckled as she poked him in the side to make him look up at her again. "So why did you leave if you wanted to kiss him again?"

"Why is everyone so calm about this?" Greg grabbed the bottle from her hands, bracing himself as he took another large gulp. "Ouch... do I look gay or something? Is it the way I walk, talk... maybe it's my hairstyle?" He thought out loud as he raked his fingers though his hair. "I've always liked girls, not just any girls. Hot girls, model girls. Girls like you." He looked towards her then rolled his eyes to himself as right now he wanted Nick's masculine form in his mind, rather than Jade's feminine one. "I'm so screwed up. One kiss and I'm completely converted. Do you think I'm gay?" He queried, turning his head to face her once he was done slapping himself in the head.

"I never said you were gay, G." She shook her head to him. "I don't like labels. I've been called them my whole life."

"I like you Jade." He giggled taking another swig. "You're the best friend I ever had... almost; I don't recall Nick ever asking me to keep watch while he smoked a cigarette. Or to cover for him when he was skipping school, hawking money from his mother... oh and, lie to the principal about who started the fight so you wouldn't get suspended... again." He remarked with a chuckle.

"Well I imagine Nick's mother didn't get him hooked on cigarettes, so he didn't need a look out while he took a cigarette break. I had to hawk money from my mother to buy food or I'd starve. Skipping school... was totally worth it. And half of those fights were because you got into trouble, so I just had to help you out, so you _had_ to lie for me." Jade pointed out to him then gave him a wide smile. "Besides, you're the only friend I ever had G."

"Maybe if you didn't beat quite so many people up in school you coulda known more people." He giggled again. Jade nodded watching Greg take another swig of whiskey, holding his throat in agony as it went down. "Ow... you know, Nick, he's like..." Greg leant back against the cushions, trying to find the right words. "He's amazing. I never even thought about him like that . . . but I've always liked him, ever since my first day on the job actually. He was always this... kinda charming... kinda cute... kinda sexy... kinda adorable..."

"You couldn't tell you liked him from that?" Jade laughed at him as she grabbed the bottle back from his hands, chugging back a few swigs for herself before she pulled a packet of cigarettes from her pocket.

"Dude, my mom will totally kill you if she catches you smoking in her house."

"I won't let her catch me then." Jade stuck a cigarette in her mouth then pulled her lighter from her pocket, cupping the flame in her hands as she brought it up to the cigarette in her mouth. "Maybe it'll work out with Nick. You should give it a shot; he sounds like a really great guy." She suggested as she pulled the cigarette from her mouth after a deep puff.

"It didn't work out with us." Greg pointed out to her as he watched her inhaling another. "We were best friend for years."

"We were total losers and misfits. I was the big bully everyone was afraid of without a single good grade or decent brain cell in her head, and you were the big brainy geek, whose mother I'm _still_ afraid of."

Chuckling softly, Greg reached for the bottle in Jade's hands. "I thought I was kinda cool."

"You would." She laughed back at him. "And it didn't work out with us coz we're not right for each other G, friends can eventually turn into something more, like you and Nick. But we didn't."

"Actually, I think it didn't work out coz you didn't love me, and you slept with my roommate." Greg reminded her, holding his throat again as he chugged back a mouthful. "He told me about the two of you, that's why I left for New York. You broke my heart."

"I didn't actually," Flicking her cigarette ash into an empty vase on Jeans coffee table, Jade looked round at Greg to finally tell him the truth. "I just told him to say that to you or I'd flush his head down the toilet again. I slept with you because you were a twenty two year old virgin with an over protective mother G. If I didn't pop your cherry, you'd still be a virgin now. And I don't get on with guys I sleep with; I wanted you as my friend. And as a friend, we couldn't be in a romantic relationship."

Greg raised one eyebrow to her, looking at her confused. "Ouch... now that's screwed up."

"Tell me about it." She laughed, shaking her head at herself. "I systemically destroy everything good in my life, look at my role models. Ones in jail for murder, and the other has spent her whole life shooting up and drinking herself into comas." Jade reminded him as she inhaled another deep puff of her cigarette. "It's easier for you to find a decent relationship with somebody because you've got great parents in a stable, loving relationship."

"I've never had a good relationship though." He reminded her, wincing as he swallowed another sharp mouthful of whiskey. "I wish we had tequila, a few glasses and I'm out." He suddenly muttered to himself as he whirled the bottle around in his hand to watch the copper coloured liquid splashing against the four sides that surrounded it. "I miss Nick."

"Call him then, preferably when you're sober though. I remember what you're like when you drunk dial." She snickered as she watched his sleepy eyes beginning to fall shut over his eyelids. "You think it could really work out with this Nick?"

"I don't know, I've never dated a guy." He pointed out to her. "I'm pretty much open to anything else, so why wouldn't dating a guy be on that list?" He asked himself as he tipped the bottle back, wincing again as it scratched his throat going down. "I hate the taste of this stuff."

"Stop drinking it then." Jade giggled, prying the bottle from his hands.

"Hey, you wonna hear the truth?" Greg turned his body completely to face Jade on the sofa beside him. "I think the real reason we didn't work out is because I've always seen you more as a sister to me. That's the same reason that it didn't work out with this Sara girl from work. I like her and everything, but not enough to be in a romantic relationship. I always wanted a brother or sister, and you were... convenient." He explained to her, feeling his head getting heavier. "That's my problem; I seem to pick up pseudo brothers and sisters wherever I go. And I can't form romantic relationships with them, because that would be... kinda incest."

Jade raised one eyebrow as she watched him trying to explain it to her. "Okay, so what about Nick?"

"He's not a brother... or he kinda is, but he's the touchy feely brother." Placing his hand on his chest, Greg closed his eyes as he recalled all the times Nick had touched the upper half of his body in the lab. "He has these cute little creases by his eyes when he smiles. I love the way he talks, he's from Texas so he has the adorable raspy voice that's like nails on a chalkboard to most people, but to me... it makes my skin vibrate."

Jade chuckled softly, shaking her head at him. "Earth to Greg, I think that means you like him."

"Maybe I do." He smiled over at her. "I want you to meet Nick. He's really great..." Greg closed his eyes beginning to pass out from all the booze. "And... I think... I kinda... love... him." Greg softly spoke as he drifted off to sleep.

"I'm sure he loves you too G." Jade whispered to him, finishing off the rest of the whiskey bottle for herself, while Greg drifted off into his own private dream world.

* * *

Catherine walked off through the lab halls, ready to head home to her daughter as it was finally the end of her shift. She glanced into the breakroom on her way past it, quickly taking a step back as she noticed Nick sat at the break room table, staring at his phone sat in front of him. She poked her head through the door, startling him as she spoke. "So, did you call him?" Nick looked up at her, shaking his head as he reached for his phone to check the battery. "Why Nicky? I'm sure he's thinking about you, just as much as you're thinking about him."

"I'm not thinkin' about him." He badly lied, resting his elbows on the table. "If he is thinkin' about me . . . then why hasn't he called? I kissed him, and he just leaves? I risked everythin' to kiss him, and still he leaves."

"Nicky, go home and get some sleep, take your mind off it for a while." She advised him as constantly thinking about it over and over again, didn't seem to be helping him. "Maybe he's scared, different people handle these things differently." Nick absently nodded as he continued to stare staring down at his phone on the table. "Hey Nicky, you ever heard the expression a watched phone doesn't ring?"

"That's a watched pot, and yes I have." He smirked to her. "But he'll be goin' to sleep soon, so I'll just wait a little longer." Resting his chin in his hands, he stared down at the phone again, feeling pathetic. "Do you really think he's thinkin' about me?"

"If he is, I'm sure his parent's are thinking how pathetic he is too." She teased him.

Nick went to open his mouth to retort something back to her, when his phone suddenly started to ring. Catherine leant across the table to look at the caller ID, but Nick quickly pulled it away, climbing to his feet so she couldn't read it. He quickly made his way off down the hall towards the men's room where Catherine couldn't follow.

"Hello?" He answered, leaning back against the sinks.

"_Nicky," _Greg gasped surprised. "_I wasn't sure I pressed the right numbers." _He had since moved from the sofa where he had passed out, off towards the bathroom down the hall puking his guts up. He decided to call Nick once he was done retching as he had missed the sound of his raspy voice that he had just spent the past two hours describing to Jade.

"Are you drunk Greg?" Nick immediately asked as he could hear him slurring his words.

"_Kinda." _He admitted. "_But right now, it's really working in my advantage." _He giggled softly as he ran his fingers back through his hair. "_Nicky, I really have to talk to you, and I'm kinda glad I'm drunk to do it... so here's the truth Nick. I want you to know that I never wanted to hurt you..."_

"I know G."

"_But listen to me Nicky." _Greg felt the urge to throw up again, but he managed to hold it in, stabilising himself against the bathtub, just. "_Ouch." _He winced as his head collided with the rim.

"Greg are you..."

"_Not important, Nicky... I have to talk to you."_ He insisted as he rubbed the sore spot of his head, trying not to do it again as he was still really dizzy. "_I can't stop thinking about you, __which is really strange because I went to a bar with tons of women willing to sleep with me, calling me cute and stuff. But I turned them all down coz I was thinking about you. Man that sounds really weird to say out loud, but it's true. One hundred percent." _Greg giggled again. "_Not the girls part obviously, the other part. I coulda slept with them if I wanted, and only two said I was cute."_

"Greg, you okay?" Nick asked again, hearing the phone clatter to the ground.

Greg threw himself towards the toilet as he felt his stomach churning, vomiting up another full round. "_God I wish I didn't drink so much." _He whimpered as he leant back against the wall behind him. Heaving a deep breath from his chest, Greg once again reached out for his discarded phone on the floor, putting it to his ear once again. "_I'm so sorry if you heard that."_

"Are you okay Greg?" The older man asked concerned.

"_No, I really have to tell you something. It's really important." _Greg rubbed his sore stomach, hoping he wasn't going to throw up again. "_Nicky, I can't stop thinking about you. I don't know what I want . . . all I know is that my heart wants you. I really want to kiss you again... not right now as that would be totally gross, NOT the kiss." _He rushed to cover his mistake. "_I meant because..."_

"Relax Greg, I got what you meant."

"_You did? Oh that's good."_ He sighed softly then stabilised himself back against the bathtub again. "_Nicky, I really do care about my life. I'm not just gonna throw it all away for those dumb kids, but you have to understand the guilt that I'm feeling. I don't feel guilty for his family, obviously because they're just a bunch of money grabbers. I couldn't care less about them, I mean about the kid. He was in a good school; he could have moved on to do great things with his life..."_

"Instead he chose to beat people up." Nick pointed out to him. "I get why you feel guilty, I really do Greg. You wouldn't be the kind, carin' guy that you are if you didn't feel somethin' for this kid, regardless of what he did."

Greg sighed in relief, glad his best friend really did understand him. "_Every time I go to sleep I see them. I can feel every bone in my body breaking. I just want it to stop. I don't want to feel like this, but the therapy and things aren't helping. That's why I drink, it numbs the pain. And Nick, I'm really glad I did leave, because I really needed to think some things through, on my own."_

"What are you sayin' Greg?" Nick asked, feeling as though Greg was about to break his heart.

_"Well Nick, I'm saying... I want to be with you... but I don't know if I... I'm not sure I can." _Nick heard Greg starting to softly sob as he tried to think of a way to explain it to him. Sniffing back his tears, Greg whimpered softly in the phone, feeling his head continuing to spin, "_Please understand Nick, I really like you... I really, really do like you... but I've never done this... any of this before. It feels so weird and wrong. It can't be right."_

"Greg, it's okay if you're scared." Nick assured him, not wanting to give up on a good thing so soon. "I said I wouldn't push you and I meant it."

"_But you're my best friend Nick. It never works out . . . I already lost one friend coz I fell in love with her. I don't wonna lose you too."_

"You're not gonna lose me Greg." He assured him.

"_But Nick, you'll be condemning yourself to a relationship where I might never truly be able to __love you in the way that you want me to, need me to even. I don't wonna hurt you like that."_

"Hold on G." Nick smiled to himself from the sound of Greg's innocent confused voice. He pulled himself up onto the sink to sit down, looking down at the floor tiles under his feet as he asked, "We're in a relationship?"

"_Believe me I want to be." _Greg inhaled a deep breath, starting to softly sob again with the alcohol fuelling his emotions into overdrive.

Nick's heart broke for him; he desperately wanted to give him a hug. He knew Greg was an emotional drunk, whenever they went drinking together all of his insecurities starting spilling out of his mouth, pushing to the surface of his mind.

"_Nick, I think I really like you. More than like. I feel so confused," _Sighing heavily, Greg moved the phone to his other ear. "_Nicky, I just need some time to think."_

"I understand Greg; I know how confusin' it is." He thought back to when he first found out he was gay. He hated himself, thinking there was something seriously wrong with him. Then after he found out he was in love with Greg he was doing exactly the same as Greg was right now.

Unlike him though, Greg would have him to help him through it, whereas he didn't have anybody.

"It's okay Greg," Nick assured him, rubbing away the tears in his own eyes in case anyone came into the bathroom. "I'll give you as much time as you need. I'm here for you bud. I don't want to pressure you into this. And if you truly don't love me back . . . it won't affect our friendship." Nick managed to choke out. "And Greg, I don't love you coz I wonna jump your bones . . . I love you for who you are." Greg's tears flowed down his cheeks hearing Nick say that. "Greg, you still with me?"

"_Totally zoned out after love me for who I am." _Greg giggled softly, hearing Nick laughing too.

"I really do Greg. I'll give you as much time as you need to get used to the idea, even if it takes years. I'm always here if you need me."

"_You've gotta be the noblest guy I've ever met." _Greg chuckled.

"I must be. I am loyal after all." He smirked as he leant back against the mirror behind him, gently swinging his legs back and forth as he tried to ease his best friend into a more intimate relationship with him. "I waited six years to kiss you Greg. I can wait a little longer for you to fall for me because it was well worth the wait."

Smiling softly, Greg leant back against the bathtub behind him, unable to believe he was really having this conversation with his best friend Nick Stokes. After all the years of their buddy friendship, he never would have thought it would come to this.

"_Nick, I don't think I'll ever be comfortable . . . but . . . I can't stop thinking about you." _Nick smiled to himself thinking that was a good sign. "_Are you on shift right now?"_

"Yeah."

_"Can you call me when you get home?"_ He queried.

"Okay G . . . are you sure you won't be asleep?"

"_No, I'll be waiting. I want to talk to you."_ He assured him. "_I can't believe you're the same Nick Stokes."_

"I am the same Nick, G. I just shared my biggest secret with you is all. That's what best friends do after all."

"_I never thought your biggest secret would be you loved me though." _Greg chuckled, lying down on the bathroom floor with the phone pressed to his ear. "_Out of all the secrets you could have possibly had, I never expected that. I think I might have accepted the fact you were really a woman, than this."_

Nick laughed, shaking his head as he heard Greg giggling. "No, I'm a man G."

"_You sure?" _Greg teased him, making him laugh again. "_And to think after all these years . . . I can't believe I didn't pick up on it sooner. I'm usually really good at reading people. Like Warrick and Cath, there's totally something going on there. Along with Grissom and Sara, that's why she blew me off, she likes an older man."_

Nick frowned as he thought about it. "Are you sure you're not just upset because she blew you off?"

"_No, you can tell by the way they look at each other Nick. I can't believe I never picked up on you though."_ Thinking back to all the times Nick looked at him now, Greg could clearly see that he was looking at him through eyes of love.

"I hid it well."

"_I'm not dreaming am I Nicky? This is really you."_

"It's really me Greg." Nick assured him.

"Nick, where the hell have you been?" Grissom startled him from the doorway.

Nick quickly jumped off the sinks, brushing down his jeans as he turned to face Grissom. "Um... I gotta go. I'll call you later, G." He quickly said his goodbyes to Greg then snapped his cell phone shut in his palm before he shoved it deep into his jeans pocket again. "I'm sorry Griss, what's goin' on?"

"Nick, I've told you about personal calls before." His supervisor scolded him as he looked at his watch.

"I know. I was on break this time though." Nick checked his watch to make sure that he was really on break or he'd have to think up another excuse. "What's goin' on?"

"All my other CSI's have gone home. I need you to process a rape victim at the hospital. I'll handle the crime scene though." Handing the slip over to Nick, Grissom checked the message that just came through on his cell phone from Captain Jim Brass about their suspect that they caught on scene. "We've got the suspect in custody now, the cops caught him running away, we just have to..."

"Collect physical evidence to prove it was him." Nick interrupted him as he knew what he was going to say before he finished speaking. "Got it, boss." He assured him then made his way over t the men's room door to get back to work.

"Was that Greg you were talking to?" Grissom asked, stopping him from leaving. Nick glanced back at him giving him a quick nod. "Okay." Grissom waved him off then stuffed his phone back into his pocket before he head off to one of the vacant stalls to take care of some business before he head over to his scene.

* * *

Jade fluttered her eyes open, looking around the darkened room she was sat in. It didn't take her long to realise she had fallen asleep on the sofa too, only she was now alone. She quickly scrambled to her feet, checking Greg hadn't fallen off the sofa before she head over towards the door to go and look for him. Stumbling off down the hall, Jade made her way off towards the bathroom, thinking Greg really would be throwing his guts up by now, just like when they were in Highschool.

She rounded the corner towards the open bathroom door, finding Greg passed out on the floor, as usual. Jade carefully stepped over him, snapping the phone shut that was still open in his hands before she attempted to wake him by softly patting his cheek, but he remained completely oblivious to her actions. Reaching over for the sink, Jade turned the cold tap on, lightly splashing some of the water onto Greg's face.

Spluttering on the water that entered his mouth, Greg rolled over onto his side as he rubbed the cold water from his eyes then glanced up at Jade through an angry scowl. "I hate it when you do that."

"Only way I know to wake you up." She chuckled putting his arm around her shoulder so she could easily pull him to his feet. She was surprised at how light he felt as he had gained a little bit more muscle since the last time she saw him when he was still in college.

"Wow you're stronger then you look." He chuckled softly.

"Well you're such a light weight so it's no contest really." She smirked back at him as she led him up the stairs towards his bedroom halfway down the hall. "There you go," Setting the dizzy man down on his bed, Jade took a moment to look around at his room, noticing it had been changed again, "Wow. Did your mom paint in here again?"

"Oh my god." Greg suddenly gasped, slapping both of his hands to his forehead.

"What?"

"I just called Nick." He complained, scrunching his face up beneath his hands as he desperately tried to think what he said to him. "Damn it, what did I say?"

"You just said you called Nick." Jade smirked as she knelt down to help him with his sneakers.

"No, not to you, to him." Rubbing one hand through his hair, Greg stared up at his ceiling as he tried to recall any part of his conversation with Nick.

"You're a terrible drunk dialler."

"I know... I can't... I can't remember what I said to him." Greg held his head with both hands trying to think while Jade tossed his shoes then adjusted him to a comfier position on the bed. "Thanks Jade."

"You're welcome Greg. All these years and you still need me to take care of you." She laughed sitting on the bed beside him.

"I was a moron for ever leaving you Jade." He removed his hands from his face looking up at her. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"I did. Years ago G. You're a hard person to stay mad at." She brushed his floppy mop back from his face looking into his eyes. "The way you talk about Nick, I can tell you love him."

"I was the last to know." He giggled closing his eyes. "Oh, wait where's my phone?" He asked sitting up straight again.

"Ew," Jade cringed as she caught wind of his breath.

"Sorry." He apologised, covering his hand over his mouth as he watched as Jade retrieving his cell phone from his pocket dropping the tissue she wrote on earlier under his bed. Greg took his phone from her hand and held it against his chest as he fell back against the bed behind him. "Nick was gonna call me back." He explained.

"Oh, okay." Jade smiled watching as Greg fell asleep clutching the phone tightly against him as if it were a lifeline.

* * *

Sitting at his desk in his office, Gil Grissom signed off the last case file in his pile then took a sip of the stale coffee still sat on his desk. He cringed from the taste then started to clear away the files he had finally finished going over. The past few days at the lab had been so hectic that he had hardly slept a wink all week. "Hey Griss," Nick appeared in the doorway, straightening the collar of his jacket around his neck as he walked in. "I finished up my report, the girl said she's gonna testify. Brass got her whole story on video tape too, so..."

"Good work Nicky." Grissom smiled up at him, giving him a wink of approval. "How did you get her to agree to testify anyway?" He asked curiously as when he spoke to her earlier, she was too afraid to.

"Oh, I just... I told her that he could hurt someone else the same way he did her, and she agreed to it." The Texan with the most soulful eyes in the building explained to him. "I'm headin' home now," He indicated towards the time. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yep, bye Nick. Good job today."

Nick smiled back at him then head back out the office, heading straight for the front desk to sign out. "Hey Nicky, you busy tonight?" Karen from files and records queried as she leant against the desk beside him.

"Sorry darlin'," He smiled apologetically towards her. "I have plans."

"Ah, maybe another time then cowboy." She winked to him then whirled around, wiggling her hips as she head off down the hall, hoping he was looking at her and regretting his choice to go out with another bimbo rather than her.

Instead, Nick was thinking about the young floppy haired lab tech he had recently taken more of a liking to. He even rushed home excited to talk him again, which had never happened before. He had never been excited to call back anyone after a first kiss, he dreaded it, but he had really been missing Greg while he was working hard to finish up his case.

Nick grabbed himself a beer from his fridge once he got in then collapsed on his bed calling Greg's number.

* * *

Greg blinked open his eyes as he heard the high pitched ring of his cell phone echoing through his room. He looked down at his chest as he felt it vibrate, wondering what the hell it was in his drunken haze before he finally realised that it was in fact his cell phone and not some weird body snatching monster. "Hello?" He sleepily answered it, feeling his head pounding even more.

"_Hey G,"_ Nick's raspy voice answered him from the other end. "_Did I wake you, bud?"_

"Yes, but I'm glad it's you." Greg smiled closing his eyes again. "How was your shift?"

"_Well the case I was workin' with you, I finished it up with Warrick. We caught our man and released the body of the vic to the devastated family. Then I just worked another case with __Grissom, the rape victim agreed to testify against the guy who raped her, after I talked to her that is. She really didn't want to testify at first, not that I blamed her anyway. She was terrified. Sometimes I really hate this job."_

"I know what you mean." He groggily answered.

"_You sound half asleep."_

"I am, but don't hang up." Greg warned him. "I wonna hear your voice."

"_So me kissin you didn't freak you out?"_

"Terrified me Nick . . . but I didn't want you to stop." Greg admitted. Nick sighed in relief hearing Greg say that. "I can't remember half of what I said to you earlier." Greg giggled as he rubbed his eyes open, trying to stay awake.

"_You were a little out of it. The words I specifically remember were 'you can't stop thinkin' about me.' Was that true?"_

"One hundred percent, Nicky." Greg felt his heart racing as he said that. "I can't believe I just said that out loud." He muttered to himself, just loud enough for Nick to hear him.

"_Me either, but I'm glad you did."_

"Me too. How long until you're conference?" Greg asked curiously as he was really starting to crave another kiss. Only three kisses and already he was addicted. "I know that sounds really pathetic." He smirked.

"_No it doesn't Greg . . . I actually have a couple of days off before it. If you wanted me to come over early that is."_

Greg felt like letting out an excited squeal, but Nick would think he was a total big girl. "How many days off?" Greg asked him curiously, trying not to sound too needy.

"_Four... as of tomorrow mornin' I'm off."_

"That still seems too far away." Greg mumbled as he readjusted himself on the bed to a comfier position. "I can't believe how deep I've fallen for you over a kiss Nick. But what will people think if we start?"

"_We don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to Greg. I've spent my whole life worryin' about what people would think. It's not healthy." _Nick told him as he took a swig of his beer. Nick listened to the younger man's soft breathing a moment, wondering if he had fallen asleep yet, "_You still awake G?"_

"Yep, just keep talking." Greg sleepily answered.

Nick smiled feeling like he was back in Highschool again. "_What did you mean when you said you already lost a friend coz you told them you loved them?" _ He asked curiously, trying to keep the conversation flowing like Catherine had suggested.

"My best friend... I met her when I was eight. We grew up together then I fell in love with her and I lost her." Greg opened his eyes looking round to see if Jade was still here. He looked on his bedside table seeing a bottle of water with a note stuck to it saying 'Drink me, Einstein.'

Greg smiled to himself remembering that nickname Jade used to call him before Nick started to call him it too.

"_You won't lose me Greg." _Nick tried to assure him. "_Even if you can't love me, I'll still be your friend."_

"What about your family Nicky? Aren't they all like traditional not very liberal or something?"

"_Yep, they're completely against homosexuals and everythin'. They don't know about me. I've never told any of them. They'd probably write me off as a son or somethin'."_

"I'm sorry Nicky." Greg sighed softly, feeling sorry for him. Spreading his arms and legs out across the bed, Greg gazed up at the ceiling above him, trying to think of the last time he had actually shared a bed with someone. The question seemed to stump him as it had been so long. He didn't think he had actually ever shared a bed with a girlfriend in his whole life. "I wish you were here Nicky." He whispered to himself, wondering if Nick felt the same, but before he could answer, Greg cut him off by talking about something else, "You know, in a way, you're kinda lucky to have parents to let you grow up on your own and let you make your own choices."

"_Yeah, but you're really lucky to have parent's like yours G."_

"Yeah, I guess they each have their perks." He smirked as he rolled onto his side on the bed. "It's weird, they'd totally support me dating you, but they hated me dating a decent girl."

"_Why's that?" _Nick asked him curiously.

"It's a... really, really long story." Greg spoke in a sleepy voice as he felt his eyelids beginning to fall shut over his eyes. "I'll tell you about it someday."

"_I'll have to hold you to it." _Nick laughed softly as he heard Greg giving out a sleepy yawn through the phone. _"Hey, you still awake G?"_

"I'm still here." Greg smiled happily as he smoothed his hand down his chest towards his stomach where the warm butterflies were bubbling to surface from the gooey feelings of love that he was feeling right now for his best friend. "Oh, I just remembered... I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow, you'll be happy to know. My mom and dad are complaining about the rats nest on my head."

"_It is a bit of a mess."_

Greg laughed with him then ran his hand across his jaw line, thinking of the stubble he had recently just shaved away. "I'm so glad I shaved before you kissed me though."

"_I'm glad you did too." _Nick smiled through his phone, feeling a little awkward again so he decided to change the subject onto something that didn't make him feel so nervous, _"so,_ w_hat hairstyle you goin' for this time G?"_

"Well... which one was your favourite?"

"_Um... well, remember your hair when I first met you, I think that was the cutest style you've ever had. I liked your hair back then, but my favourite has to be your short cropped hair-d0 you had when you first went into the field. It was dark brown with those bleached spikes runnin' through it."_

"That's what I'll get then." Greg sleepily answered, smiling into his cell phone as he felt like a teenager again.

"_You're really gettin' that hairstyle coz I like it?"_

"Yep... I mean you will be my... boyfriend... won't you?" Greg asked, feeling warm tingles in his stomach as he said it.

Nick felt the butterflies rumbling their way through his own stomach as he had never had a real boyfriend before, "_If you want me to be G."_

"I do Nicky." Greg let out a slight giggle unable to believe he just said that. "I can't believe I just said that." He said out loud.

"_I'm glad you did G."_

"Me too."

"_You sound already asleep G."_

Greg giggled through a yawn then rolled onto his other side, trying to stay awake. "I'm not asleep. I am... pretty tired, but I don't want you to go yet..."

"Oh my god, would you get a room already." A voice came shouting through the door.

"_Who was that?" _Nick asked surprised as he heard the voice echoing through the phone he was holding to his ear.

Greg opened his eyes seeing his Papa Olaf stood in his pyjamas and slippers in his doorway. "Nobody, don't worry about it." Greg laughed through his embarrassment, rolling his eyes at his Papa Olaf who was so much like his mother. "I gotta go Nicky."

"_Okay, I'll call you later Greg, get some sleep."_ The older man warned him.

"I will, bye Nicky."

"_Bye."_

Nick hung up first leaving Greg to face his Papa Olaf dressed in blue and white stripped pyjamas with a thick blue dressing gown wrapped around him and fuzzy blue slippers. "How long were listening in on my private conversation...?"

"Not so private when I can hear it through these paper thin walls." Papa Olaf chuckled, rolling his eyes at his red faced grandson.

"You shouldn't have been listening then." Greg pointed out to him as he rolled over onto his stomach to place his cell phone down on the bedside table. "Seriously though, how much did you hear?" He nervously asked, wondering if word that he had a boyfriend would eventually get back to his mother.

"I heard it right from the start, Greggy. The damn ringing noise woke us up." He informed him then took a seat on the bed beside his grandson as he saw the nervous expression in his eyes. "Greggy, we don't think of you any differently, just please keep it down. It's four am." He pointed out to him. "We really don't care that you have a boyfriend, son. Just... talk to him later in the day, okay?"

"Gotcha." Greg nervously giggled then sat up straight to receive a hug from his Papa Olaf.

"I'll love you no matter what Greggy, but not if I don't get my beauty sleep." He smirked as he softly pinched Greg's cheek.

"Sorry Papa."

"It's okay. That Nick sounds like a keeper." He chuckled as he climbed to his feet. "Just... break it easy to you mother okay. She'll see her dream of grandchildren being flushed down the toilet the second she hears that he doesn't have a uterus."

"I will." Greg smiled after him.

"Good Night Greg."

"Night Papa O." He waved as he closed the door then crashed back on his pillow giggling with embarrassment. He felt like a teenager just been caught having phone sex.

* * *

**(4,000 word difference from Original)**

**First Published 31st Jan 2010 = Re-edited by Lolly4Holly 8th Jan 2011**

**Please Review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Relationship's

**Chapter Four: Relationship's**

Leaning over the toilet bowl in front of him, Greg's chest heaved as he vomited up another round of the booze he had consumed the night before, regretting his decision to do that even more now than ever before. He hated throwing up, he felt as though he had no control over his own body whenever it happened. His chest was aching, his throat was soar, his head was moist and his arms and legs were shaking as his heart rapidly pounded inside of his chest, feeling as though it was about to burst if it went any quicker.

Glancing up as the bathroom door creaked open; Greg smiled as he saw his Papa Olaf returning with a cold can of sprite in his hands. "Sorry, we're out of ginger beer, and I couldn't find any crackers."

"That's okay, I couldn't eat a thing." Greg assured him as he held his head in his hands.

"Surely you can't have anything left after all that." Taking a seat on the edge of the bathtub, Papa Olaf cracked open the can of sprite then handed it over to his grandson, reminding Greg of the first hangover he had ever had. Papa Olaf found him stumbling through the front door, deciding to take care of him himself instead of alerting his parent's. Despite his age, his Papa Olaf was actually quite a cool person, definitely someone that Greg could count on.

"Thanks Papa O." Greg gave him a smile as he took the can from his hands, taking a sip to clear the acid from his throat before he held the cold round surface against the side of his thumping head. "Damn, I really called Nick last night didn't I?"

"If Nick is the boyfriend you practically had phone sex with, then yes." Papa Olaf, watching his grandson's reaction curiously as he seemed to be annoyed at himself over that choice. "So, is the drinking related to boy trouble?"

"No, the drinking was just, drinking." Greg weakly explained before he flushed the toilet then turned to lean against the wall behind him. "Hey, did Jade go home?"

"Yep... she's a good kid."

"Even though she's thirty one now?" Greg chuckled, immediately regretting it as he felt his head splitting open and hot lava pouring inside.

"I'm in my late seventies Greggy. Forty's a kid to me." His Papa Olaf pointed out to him as he still saw his grandson and his daughter as kids too. He was always trying to protect them both, even when they didn't ask him to. "So, Nick is the boyfriend?"

"Potential." Greg corrected him. "We haven't exactly exchanged vows of boyfriendly stuff."

Papa Olaf raised one eyebrow as he looked down at his grandson, wondering what he was on about, "Boyfriendly stuff?"

"Yeah, give me a break okay. He's my first boyfriend, it's like I have to start the whole dating and intimacy thing all over again, and I wasn't exactly an expert at it in the first place." Greg pointed out to him then brought the can to his lips to take another sip. "I think he's coming over here too, I'm really nervous. You know me, I don't get nervous."

"Um... yeah, you do." Papa Olaf nodded slightly. "Eighth grade, your date with... Cindy something, you were really nervous. Junior high prom, you were so nervous that you actually missed it."

Greg shook his head as he recalled the memory, "No, actually I purposely missed it because I had no date. I was just acting really nervous so mom would let me stay home and eat brownies and hot chocolate instead."

Papa Olaf laughed softly, rolling his eyes at his scheming little grandson. "Well, you can't run to mommy this time Greggy, you'll have to stand up and face your fears if you really want this Nick guy in your life. You do don't you?" Greg responded with a slight nod. "Well then, you have to get your act together. If he does find out you're too much work, then he's a fool. Anyone would be a fool to let you go Greggy, I know Jade regrets it."

Greg looked up at him surprised, "She said that?"

"That day you left for New York. She told me."

Greg chewed his lip thinking how he regretted it as soon as he got on the plane too. He wondered what his life would be like if he had stayed and tried to work it out with her. Would he be married to her with kids of their own? Or would they still have broken up?

"Greg! Jade's at the door." Jean suddenly shouted through the house.

"Let her up." Greg shouted back then jumped to his feet, quickly checking his appearance in the mirror to make himself look more presentable. Papa Olaf chuckled to himself watching Greg worrying about his appearance for the girl he used to date. Greg raised his eyebrows, looking round at his Papa Olaf confused, "What?"

"Nothing Greggy. Just you've got a mop on your head, you stink like vomit and you've just been puking your guts up." He smirked, fanning his hand in front of his nose from the smell watching through the bathroom. "I really don't think you can get any better from a quick scrub down in the sink for the girl of your... Hey Jade." He stopped taking the micky as he saw her stood in the doorway.

"Hey Papa O." Jade smiled back at him, wondering what the end of his sentence was going to be.

"You're not still dating that biker are you?" He asked her curiously as he caught his grandson quickly checking his teeth in the mirror before he whirled around to face her.

"What biker?" He asked with envy in his voice.

"No, I'm not Papa O. Don't worry; I ditched him for a mechanic." She smirked, folding her arms across her chest. Papa Olaf rolled his eyes at her then gave Greg a wink as he climbed to his feet and head off out of the bathroom, leaving them alone to talk.

"Hey G. Hangover?" She smirked seeing the can of sprite in his hands.

"Yep, really bad one," Greg gave her a nod, feeling his head continuing to pound, but he felt grateful that he had been too drunk last night to dream about the attack. "How do you always look so perfect whenever you have one?" He asked curiously as he looked at her perfectly combed hair, her unblemished face and the lack of bags under her eyes like his own.

He thought she looked like an angel, but she still wasn't Nick.

"I had a full breakfast then did a few laps in the pool." She revealed her secret to him. "And I didn't have as much to drink as you, and I can hold my own." She teased him. Greg just rolled his tired eyes at her then dropped back onto the edge of the bathtub rim behind him. "So, did Nick call you back?" She queried, removing her shoulder bag by the door. "You said he was gonna call you back last night, so did he?"

"Oh." Greg cringed as he remembered that. "I told you about that, didn't I?"

"Yep, no taking it back now G. I know your biggest secret." Jade grinned as she moved through the bathroom to sit down beside him. "So... did he call you or not, G?"

"Yeah..." He nodded as he recalled parts of the conversation he had with him. "I think he's my... my boyfriend." He stammered as it felt weird to say out loud. "From what I can remember, anyway."

"Regret it?" Greg chewed his lip looking at Jade then shook his head. "So what happens now?"

"Um... I think he's coming over, tomorrow."

"Well you can't let him see you like this G." She laughed, playfully ruffling her hand through his mop of hair.

"Oh yeah," Greg giggled as he looked through the curtains of hair in front of his eyes. "Well, I'm gonna go to a hairdresser before then, obviously. I wouldn't show up on any other first date like this, so I shouldn't make an exception just because he's already my friend."

"Exactly." Jade climbed to her feet then turned the shower on for him.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Well I'm gonna be your cab for the day and you stink like stale vomit, so you really need to shower." Jade took the can from his hands and placed it down on the sink behind her.

"I forgot how controlling you were." Greg grinned as he looked up at her.

"Yeah, and you know what I'll do to yah if you don't get in that shower?" Greg shook his head then swiftly climbed to his feet to his sweatshirt up over his head. He dumped it on the floor then grabbed the rim of his t-shirt to lift it up over his head, keeping his back turned away from Jade as she had never seen the scars from the lab explosion before. As he dropped his t-shirt onto the floor with his sweatshirt, Greg glanced up at Jade through a nervous expression. "What?" She grinned to him, sensing his nervousness around her. "It's nothing I haven't seen before G."

"That was ten years ago." He reminded her. "Please turn around."

"Alright then gorgeous," She winked, giving him an innocent smile as she slowly turned around to face the opposite wall. Greg quickly loosened his jeans, tugged them off along with his socks then checked Jade wasn't looking before he pulled his boxers off then jumped into the shower, pulling the curtain right to the edge so she couldn't see in.

"Have you got the day off or something then?" He queried as he stepped under the warm spray of the shower.

"Yep, it's a Saturday Greg." She smirked. "You know I hate working weekends." Greg nodded to himself, not even realising it was a Saturday until she just told him. "So G, where'd you get all the scars on your back?" She queried.

"I knew you looked." Greg accused her through a laugh as he ran his hands back through his hair. "It was a lab explosion, a few years ago. I had third degree burns across my back and neck; I had to get skin grafts to cover them up."

"Ouch." She cringed as she thought about it.

"The beating was worse though." Greg admitted grabbing the shampoo to wash his greasy mop of hair. "Third degree burns are painless because they burn right through the nerves."

"Yeah, I know . . . I'm glad you're okay Greg." Greg nodded looking at the faint shape of her figure through the shower curtain, realising he still had feelings for her after all these years. "So, is this Nick guy cute?" She suddenly queried.

"I guess." Greg giggled half embarrassed. "I never really thought of Nick in that way."

"Ha, that's not what you told me last night G. Apparently you recon he's cute, adorable, sexy, handsome..."

"I did not!" He protested, not remembering a word of that.

"Yes you did." She laughed as she leant back against the sink behind her. "Are you up to first, second or third base yet?"

"Barley past first, not that it's any of your business."

"Tongues?" She queried.

"That's none of your business Jade Valentine." He chuckled.

"Oh it is so my business. I have to know if he's good enough for my Greggo." She smiled as he peered out of the shower curtain.

"What if I'm not good enough for him?" Greg asked self consciously.

"At least wait until you get past second base to say that G." Greg smiled at her then stepped back behind the shower, re-washing his body again to make sure the stench of vomit had completely gone.

A few minutes later, Jade got bored with waiting for him, so she decided to flush the toilet, sending freezing cold water rushing through Greg's shower. "Ah!" He yelped like a little girl as he jumped back from the icy cold spray. "Why do you always do that? It's not funny."

"It's a little funny." She snickered. "C'mon princess, showers up. Let's get going."

Turning the freezing cold water off, Greg peered out around the curtain then reached for one of the warm towels to wrap around his hips. "Can I at least get dressed in peace?" He shivered; looking towards Jade leant against the sink still. "C'mon, my boyfriends coming round tomorrow, he won't be too happy if he finds out I was naked in my bathroom with a girl."

"Okay, knock yourself out princess, just don't take too long." She warned him before she bent to pick up her bag then waved as she stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her to give him some privacy.

Greg climbed out of the shower once she was gone, tossing his dirty laundry into the hamper before he stepped up to the sink to brush his teeth, making sure he remembered to throw away the toothbrush he had used as his breath was still thick with vomit.

* * *

Nick slowly blinked his eyes open, staring up at his ceiling as the sunlight poured in causing a rainbow coloured spectrum to flicker across the white wash ceiling. He softly sighed immediately thinking about Greg who was even more beautiful than a rainbow spectrum. He smiled to himself as he pictured Greg's perfect features. The first thing that came to mind was his cute lopsided grin. He pictured Greg's gorgeous dark truffle brown eyes with a hint of caramel and his lusciously thick boyish eyelashes.

Nick closed his eyes as he desperately tried to remember what the kiss was like. He longed to taste Greg's silky smooth lips and sweet scented tongue again.

Then he suddenly felt miserable and lonely realising he was all alone and Greg was at least four hours away even if he did want to kiss him again. Nick glanced around at his phone, thinking about calling him again, but he didn't want to come off too needy.

Even though he was.

He had waited six years to tell Greg how he felt; now he had to wait again for Greg to get used to the idea of kissing him. _I won't come off too needy if I just call to see how his hangover is. _Nick told himself. He nodded to himself, satisfied with that explanation then grabbed his phone hitting Greg's speed dial. He waited impatiently as the phone rang again and again. On the third ring Nick heard a click as someone picked it up.

"_Hello?" _Greg's sweet voice answered.

Nick immediately smiled feeling warm tingles in the pit of his stomach. "Hey Greg. How's your hangover?"

"_Actually kinda okay. I threw up a bunch of times, had a full cooked breakfast now I'm off to the mall for a haircut."_

"You remember that then?" Nick chuckled.

"_Yep, no backing out now Nick." _Greg laughed unable to believe his own bravery. He was actually being flirtatious with Nick now and it wasn't creeping him out at all.

"I would never back out G." He assured the younger man.

"_Good to know Nicky, I don't handle heartbreak so well." _Greg sat on the chair by the window looking out at Jade talking to his Papa Olaf in the driveway below.

"I'd never break your heart G, I promise."

"_Okay Nicky, I believe you. I really have to go or I'm gonna miss my ride. I'll call you later."_

"Bye Greg."

"_Bye Nicky." _Greg hung up the phone feeling like things had got even more complicated now. He was beginning to feel for Nick, but he still had feelings for Jade. _How do I get myself into these messes? _Greg asked himself running his fingers through his hair messy hair as he started to pace up and down his bedroom, trying to figure out who he liked the most. He could go with the old flame that still hadn't gone out or he could go with the new flame that had just sparked to life. He didn't want either one to go out, but he couldn't figure out which one was more important to him either.

Greg finally emerged from the house with a look of pure confusion written across his face. He silently climbed into the passenger seat of Jade's car, waiting for her to finish talking to his Papa Olaf before she finally climbed inside and started up the car. Jade drove them both off into town in silence, stealing the occasional glance at Greg as he vacantly stared out the window beside him, watching the people going about their days as normal.

At the moment, Greg felt as though his life was anything but normal. Just three months ago he was beaten to a bloody pulp by a bunch of kids. He was called a hero by one man and hated by the public for murdering another. In his story the bad guys had won, and his guilt was eating away at him every day. Then there was the best friend who he assumed was straight from the amount of ladies he had dated, but the second he kissed him, his train of life had been completely thrown off the tracks. Now he didn't know which direction he was going or what was going to happen next.

"You must be really hung up on this Nick; you haven't said two words since we left the house." Jade playfully elbowed Greg in the arm making him look round at her.

"Sorry, I was trying to think things through." Greg looked around, realising that they were now in the mall. He couldn't even remember leaving the car, now he was stood in a crowded place, looking around at all of the shops around him, wondering where he was going to go first.

"What's to think through?" Jade guided him down the escalator heading in the direction of the hair dressers.

"About my life. I never thought I'd end up here."

"Life never turns out the way we expect it. I've been telling you for years to just go with the flow, Sanders." She linked arms with him heading for the hair dressers just to the left of the escalator. Greg nodded to her, giving her a half smile as he was glad he had come back home to see Jade. She always put things in perspective for him, even when he didn't ask her to.

Greg instructed the hair dresser exactly how he wanted his hair to look, more how Nick wanted it to look then he did, but he didn't mind as he would be happy with any style right now. "Okay honey." The young man smiled loudly chewing on the bubble gum in his mouth as he got started on cutting away the mop of hair that Greg had grown out. Jade leant against the counter behind her, looking at all the products laid out across it before she started to watch the hair dresser skilfully cutting Greg's hair so that he looked more like a handsome man, rather than a dirty bum. "You two a couple?" The hair dresser suddenly asked the two of them.

"No." Jade and Greg said in sync with each other.

The young man laughed at them as he combed through the tangled mop of hair on Greg's head. "I'm Gary by the way." He smiled looking up at Jade.

"I'm Jade this is Greg. He's getting ready for his _boyfriend_ to come to town."

"Jade." Greg hissed with embarrassment.

"What? He doesn't care." Jade rolled her eyes at him.

"Aww, that's so sweet." Gary smiled at his client in the mirror. "Don't worry; we'll make you look _gorg_eous." Gary assured Greg then pulled out another pair of scissors, starting to cut back the bangs covering Greg's forehead. "Your boyfriend won't be able to resist you, honey."

Greg smiled up at him, thinking how weird that statement sounded, but he really did want Nick to kiss him again, so he would ideally have to look his best.

* * *

Pulling into the parking garage of the lab, Sara looked at her passenger a moment then climbed out of her side, grabbing her kit and box of evidence off the back seat. Nick soon followed her movements, grabbing his own kit and box of evidence before he followed her off towards the elevators, hitting the button with his elbow. "Hey Nicky, you okay?" She suddenly queried as he had been quiet most of the shift. "You know, we didn't have to cover for swing shift if you didn't want to. Grissom coulda easily got Warrick and Cath..."

"No, I'm okay." He assured her, directing a bright smile towards her just as the elevator arrived. Being the perfect gentleman that he was, Nick stayed back to allow her to step in first. "I was just thinkin'." He smiled to her again as he stepped inside and leant back against the railing against the back wall.

Sara gave him a quizzical look, noticing something different in his features. "Well whatever it is, it's certainly put you in a good mood. What happened, you get lucky or something last night?" She naturally assumed as she saw the soft glow in his eyes.

"Somethin' like that." He blushed slightly as he nervously chewed his bottom lip. He wanted to shout it out to the world that he finally had a boyfriend, but he decided against it for Greg's sake.

"Okay, I'll leave you to discuss your latest conquest with Warrick then." She chuckled softly then stepped out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened to their floor. "Ecklie," She gasped surprised as he seemed to be stood waiting for them by Judy's desk. "Were you waiting for us?"

"Yes." Ecklie tapped his watch as he looked up at the two CSI's. "I appreciate the two of you trying to help out the lab here by putting in some overtime, but how on earth did it take you half an hour to drive from your crime scene back to here?"

"Well Ecklie, we decided to check out the grocery store just a few blocks away as our victim had a receipt that was timed exactly twenty minutes before her death." Nick informed him as he dug into the box to present him with the evidence or he'd never let them leave, giving the two of them a long boring lecture on how much petrol they were costing the lab by taking it to personal stops.

Satisfied with the evidence that they had presented him with on their whereabouts, Ecklie turned and walked away in the direction of his office.

Sara raised one of her eyebrows as she looked round at Nick beside her. "Um Nick... how on earth did you do that?" She grinned widely as they had really stopped to get something to eat.

"Oh, Super Dave found it in her pocket, I remembered glancin' at the time on it, so I figured it would work." He smiled as he showed her the receipt that was in face dated a week before their victim had died, it was just the only thing she had in her pocket at the time of her death.

"Smooth." Sara winked at him before she turned for Hodges lab to drop off some evidence with him.

Nick distributed his evidence to the right labs too then head off towards the break room, brewing a fresh pot of Greg's Blue Hawaiian coffee, immediately reminding him how much he was missing him again.

"So you talked to Greg yet?" Sara queried as she caught up to him in the break room, taking a seat at the table as all they had to do now was wait for the different lab technicians to process their evidence and the swing shift coroner was backed up with bodies, so they'd have to wait for the autopsy results for hours yet, so Sara decided to make herself comfortable as they had a lot of waiting on their hands.

"Um... yeah, I did." Nick nodded round at her then turned back to pour out the coffee into two mugs so he wouldn't end up burning his hand. "He seemed a little better then when I spoke to him the other day. I think this trip home might make him realise what he's missin' here." Or so Nick was hoping.

"I hope you're right." Sara smiled round at him, gratefully taking the steaming hot cup of coffee from his hands. "Mmm, thank you." She winked at him, watching him pulling out a seat for himself to sit down with her. "I really hope he comes back soon too, the lab really wouldn't be the same without him and I really don't wonna lose any of my brothers."

_She is totally gonna freak when she finds out two of her brothers are love. _Nick thought to himself starting the car.

"Do you think perhaps Greg needs a girlfriend or something?" She suddenly asked. Nick choked on the hot coffee in his throat, shaking his head to her as he pat himself on the chest, trying to rid the searing hot pain from his chest. "What, you don't wonna share the women with him?" She laughed.

"No, it's not that... I just don't think that... I don't think he really needs one right now." Nick tried to explain as subtle as he could, but he could tell that Sara could probably read him like an open book. Nick awkwardly stirred the hot coffee in his hands, staring down into its soft brown texture that reminded him so much of Greg's eyes while Sara pulled her cell from her pocket to answer a text message from her mystery man.

"So I heard you have a couple of days off?" Sara suddenly asked him as she continued texting on her cell. "Grissom said you're going up to see Greg."

"Um... yeah, I was goin' to try and convince him to come back." Nick nervously explained, watching as Sara gave him an inquisitive nod. "Suppose I could take him to a few clubs, girl shoppin'?" Nick joked trying to keep up his stereotype of being a jock and a ladies' man.

"Uh huh," Sara smiled knowingly, seeing the nervous tension on Nick's face. "Did you ever think that Greg might be gay?" She probed, hoping she could break Nick.

"No. What made you think that?" Nick started to blush and Sara's suspicions were confirmed.

"No reason... just, I've never seen him with a girl." She smiled then looked down at her phone, confirming her mystery man's suspicions with the answers she had just received due to Nick's nervousness on the topic.

* * *

Stepping around the displays of clothing around her, Jade reached into one of the racks, retrieving a long sleeved shirt to hold up against her friend. Pursing her lips together as she saw it against him, Jade shook her head, giving out a soft chuckle, "No, too gay."

Greg scowled at her angrily, giving her a light thump in the arm. "Would you please stop making fun of me?"

"I'm not precious, I promise." She winked at him before she put the shirt back and started to rifle through the rest of them to find one that actually suited him. "What kinda shirt are you looking for anyway, G?"

"Just... one that's me. I don't wonna change who I am completely... just coz I might be gay." He quietly whispered as some people walked by them. "I guess it doesn't really matter what I look like since he's guy, he won't really care. I could wear a trash bag and he'd still probably like me. I don't have to buy expensive stilettos that made my legs look longer. I don't have to fuss over the right tops and things either. Maybe that's one of the advantages of being gay."

"Would you stop labelling yourself?" She groaned in annoyance as she stepped round another display. "Kissing a guy doesn't make you gay, it makes you brave. What guy wouldn't prefer to kiss a guy then a girl, just like girls? What girl wouldn't prefer to kiss another girl that goes through the same stress of plucking that unibrow, waxing those legs and wearing heels that make your legs look longer, butt look bigger but hurt like hell?"

"I've had the heels are bad talk before." He grinned round at her, recalling his conversation with Sara around a water fountain when he first started working out in the field. "My friend told me all about the pressure it puts on your back and all the problems they cause, I am no longer a fan. I prefer a girl in flats any day." He assured her.

"Okay." Jade gave him a curious look then smiled softly, shaking her head at him as he would do anything to impress the ladies. "Anyway, as I was saying. You're not defined by who you love or what you do. You're Greg Sanders no matter what you do or who you kiss. The world shouldn't define people over their genitals and who they fall for, that's just dumb."

Greg smiled at her then reached into the rack, holding a t-shirt up against his chest. "Okay then, would Greg Sanders... wear this shirt." Jade looked at the baby blue shirt with the writing 'Who dear? Me dear? Gay dear? No dear?' written across the torso from the Catherine Tate sketch show.

"Maybe not." Jade rolled her eyes at him putting the shirt back before anyone saw him holding it against himself. "But it's good you're finally able to joke about it." She smiled at him.

"What about this one?" Greg pulled a dark brownish one with the writing 'I'm completely naked, under this shirt' across the chest.

"Maybe we should stay away from the slogan t-shirts." She suggested, rolling her eyes at him.

"This one?" Greg pulled out a plain long sleeved shirt in a dark blue colour and held it against himself as he looked up into Jade's eyes. "It's smart but casual, and Nicky loves the colour blue."

"Definitely, plus no buttons, easier access." She teased him. Greg cringed slightly, rolling his eyes at her as he looked down at the shirt against his chest. "C'mon Greg, you gotta get used to this you know what happens to repressed cowboys..."

"Please Jade, no more. My ears are bleeding. You're worse than my dad." He whimpered, pushing her away from him with both hands as she laughed at him.

"I'm kidding, relax Greg. I never thought of you as the nervous type... especially not in this department anyway."

"I'm not... with women. But Nick... he's my friend, and a guy." Greg slumped down on a chair in the shoe section, folding his arms across his chest as he pouted out his lip. "Am I doing the right thing?"

"You're not marrying the guy Greg; you can't back out now, not until you at least give it a try." She told him as she took the long sleeved t-shirt from his hands so he wouldn't screw it up. "You haven't even crossed second base, how can you be like this?"

"I fall for people harder then you." He pointed out to her as he looked up at her. "I thought you of all people would be completely against gays."

Jade dropped onto the chair beside him, giving him a curious frown, "What made you think that? Have I ever beaten anybody up coz they were gay?"

Greg tried to think then shook his head, "Not that I remember."

"Exactly... I didn't beat people up coz they were gay, straight, nerds, black, rednecks, popular . . . I did it to people who talked crap about you... or me." She smiled softly, patting him on the shoulder. "I think I know why you like Nick."

"Why?"

"Coz he's like a male version of me." She chuckled. "You said he punched that guy at the crime scene coz he was talking crap about you. That's exactly like me in a nut shell G."

"Well he does like sports like you; he's the youngest in his big family like you . . . and he calls me G, just like you." Greg smiled at the irony of the situation. "And he does have a sensitive side like you do sometimes."

"See, you like him coz he's kinda like me." She chuckled. "Maybe he's the better version for you though."

Greg smiled to her as he leant further back against the chair. "Before I came here I was worrying about the beating and everything... now I'm worrying about this."

"Don't be . . . it's just like any other relationship you've been in."

"Minus one detail." He pointed out to her.

"One – insignificant – little – detail... that really shouldn't bother you." She spoke slowly as she looked round at him from her position against the wall where some black hi-tops sneakers had caught her attention.

"I suppose... it doesn't bother me that much." He admitted.

"Good, now c'mon, I'm starving." Reaching out for Greg's hands, Jade tugged him to his feet then led the way off towards the checkout with their purchases in hand so they could go and get something to eat as quickly as possible.

* * *

After collecting his results from Hodges, Nick head off towards the locker room where Sara was sat, using an old Q-tip to dig the mud out of the bottom of her shoes. "Hey Sara, we gotta lead on our suspect." He called out to her, tapping the photocopy of the driver's licence in his hand. "Detective Vartann is bringin' our suspect in now, impounds towin' his car to the lot, and we gotta warrant to search his house."

"Great." She responded, not sounding very enthusiastic as she pulled her shoes back on, tapping them on the floor beneath her to remove the rest of the mud trapped in them. "I guess we should search the house first then?" She queried as she climbed to her feet to grab her vest and kit from inside her open locker.

"Yep." He nodded to her, collecting his own kit and jacket from his locker. "Griss said we don't have to come back for grave shift either, we can go straight home to catch up on our sleep."

"Sounds good to me," She smirked through a yawn as she closed the door of her locker once she was ready. "You wonna grab something to eat after all this, that cheese sandwich from the store really didn't fill me up."

"Me either." He agreed, leading the way towards the elevators as he searched his jacket pockets for his car keys.

The two of them loaded into Nick's truck, setting their kits down on the back seat once they were in. Nick slowly took off in the direction of their suspect's house, meeting one of the officers outside with the warrant from the DA. The suspect's girlfriend opened the door, allowing the come in and search the house well she read through the warrant with the officer by the front door.

It didn't take them too long to find what they were looking for. Like most typical suspect's, he had dumped the bloody clothes he was wearing in the trash can, leaving his murder weapon in plain sight. Nick and Sara felt as though they had been cheated. No case was ever that easy, even the suspect decided to confess that he had killed his soon to be ex-wife as she was requesting too much money from the divorce, and she was going to win.

Nick and Sara watched the officers hauling their suspect away in the halls of the police station, wondering if Grissom would still let them go early now that they have finished their case in record time. "Hey, are you still hungry?" Sara queried, looking round at him as she raised her watch to check the time.

Patting his empty stomach with one hand, Nick gave her a nod as he turned to look at her, "Yeah, I guess I could eat."

Sara smiled at the predictable Texan then led the way off towards the parking lot so they could drive off to their usual place just down the road where they always ate once they got off shift at the lab.

As soon as they got there, Nick's favourite waitress waved over at him as she saw him entering. "Hey Nicky."

"Hi Dorris." Nick graced her with one of his wide smiles. Dorris was in her mid forties and always had a sunny smile and a hot cup of coffee waiting for him whenever he came in.

Nick led the way through the diner towards an empty booth, sliding in one side while Sara took the other. Nick smiled as Sara immediately started to clean the utensils she was given before she started to inspect the table in front of her.

"Germaphobe." Nick coughed under his breath.

"You don't know what kind of germs are on these things." She complained to him as she inspected her fork again, wiping the ends of it with the napkin in her other hand.

"And you think a quick wipe of the napkin will clean them off?" He smirked at her.

"Point taken." Sara bit her lip as she anxiously inspected her fork. She looked up at Nick then waved her hand around, calling over the waitress. "Excuse me."

"Yes love." Dorris asked her.

"Can I get a clean fork please?" Sara handed over the dirty one watching Dorris inspecting it for herself.

"Of course dear." She rolled her eyes at Sara then walked away to the kitchen to grab the madam a clean fork from the rack. Nick covered his hand over his mouth, shaking his head at Sara as he tried to stifle the laugh that was ready to burst out of him.

"What? I'm not gonna eat with a dirty fork, Nick." She complained to him.

"Did I say anythin'?" Nick gave her an innocent smile as Dorris returned, handing Sara a clean fork. Nick watched his partner inspecting it for herself before she gave Dorris a smile, thanking her for giving her a clean fork to eat with. Dorris rolled her eyes at her then pulled her notebook from the front pocket of her apron to take their order. "I'll have the usual please Dorris." Nick finally ordered.

"Same for me." Sara added.

"Be right with yah love." Dorris hushed the woman with a hand gesture before she turned to look at Nick with a sunny smile painted across her features. "It's good to see you again Nicky, you haven't in here for a while. You too busy up at the crime lab to get any breakfast lately."

"Somethin' like that." He nodded to her, not wanting to reveal that the real reason was because he had been ordering from I-HOP lately as she might take offence if she found out he was eating somewhere else for a change.

"Well don't you forget about us down here Nicky, always a free coffee waiting for you crime lab boys." Dorris winked at him, not noticing that the woman at his table was now rolling her eyes at her. "Is there no Greg with you this time? He's always such a nice boy."

"No, Greg's gone out of town for a while." He shook his head to her. "This is Sara though," He indicated towards the rude woman at his table. "She works at the crime lab with us too."

"Oh that's a shame, he was so sweet." Dorris ignored the rude co-worker, giving her favourite customer a wide smile. "I'll make sure they get you extra bacon this time cowboy, you crime lab boys need your strength if you're gonna be catching bad guys." She winked at him then head off towards the kitchen.

Sara watched her go then folded her arms across her chest as she looked across the table at Nick. "Hm, she seems nice... to you anyway."

"You complained about her cleanin' skills, not exactly a good first impression." He laughed at her.

Sara rolled her eyes at him then rested her elbows on the table, giving Nick a devious grin as she looked across the table at him. "So, you brought Greg here with you? You never take the rest of us out for breakfast after shift." She pointed out to him, watching his eyes slowly widening as he looked up at her. "So do you only bring your dates here or something?"

"No, I always eat here. I never bring my dates here. It's not very good on first impressions."

"Whatever you say Nick." She laughed softly to him, shaking her head at him as he still thought that he was hiding the fact that he liked Greg well.

* * *

"Wow, we haven't eaten here since Highschool." Greg gasped as he slid into their usual booth, looking around at the place, noticing it hadn't change much in the last ten years that he hadn't been there. "This seats still as hard as a rock too."

"I know." Jade smirked then pulled up the edge of the table cloth, showing him their carved initials in a heart shape still on the table. "Remember this?"

Greg slid around to her side, smiling widely as he looked at it. "Wow, this is our old table." Greg ran his fingers over the indented initials, looking up at Jade as he recalled the memory of them carving it into the table, declaring that their friendship would last forever.

"Yep... I believe our first make out session was in this very booth." She smiled at him then called over the waitress to their table so they could order. "Usual please, Susanne." Jade made her order to the old timer who was still working here after all these years.

Susanne brushed back the thinning grey hair over her shoulder as she pulled the pen out from behind her ear to jot down Jade's order. She glanced up surprised as she saw the other familiar face sat at the table, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her as she hadn't seen him in years, "Oh my goodness, is this little Gregory?" Susanne queried as she stepped around the table to get a better look at him. "Wow, I haven't seen you two kids together... well since you were really kids." She smirked.

"Yep, he's come back for a visit." Jade smiled over at her long lost friend.

"God, I remember how I used to have to kick you two out for disturbing the other customers." Susanne laughed as she placed her hands on her hips. "You two were always so giggly and hyper. So what happened to yah Greggy? Why'd you leave good old California?"

"I got a job in a forensic crime lab in Vegas."

"Oh big city boy." She winked, noticing how handsome he looked now that he had filled out into a nice young man instead of the dorky teen in braces that he used to be. "So how come you two never married? You were perfect for each other."

"The friendship yeah, not the relationship stuff." Jade pointed out to her.

"Well it's never too late to try again. You're both single right?" She took the deafening silence from each of them as a yes. "Well, why not give it a go?"

"Well Greg is just starting to see somebody, hence the new hair cut." Jade pointed it out, trying to get over the awkward moment.

"Oh, that's very nice." Susanne winked at him. "Bet that colour hair still pisses your dear old mom off." She chuckled softly then grabbed her notebook again, "So what can I get yah Greggy, on the house for old time's sake?"

"Really? Wow, thanks Susanne." He smiled widely at her. "I'll just have the same as Jade, please."

"Just like always." She chuckled as she wrote down their orders. "Be right back."

Greg watched her limping away on her bad leg then turned to face Jade. "Wow, she's still here? She's like... eighty."

"Susanne's still alive and kicking G," Jade nodded to him. "She even owns the joint now."

"Wow, so not much has changed around here?" Greg asked surprised, starting to realise how much he missed home after all these years away from it.

Jade shook her head to him as she leant back in the booth. "Nope, not much has changed. That's why you should visit more often G."

"I'll try . . . or I might be back for good." He leant on the table as he looked around, recalling all of the happy times he had here with Jade as a teenager.

* * *

"You know this place never changes." Sara cringed as she pulled a hair out of her mouth. "I think I'm gonna be sick." Nick cringed looking at the food she just spat up. "Good thing you don't bring your dates here Nick."

"Told yah." He smirked then dropped his knife and fork onto his plate as he finished up. "They make really good food here though." He smiled as he reached for his coffee to finish it off.

"It's okay I guess," She shrugged, giving up on eating it before she caught something. "So Nick?" Wiping her mouth on her napkin, Sara took a sip of her coffee then looked up at him. "Anything you wonna tell me?"

"No." He smiled questioningly at her. "Why you got somethin' to tell me Sidle?"

"I may have, but I'm not sharing first." She warned him. "Tell me yours first."

"How can I trust you Sidle?"

"Well, I trust you with my life everyday at the lab Nick," She pointed out to him. "I'd like to think you feel the same about me. That much trust should mean that we can trust each other with our personal life secrets too," Nick looked at her suspiciously, wondering where she was going with this. "See I've noticed something about you Nick. It occurred to me last year sometime, then you confirmed my suspicions today."

"Suspicions, about what?" Nick asked, puzzled by her words. _She can't know I'm in love with Greg too? _He whimpered. _I should have known trying to keep a secret around a bunch of CSI's __is an impossible thing to do._

"You're gonna make me say it aren't you?" Sara looked down at the coffee in her hands as she tried to get up the courage to finally ask him. "Nick, you're like a brother to me... so if I'm completely off base here, please forgive me." Sara tapped her nails on the table trying to think how to phrase it. "Nick, I won't think of you any differently, if you are..." She paused looking up at his puzzled expression.

"Spit it out Sara. If I'm what?"

"If you are... you know... if you are... gay." She paused, looking up at his reaction again, hoping that she hadn't offended him by assuming. "Nick, I've noticed you've been very fond of Greg for a while, more than as a friend. So... am I right?" Nick looked down at his hands on his lap feeling embarrassed. He looked up at Sara then nodded slightly. Her face didn't go into shock or disgust which really surprised Nick. "You mean you are?"

"Yes, I guess... I really like Greg." He confirmed. "More than like."

"Does he know this?"

"He does now." Nick mumbled as he looked down at his hands again.

"So what happened when you told him? Is that why he left?"

"No." Nick shook his head. "He wanted to leave before I told him... I think he was a little freaked out. Especially coz I kissed him."

Sara dropped her jaw surprised then gave him a wide smile, "So, how come you're going up to see him if it freaked him out?"

"We've been talkin' on the phone and I think he's gettin used to the idea. Please don't say anythin' though Sara. We wonna keep it private just between us." He pleaded. Sara nodded then went back to sipping the hot coffee in her hands. "So, what's your big secret Sidle?" He asked, trying to get off the topic of him and his sexuality.

"I'm sleeping with Grissom." She suddenly blurted in between sips of her hot coffee. Nick once again choked on his coffee at the sound of the shocking news. Patting himself on the chest, Nick struggled to breath through his mouth, feeling as though the coffee had scorched the lining of his throat this time. "Hey, I was all calm about you and Greg." She complained to him.

"I'm not freaked... I choked." He covered through a scratchy voice. "You and Grissom? Really... wow, so how's that workin' out?" He asked, wiping the coffee he had spat from his shirt and the table with the napkin in his hands.

"Not so good... he's against PDA's... romantic dinners... cuddling..."

"I don't need to know all the details." He winced then started to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothin'... just you said we're like a family, brothers and sisters. Except two of your brothers are in love and my pseudo sister and father are screwin' each other." He laughed.

"Fucked up family huh?" She laughed. Nick nodded in agreement, surprised that he heard Sara curse. "You really love Greg?"

"Oh." He bit his lip realising he had just let that slip in front of her. "Yeah... I guess I do."

"That's cute... I'm happy for you. And I hope it works out."

"Me too... with you and Griss." He smiled back at her. "I'm happy for you two. So how long have you been seein' each other?"

"Shortly after the lab explosion." She confessed to him, asking the same sort of question back to him, "So, when did you fall for Greg?"

"Um... I don't know." Nick shrugged, too embarrassed to tell her the real time as it had taken him over six years to finally confess his true feelings the person he felt them for.

"Well I'm happy for you Nick. And I won't tell anyone. Likewise?"

"Sure, but can I rub it in to Griss if he gives me hell?" He asked cheekily.

"Knock yourself out." She laughed. "So are you excited to see Greg?"

"Very." He whispered trying not to sound too desperate.

"Aww Nick, that's sweet. I'm sure he's excited too."

* * *

"I think I'm gonna throw up." Greg winced holding his sides as Jade continued talking to him about the future of his relationship with Nick.

Jade directed him over to a bench then took a seat beside him, looking at him curiously before she asked, "About what the food or gay talk?"

Greg held his stomach, inhaling slow deep breaths to keep back the vomit as he whispered, "Kinda both." Thinking of him and Nick in the positions she was describing to him made his stomach hurt. He would never have thought that anyone would ever have sex with him through his back door; he couldn't imagine that it would be very comfortable either. "Why does he love me?" He suddenly asked out loud. "I'm not so special. There's tons of perfect women out there for him."

"You are special Greg. Maybe Nick doesn't want these tons of perfect women."

"Or he's already been through them." Greg voiced his thoughts out loud. "Think he really likes me?"

"Once you go Greggo you never Leggo." She laughed.

Greg rubbed his upset stomach as he looked around at the park. He saw a mother and father walking with their two children then an old woman and man walking hand in hand around the lake. Greg looked in the other direction seeing a man and woman making out on a bench then a father walking by with his children.

"What are you looking at?" Jade asked him curiously.

"There's not a single gay couple out here." Greg pointed out.

"You're not looking hard enough G." Jade pointed towards the lake. There were two men lying down on the grass feeding each other chocolate coated strawberries. She pointed out another couple of women sat against a tree kissing. "See."

"How'd I miss them?"

"You're obviously not very good at your job." She chuckled then pointed out the bench beside them where two older men were holding hands on their laps.

"They might not be gay." Greg chuckled.

"Sure coz old guys hold hands like that all the time." She laughed sarcastically.

"I'm glad I did come back . . . I don't think I'd be able to handle this without you Jade." He confessed to her, beaming a wide smile round at her as he continued to rub his upset stomach.

"Glad I could help."

* * *

**(5,000 word difference from Original)**

**First Published 31st Jan 2010 = Re-edited by Lolly4Holly 9th Jan 2011**

**Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5: Blind Truths

**Chapter Five: Blind Truths**

After parking her car in the CSI parking lot, Catherine made her way off towards the elevators of the lab building, taking them up to the lab floor while she checked the messages on her phone. As soon as the doors opened, Catherine signed in at the front desk then head off down the hall towards her supervisor's office. Peering inside before she entered, Catherine saw Grissom sat behind his desk with his glasses pressed on the end of his nose while he rubbed his eyes with exhaustion and attempted to look through the thousands of files that scattered his desk.

"Hey," Tapping on the door with her knuckles, Catherine smiled to him as she entered the room, immediately remarking, "Did you have a nice sleep there boss?" as he looked completely exhausted.

Grissom removed his glasses, giving her a slight nod just as another yawn managed to escape his lips, making his eyes water again. "I got a good few hours actually; it just doesn't show because paper work makes me tired." He smiled back at her as he cleaned his glasses on the rim of his shirt. "You're in early anyway, Catherine." He noticed as the clock on his desk caught his attention.

"Yeah, I was hoping you'd let me leave early. It's Lindsay's first day at her new school, she wanted me to drop her off, so I made her a promise."

"Okay, as long as you're finished up with your case or someone's covering it, I'll let you go." He assured her then pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and reached out for the slips on the end of his desk. "Wonna be me for the day?" He queried, handing them over to her. "Warrick and Nicky are the only ones you'll be getting today, but make the most of them."

"Aw, the big boss too tired to face his team?" She chuckled then took the slips from his hands, shuffling through them to pick out the best one for herself.

"Oh, Nicky insisted on coming back in even though he worked swing shift, but Sara's gone home to get some sleep." Grissom called after her before she left his office. "Make sure he doesn't go overboard, we can't have tired CSI's working big cases."

"Okay, got it, boss." Catherine flashed him a smile then head off towards the break room where Warrick was pouring out some coffees. Nick was sat at the break room table, staring at the phone in his hand and one of the day shift CSI's were sat on the sofa, flipping through the magazine in her hands. "Hey Nicky." Catherine greeted him through the open doorway. Waving to get his attention, Catherine tried again, "I said, hey Nicky."

"Oh," Nick looked at her slightly confused, but gave her a half smile as he pried his eyes away from the cell phone in his hands. "Hey Cath, you are boss today?" He asked, noticing the slips in her hands.

"As of today, yes I am." She grinned at the two of them then looked towards the day shift CSI as she climbed to her feet. "Who are you?"

"Macey Hurst, day shift," She introduced herself as she brushed back her blonde hair behind her ears. "Ecklie told me to give you guys a hand today."

Catherine looked her up and down, noticing Warrick was doing the same. She inwardly groaned then forced a smile towards the perky young blonde, "Hi, I'm Catherine Willows. I'm in charge, okay?" Catherine gave her a slight scowl then looked down at the slips in her hands, trying to decide which was the worst one to give to the blonde that she despised already. "Warrick, you're with me," She immediately decided, allowing a devious grin to spread across her lips as she watched Macey eyeing up the gay Texan in her presence. "Macey, you're with Nicky. Two DB's in the suburbs." She handed the slip over to Nick, looking at the surprised reaction on his face. "Keep me posted." She winked at him, hoping to teach Macey a lesson in rejection as she head out the door with Warrick in her shadow.

"Hi, I'm Macey." The young woman extended her hand towards Nick, giving him a wide grin.

"Nick." He shook her hand, giving her a slight nod. "Um... well, grab your kit. I'll meet you downstairs by my truck in a few minutes?" He suggested, rolling his eyes at her as she gave him a slight curtsy before she exited the room.

_Damn it, why the hell did I just do that?_ Macey scolded herself as she head off towards the locker room at the end of the hall, feeling her cheeks flushing with embarrassment on the way.

Dumping his empty coffee mug in the sink, Nick rubbed his sleepy eyes then checked his phone again, smiling as another message came through from Greg. Ever since Greg had got back from the mall with Jade, he had crashed out on one of the chairs in the garden, sending and receiving texts between Nick and him to pass the time. Nick was relieved as their friendship hadn't really changed, they could still talk about anything, they could just be more intimate now that their friendship had reached the next level.

Arriving at their crime scene in Nick's truck, the two CSI's looked out of the windows either side of them, surveying the crime scene they were about to enter. Nick parked his car then climbed out, pulling a cap down over his head as he looked towards Detective O'Riley, the officer in charge of their scene.

"Hey." Nick greeted him, holding his kit in hand as he stepped up towards the front door of the suburban house.

"Hey." Detective O'Riley nodded back to him then pointed towards the press by the yellow crime tape. "Heads up, press is all over this one."

"Why?" Macey queried as she stepped up beside Nick with her silver cased kit in her hands.

"Four dead, mom, dad and two kids." Detective O'Riley pointed towards the paramedics in the distance. "Kids were still breathing when they got here, they died shortly after. Neighbour called it in, she heard the screaming. Oh, and one more thing," He stopped them before they entered the house. "These parents have three kids, ones missing."

"How old?" Nick asked, almost bumping into Macey as he was partial to children.

"Five years old." O'Riley pulled the photograph wrapped in plastic from his pocket, showing it to the concerned CSI. "Calleigh, we couldn't find her anywhere in the house."

"You think perhaps our killer took her with him?" Macey asked as she took a peek at the photo of the little girl.

O'Riley scoffed, giving her a shrug. "Not my job, that's yours..."

"You show the picture to the press at least?" Nick asked him.

"I know the job." O'Riley snapped, scowling at him as he walked back down the path to talk to one of his deputies. Nick gave out a heavy sigh of annoyance then pulled the flashlight from his vest pocket so he could step inside the darkened suburban house that had four dead bodies in it now.

* * *

Balancing the basket of laundry against her hip, Jean Sanders head off down the hall, stopping outside her son's bedroom door. Peering in through the gap of the open door, a slight smile spread across her lips as she saw her son sprawled out across the bed, fast asleep in the exact same position he used to sleep in as a child. She was so glad to have her baby home after so long, but she couldn't help but feel a deep sadness inside of her chest as she could always sense when her little boy was unhappy himself.

"Hey." Her husband Daniel whispered softly as he stepped up beside her. Pecking a kiss to her cheek, Daniel smiled as he took a glance through the gap in the door at their son fast asleep too. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She gave him a wide smile as she looked at the laundry in her hands. "I was just thinking... about all those grass stained jeans I was starting to miss." She smirked as she brushed a tendril of her honey brown hair back behind her ear. "It's good to have him home, isn't it?" Daniel nodded in agreement, giving her a wide smile in return. "I suppose I should make some dinner, he hasn't eaten today has he?" She smiled to him then made her way off down the hall, remembering walking down it when Greg was still just an infant. She would have to pick up crayons, toys and stray socks just to get down the stairs in the morning. She used to constantly complain that he never picked anything up, now she missed the mess more than anything.

Heading straight off towards the utility room, Jean loaded the machine with her son's laundry. After being a stay at home mom with no children to look after for so long, it was nice to finally have her child back under the same roof as her so she could once again assume her role as mother.

Once the machine was loaded, Jean head off towards the kitchen to see what she had to make for dinner, noticing her son coming off the stairs. "Sweetheart, can I fix you something to eat?"

"No, I'm fine." He assured her, adjusting the large sweatshirt he just pulled down over his head. "I'm going out." Greg checked his phone then stuffed it into his pocket before he waved over to his mother and slipped out of the front door.

Jean stepped up towards the window, watching her lonely looking son walking down the driveway with his shoulders hunched together and a look of deep thought on his face as he walked away from the house, heading off into town.

* * *

Walking inside the family room of the once loving family home, Nick turned his eyes towards the family photos on the mantle, looking at the three children in each of them. Macey stepped up beside him, following in the wake of his flashlight with her own. "The air," She spoke softly as she inhaled a deep breath. "It smells weird."

"It's copper." Nick answered her as he took a whiff for himself. "The blood, it smells like that when there's a lot of it." He pointed out to her as he set his kit down on the floor. "I take it you've never been to a crime scene like this before?" Macey shook her head to him as she covered her hand over her mouth. "Breath through your mouth, it's easier." He instructed her then pulled his gloves from his pocket, smiling slightly as he recalled the memory of Greg's first time in the field with him during the bus crash a few years ago.

Stepping over a disturbed stack of newspapers, Macey raised her camera from around her neck to snap a picture of the blood drops on the floor that looked as though they were gravitational blood drops, possibly from someone holding the blood dripping murder weapon as they came off the stairs.

Setting down some numbered markers from her kit, Macey followed the blood trail off through the hall towards the staircase. Heading up to the second floor, Macey looked around at the photos of the children on the walls before she cast her eyes towards the bloody foot prints, leading from one room to the other.

Nick followed close behind her, carefully stepping around the foot prints towards one of the children's bedrooms. As soon as he entered, the blood smell was thicker and the walls were splattered in droplets of red blood from the cast off of the murder weapon.

"No drag marks." He pointed out to Macey beside him as he looked at the small child's body. "He probably only just made it out of bed before the attacker came in..." Nick paused as he looked around at the child's toys covered in his own blood.

Kneeling down beside the body, Nick snapped various photographs of its position, noticing the deep bloody marks to his tractors pyjamas. From the looks of the room, this child seemed to have an obsession with tractors. The walls were covered in pictures and stencilled drawings. The shelves were covered in many different toy tractors, even the bed covers had a cartoon looking tractor printed on them.

"He's only eight." Macey reported as she picked up something from the child's desk in the corner.

Nick snapped a picture of the small child's face, desperately wanting to reach out to close his eyelids as his baby blue eyes were still open with a look a terror frozen into them.

Climbing to his feet, Nick stepped around the bed to look at some of the blood splatter against the wall, noticing the door to the wardrobe was open slightly. Nick turned round to face it, noticing a small bloody handprint on the mirror. Pulling the door towards him, Nick squinted his eyes together as he looked in the mirror, spotting a small figure crouched in the back of the wardrobe under some clothes being reflected into it.

Setting down his camera, Nick looked around at Macey, putting his finger to his lips to tell her to be quiet before he turned back to the wardrobe, slowly pulling the other door open to allow more light to filter in through the gap. "Hey." He spoke softly to the frightened figure in the back. "It's okay sweetheart, my names Nick. We're with the police... we're not gonna hurt you honey." He assured her, reaching out his arms to her.

Macey watched him curiously then saw the heap clothes in the back of the wardrobe starting to move.

"C'mon, it's okay sweetie. You're safe now." The warm hearted man held his arms open, slowly enticing the scared little girl from her hiding spot. "That's it, it's okay honey. Your names Calleigh, right?" The small child slowly crawled out into the light, giving him a slight nod through her tear streaked face. "C'mon sweetie."

Calleigh crawled on her knees towards him then wrapped her tiny arms around his shoulders. Nick gently placed his hands on her back and carefully lifted her free from the closet.

"It's okay honey." He whispered to her as he slowly carried her shaking little body downstairs to get her checked out by one of the paramedics. She hadn't been stabbed like the rest of her family, but her fairy little princess pyjamas were covered in blood and she had just been through a very traumatic experience.

* * *

Glancing up from her cooking, Jean noticed her father carrying his bedding off down the stairs. "Dad, where on earth are you going with all that?" She asked, setting down the spoon she was using to stir the gravy.

"If Greg's bringing his boyfriend here, I'm heading to the other end of the house." He remarked, immediately regretting opening his mouth as he saw the shock on his daughter's face. "Oh, that's right. You didn't know." He muttered, inwardly scolding himself for letting that little secret he was meant to keep secret slip from his clumsy mouth.

Jean dropped her jaw, looking at him wide eyed. "Greg, he has a boyfriend?" She shrieked with her hands on her hips. "Why the hell didn't anybody tell me this little fact? Does everyone else know? Am I the last?" Her father just stood on the spot, nervously shifting from foot to foot as he tried to think of something to say to her. "Why am I always the last to know everything around here?"

Jean and her father looked towards the front door as they heard a knock. Neither one made a move for the door, so Daniel hurried off down the stairs, shouting, "I'll get it!" as he hurried off towards the front door to see who it was.

"How long have you known?" Jean asked her father as she straightened up the towels and things on the kitchen counter. "Did he only tell you or does everyone but me know about it?"

"Well... he didn't so much as tell me," Papa Olaf struggled to explain as he clutched the pillow tighter in his arms. "I kinda... overheard him on the phone to him. I don't think they've been dating that long... from the sounds of it... they're just getting started."

"Papa Olaf." Jade scowled at him as Daniel let her in through the front door. "You seriously suck at secret keeping, yah know that?"

Papa Olaf frowned at her then looked back towards his daughter. "I'm sorry Jeany, I thought you knew. Greg tells you everything." Papa Olaf apologetically looked her in the eye, feeling guilty for blurting Greg's secret.

Jean frowned at her father angrily then looked towards Greg's childhood friend, noticing the look on her face. "You knew about this too?" She shrieked.

Jade gave her a slight nod as she reached for a ruby red apple from the fruit basket on the counter. "That's actually one of the reasons that he decided to come back here." She explained as she took a juicy bite from the apple. "He was going to tell you eventually, he can't even admit it to himself at the moment."

Jean dropped her jaw again, feeling betrayed by her own family. "You both knew and I didn't?" Casting an accusing glare towards Jade, Jean accused her, "I bet you encouraged him, didn't you?"

Jade's jaw dropped as she looked towards the frustrated mother. "No I didn't. I'm not the peer pressure you make me out to be Mrs S." Jade assured her, trying to explain as calmly as possibly. "I've never forced Greg to do anything he doesn't want to."

"This is a cry for help, and you're all keeping it a secret from me! I'm his mother; I should know absolutely everything that's going on with him." She screamed in anger as she looked between their guilty expressions. "How could you keep this a secret? Greg came here for help and you're both keeping his secret!"

"It's not a cry for help." Jade rolled her eyes at her. "Everyone always thinks that. Besides, his best friend kissed him. If Greg needs help, he asks. So don't get your panties in a twist, Mrs S. You've got nothing to worry about." Jade assured her then turned her head as she heard a cry for help echoing through the hall.

"_Help_." Greg's voice echoed through the hall again.

"Well that is." Jade pointed her hand out into the hall. Papa Olaf laughed at the perfect timing then ran after Jean to see what Greg was shouting about.

"Oh thanks." Greg sighed in relief as his mother took the overflowing grocery bags from his arms. He gave her a wide smile then dropped his spare set of keys onto the side table so he could rifle through his bag and check he had everything that he intended to buy.

Jean looked at the bag in her hands then turned towards her son, giving him a surprised look. "You shopped?"

Greg looked at her surprised reaction then giggled softly. "Yeah, I _can_ shop mom." He smirked. "I haven't forgotten how to do that, and I have been shopping for myself for years." He pointed out to her.

"Don't scream _help_ like that. I thought something awful happened to you." Jean scolded him as she felt her heart still pounding heavily inside of her chest.

"Sorry." Greg immediately apologised as he saw the worried look on her face.

Ever since his supervisor Grissom had called her to tell her that her son was in hospital after being beaten to a bloody pulp, Jean had been worrying about him more and more. If she had it her way she'd probably have him wrapped in bubble wrap everywhere he went so that nothing could ever hurt him again.

Nervously biting his lower lip, Greg decided to make a joke to lighten her mood, "What should I shout next time then?" but it only made Papa Olaf and Jade laugh, as Jean really wasn't in the laughing mood at the moment.

"That's not funny, Gregory." His mother scowled in his direction then carried the groceries off through the house back to the kitchen so she could continue with her cooking instead of worrying about her son every minute he was away from her.

"You could shout '_Assistance'_ instead." Jade suggested as she grabbed another bag from Greg's hands to help him.

Greg giggled softly with laughter as he followed in her shadow off towards the kitchen where his mother was trying to think of something to say to him, now that she knew his latest big secret. "I just went for a walk and I stopped by the grocery store, so I thought I'd help out since I sprung my visit on you so suddenly." Greg explained as he started to unload the groceries into all the usual places.

"So when were you going to tell me Gregory?" Jean decided to take the blunt approach to find out the truth about her lying little son. "Were you just going to tell everyone else, you're own private little secret that your mothers not a part of?" She queried, grumpily folding her arms across her chest as she looked over at him.

Greg felt as though he was in trouble by her tone of voice, but he couldn't figure out what he could possibly be in trouble for as he hadn't done anything, so he just looked at her confused. "Tell you what?"

"Oh, Papa Olaf let it slip that you're _boyfriend_ is coming here." Jade whispered to him as she stepped up beside him.

Greg cast an angry frown towards his Papa Olaf, noticing the guilty expression on his face as he caught his grandson scowling at him. As Greg continued to glare, Papa Olaf finally broke, "Okay, what do you want me to say? I'm sorry. I didn't know that it was some big secret that you couldn't even tell your own mother, next time; send me a memo of who you've told so I don't get mixed up." He laughed at his own joke then quickly made his way out the kitchen with his bedding in hand before the Sanders Family Drama started up. If there was anything the Sanders' hated more, it was keeping secrets from each other.

Jean watched her father go then cast an accusing glare towards her son. "Why didn't you tell me, Gregory Hojem Sanders?" She used his full name to prove just how upset she was to him. "I'm your mother, do you even care about that. It's just one secret after another with you. I told you I don't like secrets, that's why we're all always so open." She started to complain to him, allowing no time for Greg to butt in and explain his reasons. "First of all it's the job, now it's this, what's next? Are you joining the French foreign legion? Going to bible study or are you perhaps planning a siege?"

"Mom, I'm really sorry." Greg gave her the puppy dog face that he knew she couldn't resist, but it didn't seem to be working as effectively this time. "I'm just getting used to this... idea of dating a guy myself. We haven't technically gone on a date or anything like that yet, so really, he's not my boyfriend." He desperately tried to explain to her. "It just... sorta happened."

Jean rolled her eyes then leant against the counter opposite her son, giving him a curious look. "So, who is he?" She probed. "Do I know him at least?"

"Yes, actually," Stuffing his hands deep into the pocket of his sweatshirt, Greg slowly lifted his eyes to look his mother in the eye. "Do you remember the CSI that was kidnapped and buried in that Plexiglas glass coffin underground, with the fire ants and..."

"Yes." Jean gasped as she realised who he meant. "Him? That good ole Texas boy, he's your boyfriend?"

"Again, not my boyfriend." Greg corrected her before he started to nervously ramble, "It was one kiss... three times, and he kissed me first. I didn't even know I had feelings for him before he kissed me. He used to just be my best friend, now I have all these feelings for him, and I don't understand them, I'm not sure I like them, and I never wanted to disappoint you."

Jean looked at her son surprised as he could never disappoint her, no matter how hard he tried. She went to speak again when her husband stepped into room, greeting everyone with a sunny smile similar to Greg's, "Hey look, it's my two favourite people. Three favourite people." Daniel corrected himself as he saw Jade in the room with them, still chomping on her apple. "Hey, what's going on?" He queried, seeing the tearful expression in his wife's and son's eyes.

Pulling the apple from her mouth, Jade looked around at the tense expressions on each of the Sanders' face then whispered, "He knows right?" to Greg beside her.

Greg gave her a slight nod as Daniel queried, "Knows what?" feeling out of the loop.

"You know?" Jean shrieked at her husband, feeling betrayed yet again. Brushing back her loose tendrils of hair, Jean directed an accusing glare to her son, "Why does everyone else know but me, Gregory? Do you really not trust me? I'm your mother!"

"Know what?" Daniel asked confused as he stepped up to the counter the other side of Greg, feeling as though he was in one of those play dreams where he didn't know his lines.

"I'm _GAY_." Greg shouted to them all, throwing his hands up in defeat at his sides. "There I said it. And it didn't feel totally weird." Glancing towards the window, Greg spotted the gardener staring in at them with a wide eyed expression on his face as he stopped weeding the garden to listen in on their conversation. "Why does it matter anyway?" He asked his mother. "I didn't lie to you; I just didn't want to disappoint you."

"Disappoint me?" She asked shocked. "You could never disappoint me sweetheart, even now; I'm blaming myself for you not being able to trust me enough to tell me this." Jean then directed a glare towards her husband, "And I'm very disappointed in you, I thought we told each other everything?"

"We do." Daniel nervously chewed his bottom lip as he tried to dig himself out of the hole he had gotten himself into for keeping his son's one little secret. "He made the face when he made me promise. You know how the face always gets me. I was going to tell you eventually, I just didn't want you to over react like this."

"My only son is gay and you thought I'd be all happy about it?" She asked him.

"No, but you're not against gay's Jean. I know you're not. Besides this is our Greg, our son who we support and love no matter what."

"I know that, I love him more than anything in the world, that's why it hurts so much to be betrayed like this!" Jean looked at them all, feeling even more betrayed as they were all on Greg's side. She turned the oven off, dumped the tea towel from her hands onto the side then stormed off towards the staircase, passing her mother halfway up. "I suppose you knew too?" She accused her too before she continued up the rest of the stairs, heading straight to her bedroom for some alone time.

Stepping off the stairs herself, Nana Olaf wandered off into the kitchen, looking at them all confused, "Knew what?"

"Nothing Nana, don't worry about it." Greg shouted towards her as she was slightly deaf, and he really didn't want to repeat himself dozens of times so she could just misunderstand him anyway.

"No, I wouldn't worry about it, Greggy." She smiled to him as she climbed onto one of the stools by the counter to sit down. Greg laughed softly, returning the smile as he hugged her tightly. She completely misunderstood what he had said, but he didn't care, because she was the closest person to give him the motherly hug he craved from his own mother. He had never seen her this mad at him. He thought nothing would make her ever stop loving him, but this might just have pushed her too far.

Glancing out of the window beside him, Daniel Sanders spotted his father in law carrying his bedding off through the garden towards the guest house. "Where's Papa Olaf going?" He queried, wondering if he had gone completely senile like his wife yet.

"Oh, he doesn't want to sleep next door to..." Jade tilted her head to the side, indicating towards Greg beside her. "He doesn't want Greg and his new boyfriend to keep him up all night. He needs his beauty sleep after all."

Greg scowled at her angrily as he pulled back from his Nana Olaf's hug. "I'm not gonna have sex with Nick! I don't even know if we like each other that much yet." He complained as he continued to unload the rest of his shopping. "Besides, that with Nick... just seems too weird at the moment." He admitted as he couldn't quite picture it. "I like him and all, but I've never... been with a man like that."

"I say go for it, make sure you use a condom." Nana Olaf added. Daniel and Jade burst into giggles as she didn't know who or what they were talking about. "Well you don't want to get her pregnant on the first time Greggy." His Nana smiled, patting his hand across the counter. "As long as you've got love though, I'm sure it'll work out."

"Thanks Nana." Greg gave her a half smile, even though she didn't know what was going on, she was the only one being nice about it.

"That's a plus. At least you won't have to worry about getting each other pregnant." Jade cheekily giggled as she gently nudged Greg with her elbow. "Oh yeah, but a condom alone will not protect you." She pointed out to him, noticing Daniel's slight discomfort at the sex talk.

"That's true." Nana Olaf nodded round at Jade. "Look what happened to your Papa Olaf and me. He thought if he pulled out right before he squirted we'd be okay, boy was he wrong."

"Okay, I'm done with this conversation now. I can't talk about this with you guys." Greg grabbed his six pack of beers he had purchased, leaving the rest of the shopping on the counter as he walked away.

"Greg, you have to practice safe sex." Nana Olaf shouted after him, just as her husband came back into the room.

Papa Olaf looked towards Jade to fill him in on the details then shouted, "Yeah Greggy, cover yah stump before yah hump," after his grandson, getting everyone in stitches.

"Can't hear you!" Greg shouted back to him before he slammed the door to the front room shut then crashed on the sofa. Popping open one of his beers, Greg swallowed back two big gulps to sooth his nerves, just as he had been doing for the past three months since he got out of the hospital. Without even realising it, Greg had grown an addiction to the liquor to calm himself down.

* * *

Heading off through the police department once he got back from his blood bath of a crime scene, Nick head off towards Brass' office where Calleigh was sat at his desk with some crayons in her hands, colouring in lots of squiggly lines on the sheet of paper in front of her. "Hi Nick." Brass smiled up at him. "Calleigh here is quite the artist." Reaching for one of the pictures on his desk, Brass handed it over to Nick, watching his reaction. The picture was a child's drawing of a man with a winged angel tattoo across his chest. "Calleigh, do you wonna tell my friend Nick here all about the bad man?"

"She talk to you?" Nick asked him as he held the picture in his hands.

"No, she nods her head." Brass gave him a slight smile then looked up towards the door, ushering the woman inside with a hand gesture. "Nick, this is Celia Banks from child services." Brass introduced him to the fair haired young woman. "Celia, this is Nick Stokes, the CSI that found Calleigh in the house."

"Hi." The woman smiled at Nick as she shook his hand. "I was waiting for you so that we can take Calleigh here over to the Sunrise clinic for a psych eval. She refuses to go without you here." She explained.

"Right." Nick nodded to her. "I'll be out in a minute."

Celia gave him a half smile then knelt down beside Calleigh, talking in a soft whisper to her, "Calleigh, will you come outside with me a moment? Nick will be along in a second, you'll be able to see him from the doorway." She assured her as the child widened her eyes slightly. Calleigh reluctantly climbed off the chair, leaving her drawings and crayons on the desk in front of Brass as she followed the woman out of his office.

"Cute kid." Brass smiled after her then looked up at Nick. "So, what's the problem Nicky?"

"I checked the family records. There's no one. No aunts, uncles, cousins or anythin'." He reported, giving out a heavy sigh. "She's gonna get booted into the system just like all these other kids."

"Hey, I know it's tough Nicky, but we've done our job as much as we could." Brass pointed out to him as he cleaned up the pictures on his desk. "Here, I think this one's for you." Brass handed over the picture of a small stick figure child hiding with a superman looking Nick stood outside of it. "The tights look good on you Nicky." He teased him.

Nick scowled at his remark then folded the picture up, stuffing it into his pocket before he head out into the hall where Calleigh was stood against one of the glass walls, gazing in at a drunk man in handcuffs arguing with the police officer who arrested him.

Nick gave Celia a half smile then knelt down beside Calleigh, watching her curious little green eyes following the officers around the station. "Hey Calleigh." He whispered softly to her. "We're gonna take a ride in the car up to the hospital now, I'm goin' with you though." He assured her as he saw the fear in her eyes. "It's gonna be okay, nothin' bad is goin' to happen to you."

Calleigh softly bit her teeth into her lower lip then slowly reached her hand out for Nick's. Nick took her tiny hand into his own, slowly leading the way out of the police station so she could keep up with him. The CSI's managed to get her a jacket and some shoes since she was rescued from the house so that she wouldn't catch a cold while they were continuing with their investigation to find out what happened to her family.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Doctor Susan Roth took Calleigh into one of the rooms, leaving Nick and Celia out in the hall to wait for her. "You really don't have to stay here for this, Mr Stokes." Celia assured him. "Child services can take it from here."

"No offense, Miss Banks. But you didn't find her in that house. She didn't even want to stay with Brass when I first dropped her off."

"So what, have you assigned yourself her personal hero from now on?" She remarked, rolling her eyes at him. "You law enforcement types always think that you're helping by sticking around. These kids get too attached to their hero's then you guys just disappear, you never bother to check in with them again, which makes their initial recovery worse. It's best if you just leave now. She'll pitch a fit for a while, but she'll be able to recover much faster."

Nick rolled his eyes back at her then pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "You say that." He pointed to the picture he brought up on his phone. "That's Cassie McBride. She lost her whole family last year, and I was the one who rescued her. I don't just forget about them. I never have."

Celia looked at the photo of the smiling little girl then looked up into the CSI's eyes. "Where is she now?"

"She lives with her foster parents out in Lincoln. Her mother's friend Sage and her husband decided to adopt her so that she could stay close to home." Nick explained to her. "She still writes me letters and sends pictures from her school projects and things. She's only eleven, but she's a tough little girl."

"Okay, but what makes you think you'll be of any help to Calleigh?" Celia queried, folding her arms across her chest as she looked round at him. "She's only five; a ten year old has a stronger grasp on reality then a five year old."

"So are you sayin' I should just give up on her like everyone else in her life will because she went through this?" Nick almost snapped at her, feeling annoyed for having to explain himself to her. "I'm not doin' this because it's part of my job, I'm doin' it for Calleigh's sake. To prove to her that there are good people in the world."

Celia nodded to him, understanding his reasons before she climbed to her feet as Doctor Roth came back out of the room, holding Calleigh's hand in her own as they left the room. "Which one of you is with chid services?" The doctor immediately asked them.

"I am, Celia Banks." She introduced herself to the doctor.

"Well Calleigh's fine." The doctor slowly released the little girl's hand, leaving her with Nick while she stepped aside to talk to the child services woman. Nick watched her curiously, not liking what he was over hearing from her as she was saying something about sexual abuse.

Nick looked down at the innocent little child in front of him, feeling his blood boiling at the thought of somebody doing that to her.

"I'll take her from here, Mr Stokes." Celia Banks stepped up to Calleigh, zipping her jacket up for her before she reached out for her hand. "You've done all you can."

Nick didn't feel as though he had done all he could. He felt pretty useless right now.

"Doc." He called out to Doctor Roth, stopping her from going back into her office. "I'm CSI Nick Stokes, from the crime lab. Did you find any bruisin' or anythin'?"

Doctor Roth shook her head slightly as she handed the report over to the CSI. "I collected the SAE kit. She's pretty traumatised; she didn't tell me who had done it."

"Rape victims her age never do." Nick thanked her as he took the kit from her hands, hoping that the lab would find a match so they could prosecute whoever had sexually assaulted the sweetest five year old girl he had ever met.

* * *

After Nick had received his results, he head back to the hospital, waiting in the hallway for the shrink to finish up with Calleigh. They finally had their suspect behind bars, but for Calleigh, the nightmare was going to continue for the rest of her life. The man that murdered the family had told Nick that he saw Satan in their eyes. At first, Nick thought that he was crazy, then he found out that the man used to be a priest before he lost faith.

Calleigh's father used to go to church all the time and confess his sins. The murderer slash ex-priest had confessed to Nick that he heard the vial and evil things going on in his house, so he decided to put a stop to it himself by killing them all. He would have killed Calleigh too, but he couldn't find her anywhere.

Nick didn't understand his reasons for massacring the whole family. He understood that the evil in the house had to be stopped, but he didn't understand murdering innocent children who had already seen the true terrors of the world by living in a house where their own father had used their vulnerable innocence to his own pleasure.

Once the shrink was finally done with his exam, he walked Calleigh out into the hall, stopping as they reached Nick at the chairs. The shrink said she was traumatised and catatonic, but nothing that couldn't be sorted out with a few years worth of therapy, or so he thought anyway.

Nick nodded to him then looked down the hall as Celia Banks returned to take Calleigh away to live in foster care with other traumatised children like herself.

Nick reluctantly said his goodbyes to Calleigh, assuring her that she would be safe with Celia. He stood in the empty hall of the hospital, watching her walking away with Celia. Sometimes he really hated this job, especially when children were involved.

Nick head straight home afterwards, crashing straight onto his bed to try and get some sleep. After a few hours of constantly tossing and turning as he was so worried about Calleigh and he was really anxious as he was going to drive over and see Greg in the morning.

Adjusting the covers around his body, Nick glanced at the clock beside him, wondering if now was a good time to call Greg. He decided against it and struggled to get back to sleep again, when all he really wanted was to talk to his best friend again after the depressingly long shift he had just suffered through.

Grabbing his phone off the bedside table, Nick decided to call him, hoping he was still awake. It had almost been eight hours since their last phone call, after all. N_ot that he was counting,_ he was just starting to miss Greg's voice, and they always called each other after tough cases anyway.

"_Hello?"_ Greg's sleepy voice echoed through his phone after three rings, immediately bringing a smile to the Texan's face.

"Hi Greg, did I wake yah?"

"_Nope."_ A smile spread across the younger mans features as he heard the familiar raspy sound of the voice he had been missing. "_I've been up since four am, I couldn't sleep. I can't get used to the switch over. It feels really weird to be up during the day then asleep at night."_

Nick laughed softly in agreement. "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. The switch over is always weird for me too."

"_What about you, shouldn't you be asleep right now?" _Greg asked as he checked the time on the clock on the wall behind the sofa. "_You just got off shift didn't you?"_

"Yeah I did. But no, I can't sleep." The Texan shook his head as he stared up at his ceiling. "I've had about three hours, so I'll catch up some more today before I come over. You do still want me ot come over, right?"

"_Yep."_ Greg giggled softly as he could tell that the Texan was nervous too. "_I feel really awkward admitting this to you Nicky, but I can't wait until you get here. I miss you."_

"Aww, that's sweet Greg... are you drinkin'?" Nick asked as he heard chugging in the background.

"_Kinda." _Greg admitted looking at the three empties on the table out of the six pack he only just started. "_But technically, for me it is the afternoon, so this is my happy hour." _He laughed.

"You drinkin' alone?" Nick asked curiously.

"_Yep... my mom kinda found out that I like a guy, and she freaked out. So I'm drinking alone as the rest of 'em keep making jokes at my expense." _Greg laughed softly as he remembered the last thing his Papa Olaf had said to him. _Cover yah stump before yah hump!_

"What's so funny G?" The older man queried as he heard Greg giggling into his cell phone.

"_Nothing, don't worry about it."_ Greg assured him through a drunken giggle, making Nick worried about him again as he had been drinking a lot more than usual.

"Hey G, did you drink on an empty stomach again?"

"_Yes I did, but I did have dinner last night. Which was about six hours ago give or take."_ He worked it out as he looked at the clock again. "_I'm fine though Nicky, don't worry."_

"Make sure you eat somethin' later G." He warned him.

"_Yes mom." _Greg giggled sarcastically into his cell phone then randomly asked, "_Nicky, what's your number one fantasy, with me?"_

"Number one, about you?" Nick pursed his lips together as he tried to think of one that he would most like to do with Greg. "I guess, it would have to be to hug you." He finally answered.

Greg dropped his jaw surprised as he held the cold can of beer against the side of his head. "_Seriously a hug? I figured a guy like you would... you know, want to jump straight into..."_

"Nope, I don't only want that from you." Nick quickly rushed to assure his nervous friend that he didn't only want him for the sex. "I'd love to hug you. I wonna date you. And I want us to talk, like this. Nothin' really has to change between us. But yeah, I do really wonna hug you." Nick blushed even saying it over the phone.

"_Aww, I wonna hug you too Nicky." _Greg smiled then saw prying eyes at the door. "_Give us some peace Papa!" _ He shouted as he threw a cushion at the door. Papa Olaf giggled softly, shouting back an apology before he walked away. "_Sorry Nicky, bunch of vultures round here." _Greg laughed.

"Okay G, so the others, they took it well?" He queried.

"_Kinda, my mother didn't."_ He shook his head, still feeling guilty for not telling her. "_My dad and Papa Olaf are okay with it. And Jade, you'll meet her. I hope you two get along." _Greg thought out loud before he continued, "_My Nana is partially deaf, but I think she got the jist of it."_

"Did you want me to book into a hotel when I get there Greg?" Nick asked nervously as he had completely forgotten that he didn't have reservations for the whole week there.

Greg lay down on the sofa with the phone pressed to his ear listening to Nick's breathing. "_Well... my bed's... its eh... big enough... if you want to... I mean... you know what... we have five guest bedrooms in the house as well as a guest house. Oh, but I think Papa Olaf's crashing there." _Greg started to nervously ramble as he really wanted Nick to stay in his bed, but he thought it might have been too soon to be that bold. "_I can recommend some good hotels if you'd be more comfortable somewhere else?"_

"You're cute when you're nervous G." Nick laughed softly, placing one hand over his heart as he listened to the younger man's nervous babbling through his phone. "How about we work it out when I get there?" He suggested.

Greg sighed in relief, feeling slightly better with that answer. Rolling onto his side on the sofa, Greg stared across the room at the fake fire place, deciding to ask Nick a few questions before he made the decision to commit to a real intimate relationship with him. "_Hey, can I ask you a question Nick?"_

"Sure go ahead." Nick nodded into his phone, rolling onto his side as he listened to Greg's delicate voice in his ear.

Greg inhaled a deep breath of courage then closed his eyes as he asked, "_Why do you like me?" _as he strangled the innocent pillow against his chest, fearing the answer that would eventually come from the older man's lips.

After a moment of silence Nick finally spoke. "Well... I love your crazy hair styles, the way you smile... your cute mole clusters... oh and the way your Adams apple bobs up and down when you talk." Nick took a gasp of air, trying to think of other things that wouldn't throw Greg off him. "When you smile how your eyes smile too... the way you talk, laugh... even the things you say..."

"_Wow . . . I was expecting one word maybe two not a book report." _Greg chuckled through his nervous tension, releasing the grip on the pillow slightly as it wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be. "_You really like all that about me? Most people hate those things about me."_

"I'm not most people." Nick pointed out to him. "I love the things you say too G. I love your humour..."

"_You're really going all out for the Harry met Sally moment aren't yah?" _Greg nervously giggled.

"Well I try G." Nick smiled as he rolled over onto his chest. "So this Jade... stayin' on the Harry met Sally topic, she a friend you sleep with?"

"_Slept with once . . . about nine years ago." _Greg calculated it off the top of his head. "_But we were friends way before that. Nick, you're not the possessive type are yah?"_

"I am a little possessive." Nick admitted through a smile. "If she's just your friend then hey that's fine by me man."

"_You can't sleep with her . . . or any other females." _Greg quickly warned him, making Nick laugh as he sounded a little possessive too.

"Okay Greg. I promise." He assured the younger man. "I turned down that Macey chick from day shift today. She saw me bein' the big hero and she wanted a date with me."

"_Are you trying to make me jealous?"_ Greg chuckled softly, feeling a hint of jealously rising through his chest. "_How was your second shift, you catch the bad guys?"_

"Yeah, I saved a little girl too. Calleigh." At the sound of her name coming from his own lips, Nick instantly started to worry about her again as she would be sleeping in a house with strangers for the rest of her life, having constant nightmares about what happened to her.

"_What happened?"_ Greg queried, sensing his best friend needed to talk about it as he was always partial to little kids who had been through traumatic experiences. That was one of the things Greg loved about him, he really cared.

"Me and that Macey, from days..." Nick started to explain the whole case to Greg, finishing with how he saved Calleigh from the house and took her off to the hospital with the snooty child services woman. "I wish I coulda done more..."

"_You did loads. You're her hero, Nicky."_ Greg assured him, desperately wanting to hug the warm hearted cowboy. "_She'll always remember you, Nicky. Whenever she has a nightmare or anything bad happens, even if she loses her faith in people from time to time, she'll always think of you. The hero that saved her and wanted nothing out of it."_

Nick chuckled softly, smiling as he listened to the soft soothing voice of his best friend. "Thanks G, you're a really big help."

"_That's what best friends are for."_ Greg pointed out to him, brushing his fingers through his hair as he leant back against the pillow beneath his head. "_So Nicky, are you looking forward to coming down here and officially dating me?"_

"Definitely, I've been waitin' years to officially date you."

"_You're not gonna wine and dine me then be counting the seconds before you go home are you __Nicky?"_

"You know that movie too well G." Nick belly laughed; glad to have his best friend back. "No I won't, I'll be countin' the seconds before I could kiss you again."

"_Well it has nearly been around... seventy eight hours now." _Greg calculated off the top of his head as he looked up at the clock on the wall. "_That sounded really shallow. I wasn't counting I swear." _Greg quickly clarified, letting a laugh escape his lips.

"It's okay G, I think it's cute." Nick rolled onto his side, realising he hadn't had this much fun talking on a phone since he was in Highschool.

"_You keep calling me like this Nick, I'm gonna start to think you really do love me."_

"That's the plan Greg." Nick chuckled, enjoying the flirtatious talking between the two of them. It was like nothing had changed with their friendship, they were just moving up to the next level. The level of intimacy that Nick had always wanted with Greg since the first moment he laid eyes on him. "So Greg, is it workin'?" He queried.

"_Overtime." _Greg snickered to himself, feeling a gooey warm feeling rising in his stomach. _"I miss you, Nicky. I shouldn't have left things... the way they were. It's just the way I deal with things. When I can't deal with them... I bail."_

"It's okay Greg, I understand." He assured him.

"_Good, so do you want me to send a car to pick you up or a plane ticket?"_

Nick raised one of his eyebrows confused, "Why's that's G?"

"_I don't think I can wait until tomorrow to see you." _Greg admitted to him as he clutched the pillow in his arms closer to his chest. "_I don't wonna wait any longer... I wonna see you here now. We have so much to talk about, and I don't really wonna do it all over the phone."_

"Well," Nick checked his clock wanting to see Greg too, but he couldn't drive while he was tired. "Um... I guess I could come over. I'll be there as soon as I can G." Greg closed his eyes, releasing his grip slightly, feeling his stomach gurgling with excitement as he heard Nick scrambling off his bed. "I'll just fill up on some coffee and gas for the truck... then I should be there in about four or five hours." Nick excitedly announced, checking his watch.

"_Okay Nick, drive safe. Do you still have the directions?"_

"Yep got em right here." Nick checked. "See you soon Greg."

"_I'll be waiting." _Greg hung up the phone with a dreamy sigh then leant back on the sofa, giving out an excited giggle.

"Yah know, if a girl ever talked to a guy like that." Jade suddenly announced as she appeared from the other door. "He'd totally blow her off thinking she was too needy."

Scrambling to a sitting position, Greg looked over at her open mouthed. "You were listening the whole time?"

"Not the whole time." She shook her head slightly as she took another step into the room. "I came to say goodbye, and I couldn't help but overhear your little phone conversation." She grinned at him as she took a seat on the coffee table beside the sofa. "This is not a good way to deal with yah nerves Greg." Jade indicated towards the empty beer bottles on the coffee table beside her.

"I know, but I really needed them. I'd have never said half that stuff without it."

"I'm surprised you didn't ask him what he was wearing." She giggled, getting hit in the knee by his hand. "I was kidding..." She laughed, ducking back as he went to hit her again. "Anyway, good luck."

"You're not staying?" Greg looked up at her surprised. "I thought it was your night off?"

Jade shook her head to him then tapped her watch. "I got a date in three hours."

"With who?" Greg asked, almost sounding jealous.

"You can't have it both ways, G." She warned him as she climbed to her feet. "You just asked Nick to drive all the way over here to see you, now you're trying it with me again."

"I wasn't." He protested through a grumpy pout. "I just wanted to know who with, that's all." He explained to her as he sat up to face her.

"Tommy... something," Scratching her head, she desperately tried to remember his surname, but all she drew were blanks. "Can't remember." She eventually shrugged.

"What does he do?" Greg quizzically asked, beginning to sound as though he was interrogating her like a father interrogates his daughter about her dates. "I just mean... I'm just curious is all."

"I don't know." She shrugged. "We didn't get into that when he gave me his number, that's what first dates are for." Jade pointed out to him as she checked the messages on her phone.

"You're still dating guys over the bar?" Greg asked her, sounding shocked. "I told you not to do that, it's dangerous. They could give you the date rape drug, tie you up and leave you in an alley or something..."

"First of all, I'm the one serving out the drinks, so he can't drug me. I've seen him in the bar a few times, and I'm not dating him, this is the first date, in a crowded place." She pointed out to him. "I can handle myself Greg, I realise you're just trying to protect me, but I don't need a big brother." She warned him then head off towards the door, holding it open while she looked back over her shoulder to give him a warm smile. "Don't screw this thing up with Nick, Einstein."

"I miss you calling me that." He smiled over at her.

"You used to hate it." She laughed then waved as she headed off out the door.

Greg watched her leave then leant back against the sofa cushions behind him, feeling his stomach starting to gurgle. He closed his eyes as he tried to remember the kiss with Nick, wondering what it would feel like to be wrapped up in the Texan's strong arms. "Someone's got a crush." Papa Olaf sang in a tune as he sat on the sofa beside his grandson.

Greg immediately snapped his eyes open then turned his head to look round at him surprised. "Where'd you come from?"

"I'm everywhere Greggy." He laughed, playfully ruffling Greg's hair.

"For your information, I don't have a crush." Greg informed him then frowned at him. "Who are you talking about anyway?"

"Jade."

"I do not!" Greg immediately protested.

"Suuurrre... that's why you always ask about her dates... and that's why she's always the first person you visit when you're in town." The old man chortled.

"I do not." Greg protested again, in a higher tone of voice.

"You do." Papa Olaf laughed again, shaking his head at his grandson as he was still in denial about it. "But she'll never go out with you again."

"Why not?"

"Ha! See told you." Papa Olaf smirked, victoriously pointing his finger at Greg. "You can't be friends with girls you have crushes on, Greggy."

"I can." Greg grabbed the last of his beers and head off out the room to find somewhere quieter to sulk.

"This will end badly." Papa Olaf spoke softly to himself as he opened the newspaper in his hands.

* * *

**(7,000 word difference from Original)**

**First Published 31st Jan 2010 = Re-edited by Lolly4Holly 10th Jan 2011**

**Please Review!**


	6. Chapter 6: Meet the Sanders

**Chapter Six: Meet the Sanders**

Nick downed the last mouthful of his coffee trying to stay awake for the rest of the journey. He already had to stop to pee four times because he was so nervous that his dreams were finally coming true, that and all the coffee he was drinking to keep him awake.

Nick turned the radio on thinking the music might help in keeping him awake. When he heard the chorus of Shirley Bassey's song all by myself blaring out the speakers he quickly had to change it over. _I'm not alone anymore. _He tried to think positively.

Nick flipped over to another station hearing the song your guardian angel by the red jump suit apparatus.

Nick joined in halfway through recognising the song from when Greg used to play it on the way to crime scenes. "Please don't throw that away, Coz I'm here for you, Please don't walk away . . . and please tell me you'll stay."

* * *

"Dad you're really not helping." Greg grumbled.

"I don't know what you want me to say son . . . just follow your heart." Daniel told him as he sat down opposite Greg in the garden.

"But I love them both." Greg held the cold beer to his head staring down the garden.

Daniel sighed softly then turned completely to look at his son. "Well... do you want my honest opinion?"

"Yes."

Daniel inhaled a deep breath as he tried to think of the best way to put it in a way a love struck teen, like his son would understand; as that was the way he was acting. "Well Greg... Jade is your best friend, always has been. She's a great girl, but she's not the settling down type and that's what you're looking for. That and she was your first love. Your first love never dies."

"Who was your first love?"

"Tanya Hanniberg. Eighth grade." Daniel smiled remembering her. "Now you know I've always liked Jade, but I don't think she's the one for you. You're more of best friend material then lovers . . . but you and Nick. The way your eyes light up when you talk about him, the man's even willing to drive while he's tired to get here a day earlier to see you. That's the kinda love that lasts forever son."

Greg nodded as he listened to his father's words then brushed his fingers through his hair, giving his father a wide smile. "Is there anything you _don't_ know everything about?"

"Women." He chuckled. "Never been able to figure em out."

Greg laughed then looked around at the garden before he asked, "So you think Nick's the better choice all round?"

"What does your heart say Greg? Do you love Jade coz she's always stuck up for you, but didn't work out in a relationship with you, or do you love Nick who's driving as we speak to sweep you off your feet and, who I quote you on this 'is the best kisser you've ever had the pleasure of kissing." Daniel smiled in his direction.

"What would you do?"

"Well, it's not really up to me... but I'd go for Nick. At least to give it a try Greg. You can't turn him down before you've even got started."

"So I guess I really am bisexual huh?" Greg moaned as he leant back in his chair. "I love two people, different sexes, but they're basically the same."

"Well Nick doesn't smoke or have verbal diarrhoea as far as I know he's very polite." Daniel commented. "Jade's out there dating another guy who she doesn't know the last name of, and Nick's driving here . . . for you."

"But Jade's always been nice to me . . . Nick's never nice in front of Warrick. And Jade's a girl . . . Nick's not." Greg told his father as he thought things through out loud.

"Well I say neither, not that you'd listen to my opinion." His mother's voice suddenly called from the doorway. "Nick's a guy and I can't have my dream of grandchildren, not to mention all the problems it will cause at work, and Jade . . . well don't even get me started on her."

"You've never liked her." Greg moaned rolling his eyes at her. "For a woman that wanted four kids you were quick to drive her away."

"She's no good; her family even states that for you."

"Jade has never been arrested or committed a crime." Greg corrected her as he climbed out of his chair. "Nick was accused of murdering his prostitute girlfriend however." Greg walked into the house grabbing another beer from the fridge.

"What?" Jean asked her husband.

"Nothing dear. Just Greg has a point. Jade never did anything to you, except befriend your lonely son." Daniel stepped past his wife walking into the house after his son who was helping himself to the liquor in the fridge. "Slow down Greg, you don't wonna pass out before Nick gets here."

"I think that would be easier." Greg chugged down the bottle placing it down on the counter once he finished. "I can't chose between them dad."

"Make them chose for you." Daniel and Greg looked round to see Jean stood behind them. "Honey, I love you no matter what you chose... but your father's right. Jade's out on a date with a guy she barely knows while Nick's driving here to be with you, because you asked him to." Jean pecked her son on the cheek then made her way off up the stairs, thinking over what she had just said.

Greg turned to his father once she was gone. "Does love ever get easier?" He asked curiously.

"I don't wonna spoil the surprise." Dan smiled walking off to his office.

_What kind of answer is that? _Greg thought to himself very confused.

* * *

Nick found the street finally. Looking around at the big pricy houses made him feel overwhelmed. He slowly brought the car to a halt looking up at the large house beyond the long driveway and hedges. _This is it. Oh my god I'm finally here. _Nick thought excitedly. He turned down the drive slowly, approaching the over towering house with large palm trees either side of the entrance. He gasped open mouthed seeing a pool round the side of the house with some deck chairs and umbrellas as well as a large guest house that was the size of his town house back in Vegas.

The lawns and hedges were all very well maintained with a wide selection of colourful flowers lining the borders. Nick stopped the car, slowly climbing out. He checked his appearance in his side mirror then slowly approached the house extending his hand towards the large red oak door towering before him. Before he knocked he looked down at the welcome mat at his feet, seeing the name 'Sanders' on the mat put a reassuring smile on his face. _At least I got the right house. _He smirked nervously.

Nick extended his hand once again knocking three times on the door then placed his hands at his sides nervously waiting for someone to answer. He felt his heart racing as he heard the unbolting of locks from the other side. Then smiled relieved as he saw Greg stood the other side.

Greg rubbed his eyes in disbelief giving Nick a wide smile then opened his arms ready to embrace in a hug, but at the last second lost his footing collapsing straight into Nick.

Nick managed to catch him in time, under the arm pits slowly pulling him to his feet. Greg gave out a nervous laugh properly wrapping his arms around Nick this time.

"Are you drunk Greg?" Nick asked concerned.

"I only had a few six packs." Greg whispered leaning right into Nick's embrace.

"A _few_ six packs?" Nick asked to confirm. Greg nodded then struggled to stand on his own two feet leading Nick into the house.

Nick looked around at the very elegantly decorated house feeling very overwhelmed and it was only the entrance. He could fit his entire house in this room alone. The carpets were cream, the walls were beige with gold leafs stencilled in and a gold trimmed border joining the very white ceilings with the walls. The walls were lined with famous artist's paintings in gold leaf picture frames. Nick recognised a few of Van Gogh's art work along with a few Picasso's further along the wall.

"Wow." Nick said looking around.

"This is just the lobby." Greg giggled seeing the amazement in Nick's eyes. Nick grabbed Greg again before he fell over.

"Greg, maybe you should sit down." He suggested. Greg pointed down the hall towards a large opening. Nick pulled Greg's arm over his shoulder walking him towards the room. He looked around seeing a large black coffee table in the centre of the room with white wash couches posted around it along with a reading chair in the corner and a 30 inch screen TV embedded into the wall.

Nick carefully directed Greg over to the grand sofa carefully lying him down. Greg opened his eyes looking back at the concerned look on Nick's face.

"What am I gonna do with you Greggo?" Nick softly asked, running his fingers through Greg's newly cut hair.

"I'm sorry Nick." Greg whispered reclosing his eyes.

"You don't have to be sorry G."

"But I am Nicky. I never wanted to disappoint you." Greg slowly opened his eyes reaching out his hand on Nick's shoulder. "I think I love you . . . but I'm too scared to tell you." Greg's arm weakly dropped to the side of the sofa as he passed out.

Nick softly kissed Greg on the forehead adjusting him on the sofa so he wouldn't fall off.

"You must be the infamous Nick." A voice said from behind him. Nick stood up slowly turning round to face the man that fitted Greg's description of his Papa Olaf perfectly.

"Yes sir." Nick extended his hand for a warm welcoming handshake. "You must be Greg's Papa Olaf."

"That's right." Papa Olaf smiled then looked down at Greg passed out on the sofa. "Sorry Nick, we tried to keep him off the booze, but he insisted he needed them."

"No that's okay." Nick looked down at Greg peacefully sleeping.

"Wonna drink? I'm sure he left us something." Papa Olaf chuckled, leading Nick through to the kitchen. "Beer?"

"Please." Nick nodded looking around at the grand kitchen amazed. The worktops were all marble. The walls were tiled around the sink and counters against the wall. There was a second unit separate from the main kitchen unit with stools around it. Nick assumed must have been the breakfast bar, with a grand view of the garden flowers out the double glazed windows from the floor's to the ceiling. A large fridge by the other wall with a grand double cooker with perfectly polished knobs. "Wow."

"Takes some getting used to." Papa Olaf smiled handing Nick his beer.

"Thanks . . . actually could I use the bathroom first?"

"Sure it's down the hall seventh door on your left."

"Second?" Nick asked.

"Seventh." Nick nodded thinking he didn't even have seven doors at the ranch downstairs. More like two. Nick walked down the hall smiling at all the family pictures of Greg and his parents when Greg was just a kid. He reached the seventh door seeing there were about three more beyond that. He rolled his eyes then walked into the grand bathroom. A large bath stood against the wall with his and hers sinks and toilets, yes toilets. Nick looked at the two toilets sat opposite each other, it was quite disturbing thinking of two people on them at the same. _Where would you look or what would you even talk about? _Nick thought to himself puzzled then turned to the other wall seeing a large mirror along with a large dresser with makeup and things stacked on it. He closed the door behind him walking towards the sink noticing a half empty can of sprite and some of Greg's clothes in a pile beside the bathtub. He smiled to himself knowing how messy Greg was from the state of his own apartment.

* * *

"There you are." Papa Olaf chuckled seeing Nick finally returning. "Thought you got lost."

"Not yet, I might need one of those 'you are here' maps later." Nick grinned picking up his beer he left on the side.

"You're welcome to stay for dinner if you like Nick. Dan and Jean went out to give Greg some alone time with you, but I guess he screwed that up." He chuckled.

"And where's your wife?" Nick asked curiously.

"Soon as the moons up she's out in the garden star gazing." Papa Olaf pointed. Nick stepped closer to the window seeing a summer house stood at the end of the garden with lights all around it. He barely made out a figure sat on a chair with a telescope sat in front of her.

"This place is huge . . . so what exactly does Greg's father do?"

"Architecture. He built a couple of the grand casinos in Vegas last year. He worked all through Greg's childhood earning them all this, now he has assistants that manage most of the business for him. Your fathers a Judge isn't he?" Papa Olaf asked curiously.

"Yep, he didn't invest his money in luxuries though." Nick said still looking around still over whelmed.

"When Greg's able to stand again you'll have to ask for the grand tour." Papa Olaf smiled.

"I think he'll be out for a while yet." Nick chuckled.

"Ugh I hate men." Jade shouted annoyed walking into the kitchen. "Not all men." She corrected seeing Nick by the breakfast bar. "Most of them."

"What happened this time?" Papa Olaf asked her.

"Asshole didn't even show up, then he called two hours later asking where we were meeting even though _he_ arranged it." Jade rolled her eyes angrily helping herself to a beer from the fridge.

"Nick this is Jade, _she speaks her mind_." Papa Olaf warned him.

"Howdy ma'am." Nick smiled at her.

"Hey Nick. Greg said you were polite." She smiled back. "Speaking of, where is Greg?"

"He's passed out on the sofa." Papa Olaf pointed towards the front room. "Why do you continue to date shit heads?"

"My nature." She smiled dropping onto a stool. "I knew he'd chicken out. Sorry Nick."

"Hey it's okay. He's been through a lot lately." Nick said watching amazed as Jade chugged down her beer. He's never seen a chick drink like he does.

"How's about Jade gives you the tour Nick if you're up for it? She's known this place since she was a kid." Papa Olaf pulled Jade off her stool grabbing the beer from her hands.

"Sure okay." Nick said nervously.

"She gets too much for yah just scream into the nearest intercom." Papa Olaf chuckled.

"I resent that." Jade smirked to him, grabbing her beer back. "C'mon then Nick."

Nick looked at Papa Olaf then followed Jade off down the hall.

* * *

"And this brings us to the desk room." Jade smirked. Nick looked around the room seeing two desks in the room with stacks of paper work and filing cabinets all around the room.

"Desk room?" Nick queried frowning at her.

"Greg calls it that." She laughed heading back out into the hall. "Just so you know Nick you break Greg's heart, I'll break your legs." She warned him.

Nick gulped hard giving her a firm nod. "I'd never break his heart . . . I promise yah Jade."

"Good to know, coz I kinda like you Nick." She gave him a wink opening the double doors into another room.

"How many rooms are there in this house?" He asked amazed. This room was equipped with a pool table, sofas in the corner with large doors at the far end opening onto a balcony. Nick looked up seeing an open skylight with a perfect view of the sky.

"Not sure. You'll have to ask G." Nick looked at Jade as she used that nickname. "What?"

"Nothin'. What's in there?" He pointed to another door.

"That's a lift down to the atrium." Jade pulled the door open showing him the small sized lift. "You get stuck in there, there's no maintenance to call." She smiled as Nick looked inside.

"Down to the atrium?" He asked curiously.

"The big entrance lobby you came in."

"Surprised they don't have a gym." He smirked.

"Oh they do." Jade smiled pointing down to the summer house. "Complete with a small gym, movie theatre and another bathroom. I know rich people right." She smiled rolling her eyes. "I have a one floored apartment with three rooms in it."

"I have four." He smiled. "Small town house in Vegas."

"Nice."

"So how do we get back to Greg?" He asked curiously looking around.

"Depends which room yah left him in." She laughed.

"Lounge."

"Would that be the formal lounge, the den or the family room?" Nick looked at her completely confused. "How big was the TV?" She asked to narrow it down.

"Um... bout thirty inches." He guessed.

"That's the family room." She smiled leading the way.

"How do you know you're way around here so well?" Nick asked curiously.

"I practically grew up here. Lot nicer then my house."

Nick nodded in agreement. This place was so much nicer then the ranch he grew up in too. Jade guided him back to Greg, right where he left him snoozing on the couch. "Thanks Jade." Nick smiled at her. "I never got your full name?" He asked curiously.

"Jade Valentine. Looks like the 'rents are home. See yah Nicky, take good care of Greg." Nick nodded watching Jade walk out past Mr and Mrs Sanders. "I was just leaving." Jade said defensively looking at Jean Sanders.

"Nick good to see yah again." Daniel Sanders smiled over at him. "This is my wife Jean, I'm sure you've already met Papa Olaf and Jade from the looks of it."

"Yes, it's nice to finally meet you Mrs Sanders, Greg talks about his family all the time."

"Nice to meet you too Nick." She smiled then walked off to the kitchen. Daniel peered into the front room seeing Greg asleep on the couch.

"Hungry Nick? We got Chinese." Daniel suggested.

"Sure, I could eat. Thanks Mr Sanders."

"Daniel please." He smiled leading the well mannered southerner to the kitchen. "Oh, this is Nana Olaf. Nana this is Nick!" Daniel shouted to her. Nana Olaf nodded shaking Nick's hand. "You have to speak up around her she's losing her hearing."

Nick watched as Nana Olaf checked her ears then shook her head to Daniel. "No, I haven't lost an earring sweetheart, must be Jean's."

"See what I mean." Nick nodded understanding what Daniel meant. His first night in the Sanders household and he was greeted warmly by them all while Greg softly snoozed away on the couch all night.

Jean Sanders set up one of the guest bedrooms for Nick right beside Greg's old room. She gave him some clean towels and even asked what he'd like for breakfast in the morning, which he wasn't used to.

* * *

**First Published 31st Jan 2010 = Re-edited by Lolly4Holly 20th Oct 2010**


	7. Chapter 7: First Date Nerves

**Chapter Seven: First Date nerves**

Greg slowly opened his eyes looking around the room. As he sat up he felt a heavy mass weighing down on his head. He was still on the sofa with a blanket tossed over him. _Oh no Nick. _Greg suddenly thought climbing to his feet almost tripping over the coffee table. He stumbled around the furniture towards the staircase grabbing both sides of the banister to support himself up the stairs. He stumbled through the halls towards the guest bedroom beside his room.

Greg carefully pushed the door open seeing Nick asleep in the bed. Greg smiled seeing how peaceful he looked then closed the door seeing his Papa Olaf stood in the hall with his arms folded across his chest. Greg nervously smiled seeing the look on his Papa's face.

"The usual hangover remedy?" Papa Olaf asked holding a can of sprite in his hands. Greg nodded feeling his head aching again. Papa Olaf helped Greg to the bathroom as he was ready to throw up all the booze he drank last night.

"Was Nick okay?" Greg asked as Papa Olaf handed him his can of sprite.

"Yep we kept him company. Us and Jade."

"He met Jade?" Greg asked shocked. "I thought she was on a date?"

"They stood her up; she gave Nick the grand tour of the house." He smiled leaning against the sink.

"Really she did that?" Greg asked surprised. Papa Olaf nodded watching Greg's expression.

"What's the matter Greggy?"

"Nothing." Greg mumbled sighing heavily. "I wish things were more simple."

"They are Greg. People make them complicated. Now get showered and brush your teeth I'm banning you from alcohol from now on."

"I'm thirty one Papa O." Greg complained.

"No more alcohol." He scolded him as he left the bathroom.

* * *

Once Greg showered and changed he peered back into the guest room, seeing Nick's eyes were open this time. "Hey you." Nick smiled.

Greg grinned walking in to sit on the bed beside him. "Hey Nicky, I'm sorry about last night." He awkwardly spoke. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay G, I actually got to meet your family it was really nice."

Greg smiled softly, shaking his head at him. "You don't have to be so nice. I know they're hard to bare sometimes."

"No, actually... I think they're really nice." Nick smiled at him.

Greg let his eyes drift across Nick's torso up towards his lips. He was fully aware that Nick was in bed while he was talking to him, which is something he had never done with another guy, or girl for that matter in his life.

Nick saw the young ex-lab rat's nervousness around him, slowly reaching his hand out for Greg's on the bed beside him. He lifted his hand into his own, lacing their fingers together. Greg did the same, giving Nick one of his sweet grins that made the older man's heart skip a beat. It was the first affection he had given a man, and it didn't creep him out as much as he had thought. Instead it felt natural and those familiar butterflies were gurgling inside of his stomach.

"So... what did you want to do today Nicky?" He finally spoke up after holding the man's hand for over ten minutes.

Nick gave him a slight shrug. "I dunno . . . you have anythin' planned?"

"Got some ideas," Nodding slightly, he stared at the man's lips, desperately wanting him to kiss him again, but he was too nervous to make the first move. "But you need to be showered and dressed first." Greg smiled at him.

Nick gave him a slight smile back, staring into his warm brown eyes. "What are you thinkin' about Greg?"

"Nothing." Greg gave out a soft sigh as he was too afraid to ask Nick to kiss him again. "I'll be downstairs when you're ready." Greg climbed to his feet heading out the room. He felt like a coward as he walked down the stairs.

* * *

"Where we goin' then G?" Nick asked as he looked over at him sat in the driver's seat.

"First I thought we could have breakfast. Then there's this park not too far from here with a lake and trees . . . I thought we could walk and talk." Greg said nervously. Nick smiled wishing things weren't so awkward between them. He knew it was probably just because Greg was nervous, but he desperately wanted to kiss again.

They had breakfast at Greg's favourite diner talking about work and Nick revealed Grissom and Sara's relationship to Greg. He wasn't too surprised as he knew Sara must have had some reason for not taking him up on his offer making Nick laugh and kind of glad Sara chose Grissom instead of Greg.

After breakfast they went to the park for a walk. "Nick, why are things so awkward?" Greg asked as he stopped walking.

"I dunno G." Nick shoved his hands in his pockets looking at Greg.

"Nicky, I've been thinking a lot . . . about you and me." Greg looked up into Nick's eyes. "I really want to be with you Nicky . . . but your gonna have to help me through it. I have a tendency to chicken out when I'm nervous or when it's something new. Like I wanted to . . . I wanted to kiss you this morning Nicky, but I chickened out again." He nervously admitted to him.

"I'll help you through it Greg . . . and I won't push you. Things won't change that much between us. You're still my best friend." Nick smiled looking at Greg's goofy loveable grin. "And I'm glad you didn't kiss me then. I had mornin' breath." Greg's smile widened looking into Nick's eyes.

"Thanks Nick . . . and for coming all this way. I really missed you."

"Missed you too G." Nick admitted.

They continued their walk through the park then headed back to Greg's house crashing in the summer house on the large sofa. Nick looked around the room in amazement. Behind the sofa was a gym area with a private bathroom out the back. The sofa had a large movie theatre TV in front of it with stacks of DVD's and a large CD player.

"I'll never get used to the size of this place." Nick said taking one last look around. Greg dropped onto the sofa beside Nick just inches apart from him. "Thanks for breakfast Greg."

"First big meal I've had in weeks." Greg smiled looking into Nick's eyes.

"Tell me what you're thinkin' G." Nick leant his head back on the sofa looking at Greg.

"I'm thinking I want to kiss you." Greg licked his lips then cupped Nick's cheeks in his hands claiming his mouth, savouring the sweet forbidden fruit taste once again. He felt tingles of excitement running up and down his spine as Nick's warm tongue invaded his own mouth caressing all the right places.

Greg slowly broke the kiss panting his warm breath across Nick's lips. "Wow." He gasped. Nick smiled biting his lip as he ran his fingers through Greg's hair.

"Amazin'." Nick panted.

"Do you have butterflies in your stomach right now?" Greg asked. Nick smiled giving him a nod. "I've never felt that from a kiss before."

"Me either G." Greg moved closer capturing Nick's lips again for another moist lusty kiss. Nick gently lowered his left hand to the small of Greg's back while the other was entangled in Greg's hair, sinking deeper into the passionate kiss. Greg suddenly pulled back looking into Nick's eyes.

"What's wrong Greg?" Nick whispered looking right back.

"This feels so weird . . . but so good."

"Why weird?" Nick asked.

"Coz you're Nick Stokes, a CSI from Texas with a ladies' man reputation."

Nick smiled at Greg's sweet insecurities running his thumb across Greg's jaw line. "I'm not with the ladies Greg. I'm with you."

"Can we... slow things down a little?" Greg asked as he began to feel uncomfortable again.

"Sure. What did you wonna do?"

Greg pointed towards the movie theatre screen. "You can pick any movie you want, I'm sure we have it." He smirked.

"Must be our first date G, you're allowin' me to pick the movie." Nick smiled. "How about you pick G?" He suggested.

"How to lose a guy in ten days?" Greg suggested holding it up as it was the first one on the shelf. Nick nodded watching Greg trying to find the right disc tray to put it in.

"C'mere." Nick pulled Greg into his arms to sit him down right beside him.

"I always wanted to snuggle up to someone I loved watching a movie." Greg admitted.

"Glad I could make your fantasies come true Greg." Nick kissed Greg on the forehead leaning back on the sofa with Greg in his arms. "Oh and I love your hair by the way. Gorgeous."

Greg blushed looking up at Nick. "I'm glad you like it. It was all for you Nicky."

Nick and Greg snuggled through the whole movie, laughing at all the same parts. Greg felt completely comfortable relaxing in the Texans strong arms.

For the first time he thought he might actually be happy in a relationship with Nick.

* * *

"Here see completely private beach." Greg said walking up to the wall overlooking the empty beach. Nick looked out across the golden sand towards the big blue ocean gently crawling back and forth off the beach with the sun setting in the distance it was the perfect romantic setting.

Nick took a chance of wrapping his arms around Greg's waist from behind him as no one else was around. Greg leant back against Nick's chest enjoying the embrace as they looked out at the ocean.

"Thanks for bringin' me here G." Nick whispered into his ear.

"My favourite place in the world. Couldn't let you come all this way without seeing it." Greg smiled lacing his fingers with Nick's on his chest. "I keep feeling like I'm dreaming . . . like I'm gonna wake up any minute and realise that you're not really here with me." Greg insecurely admitted to him.

"I'm here Greg." Nick tightened his embrace softly kissing Greg on the neck. "This is a dream come true for me and there's nowhere else in the world I'd rather be then right here with you."

Greg felt a warm swirling feeling in his stomach as Nick said that.

"Me either Nicky. Race you down." Greg suddenly pulled out of the embrace running down the steps to the beach.

Nick smiled at how much energy Greg had then ran after him catching up to him halfway up the beach. As Nick caught him they both fell into the sand facing each other with Nick lying on top of Greg.

"See told yah you wonna jump my bones." Greg giggled looking up into Nick's eyes.

"Not until you want me to." Nick brushed over Greg's lips then invaded Greg's mouth with his ravenous tongue. Nick felt the body beneath him igniting. He liked it more then when he was a lying on top of a woman. Greg's form was so much more appealing to him.

Greg loved Nick's possessive tongue in his mouth and the strong masculine body lying on top of his felt completely natural, perfect even.

They both got so involved with the kiss they didn't even notice the sea creeping up the beach behind them. With one swift swoop, a large wave crashed over their bodies interrupting their kissing.

Both men laughed rubbing the salty water from their eyes.

"Think a higher powers trying to tell us something?" Greg giggled.

"No, I think it's just plain bad luck." Nick laughed climbing to his feet. He pulled Greg to his feet in one swift motion crashing their hardened bodies against one another. Nick smiled as Greg gasped from the impact. "You okay G?"

"I think I have sand in my eye." He blinked a couple of times looking into Nick's eyes. Nick slowly raised his hand gently brushing some sand out of Greg's tear duct.

"Better?" He asked.

Greg bit his lip nodding. "Now I'm cold." He grinned, shivering slightly as the night air brushed against his soaked clothes.

Nick pulled Greg into his arms walking back up the beach to his car where he fished his A&M sweatshirt out of the back handing it to Greg. Greg grinned at the gesture recalling a conversation they had a few years ago about how he would never give his Aggie sweatshirt to any of the women he slept with. Greg hadn't even slept with him yet and already he was offered the grand prize.

Greg breathed in the deep scents of Nick as he pulled the sweatshirt down over his head. Nick licked his lips seeing Greg in his sweatshirt. It was like he really was his now.

"What are you thinking about Nicky?" Greg asked curiously as Nick had been holding his gaze a long time.

"All about you gorgeous." Nick admitted watching Greg shyly blushing. "Warmer now G?"

"Any warmer and I'll melt." Greg teased taking Nick's hand in his own. "So does this mean I'm yours now Nicky?" Greg asked looking down at the sweatshirt.

"If you want to be mine G." Greg nodded looking into Nick's warm welcoming eyes.

"Now I'm hungry." Greg grinned.

"Well it's kinda late to book a table anywhere, but I promise to take you out to a proper restaurant tomorrow."

"There's a bar not too far from here _best_ steaks you ever tasted." Greg said thinking of the Texan's love for steaks.

"Alright you're on." Nick climbed back in the car with Greg following his directions to the bar.

* * *

"Oh and I forgot to tell you Jade works here. That's okay right?" Greg asked curiously.

"Sure why wouldn't it be?"

"No reason." Greg said innocently leading him into the bar.

Jade looked up from pouring a pint seeing Nick and Greg walking in together. She noticed their clothes were crumbled and damp in places and Greg was wearing a Texas A&M sweatshirt. She assumed things must be working out for them smiling happily to herself.

Nick and Greg slid into a booth in the corner where it was a lot quieter away from the dart board and pool table games going on. Jade walked over pulling the pen out from behind her ear ready to take their order.

"Hey you two, so what will it be?" She asked.

"Two beers and a dinner menu please." Greg asked politely, a little embarrassed at the awkwardness of the situation.

"So Nick, get lost in that big ol house yet?"

"No not yet." Nick laughed. "But I might need one of those 'you are here' maps now and then."

"It's not that big." Greg said looking at them both.

"G, your place is massive." Jade said rolling her eyes at him. She handed them each a menu setting up their knives and forks. "Be right back with yah beers." She smiled walking away.

"I like her." Nick said watching her walk away.

"You can't go out with her." Greg warned him.

"No I meant..."

"Relax Nicky, I knew what you meant." Greg chuckled. Nick sighed in relief poking Greg in the ribs for torturing him like that. "You're not her type anyway, she doesn't go for gentlemen." Greg teased looking back at Nick.

"Thanks G." Greg winked at him looking down at his menu. He couldn't believe how comfortable he felt flirting with Nick on their first full day together.

"Here you go." Jade placed the beers down in front of them.

"Thank you Jade."

"Waitress." Greg teased clicking his fingers at her. "What do you recommend?"

"Well the steaks are the best in town we even got an award for it." She pointed out the award on the wall behind the bar. "But I will recommend the bacon cheese burgers, special today is rack of lamb in mints sauce."

"Mmm." Nick and Greg both said in sync with each other making Jade laugh at them.

"I'll have the rack of lamb." Greg said handing her back the menu.

"What vegetables comes with it?" Nick asked curiously.

"The lamb? I think its roasted potatoes and spinach."

"Yuk spinach." Greg cringed.

"I'll have same as Greg with no spinach." Nick chuckled at Greg.

"Then you can either have asparagus or green peas?" Jade asked them.

"Green peas." Nick and Greg said in perfect sync with each other.

"Okay." Jade laughed walking away. Greg grabbed his beer off the table trying to moisten his parched throat. He found whenever he was really nervous his throat dried out and it felt like sand paper to swallow.

"You okay G?" Nick asked seeing Greg's hands shaking.

Greg nodded taking another gulp of his beer. Greg felt fine when it was just the two of them. It felt normal and natural, but now he was out in public he started to get nervous again and he hated it. He wanted to feel comfortable around Nick in public, but it was just too much to bare.

Greg avoided eye contact with Nick the whole dinner, but as soon as they left he felt more comfortable around Nick. They went for a long walk through the park again. Holding hands this time, as no one else was around at that time of night.

Nick double checked there was no one around then pulled Greg off the path up against a large tree. Greg smiled looking into Nick's hungry eyes. "What happened to your no PDA rule?" Greg whispered looking at Nick's lips.

"Technically there's no one around so it's not classed as a PDA." Nick grinned joining their lips for a desperate hungry kiss placing one hand on Greg's hips while the other was laced in his silky smooth hair. He had wanted to kiss Greg so many times during their meal, but he held out until now. Nick slowly broke the kiss resting his forehead against Greg's.

"You taste like chocolate fudge." Greg giggled licking his lips.

"You taste like cheese cake." Nick returned.

"Together we're cheeslate fudge cake." Greg teased licking the inside of Nick's lips.

"You warm enough G?"

"Plenty."

"Do you wonna walk home coz we've had a little too much to drink?" Nick asked still holding his hands on Greg's hips. Greg nodded brushing his lips against Nick's.

"But Nicky . . . I've never . . . you know." Greg nervously stammered.

"I'm not gonna have sex with you after our first date Greg, don't worry." He reassured him. "I'm a gentlemen remember?" Greg nodded through his goofy grin, feeling better after Nick cleared that up.

* * *

They walked hand in hand all the way home to an empty house as his parents and grandparents were all asleep. Greg grabbed them some beers from the fridge then took Nick upstairs to the games room with the large balcony overlooking the stars. Greg opened out the large couch as it doubled as a bed. They crashed back on the bed together staring out of the skylight at the stars above.

"Did you have fun today Nicky?"

"Best day ever." Nick admitted looking at Greg lying right beside him. "How 'bout tomorrow we have dinner on the beach under the stars?" Nick asked rolling onto his side.

"That'd be perfect Nicky." Greg rolled to face Nick, their heated bodies only inches apart. "Do you wonna sleep here tonight Nicky?"

"Together?" Nick asked curiously.

Greg nodded claiming Nick's mouth with a kiss. "Unless you don't want to..."

"I want to." Nick smiled running his fingers through Greg's hair. "You may have to direct me to a bathroom though coz I forgot where it is on this floor." He chuckled.

"Well there's a few on this floor. Nearest is right over there." Greg pointed out. Nick looked over seeing a door beyond the pool table. "But the one down the hall has the biggest shower as well as a Jacuzzi tub." Greg said bravely, the alcohol hot in his veins.

"Nice." Nick smiled.

"We should probably change before we sleep; our clothes are covered in sand. If you want we could move your things up here so we have more privacy."

"That'd be okay G." They both smiled then scrambled off the bed to go and get some clean clothes to sleep in. They were too tired to shower so they changed their clothes then crashed back on the bed together. Greg lay in Nicks arms as softly ran his fingers through Greg's hair looking up at the stars.

"I love you Nicky." Greg murmured as he gave into the need to sleep. Nick smiled as he had been wanting Greg to say that for a while and this was the first time he knew he actually meant it as he wasn't completely hammered this time. He kissed Greg on the forehead then closed his eyes giving into his need for sleep too.

* * *

**First Published 31st Jan 2010 = Re-edited by Lolly4Holly 20th Oct 2010**


	8. Chapter 8: Purrfect Day

**Chapter Eight: Purrfect Day**

Greg slowly opened his eyes looking around the room. Once he realised where he was he looked down at the pair of arms around his waist. He felt warm tingles in his stomach as he looked up realising his pillow was in fact Nick Stokes.

"Mornin' G." Nick smiled.

"Great Morning Nicky." Greg smiled warmly back.

"You skippin' ahead to second base Greg?" Greg looked down at his hand lying on top of Nick's crotch. Instead of freaking out and moving it away he looked up into Nick's eyes with a devious grin.

"Well technically Nicky, we covered first base yesterday." Greg teased running his fingertips across Nick's jaw line.

"Look at you. Where's the insecure Greg gone?"

"He had an amazing dream about you Nicky." Greg joined their warm moist lips for a passionate kiss, entangling his tongue with Nick's while he ran his palms up under Nick's t-shirt. "Did you want the insecure Greg back?" He asked once they broke the kiss.

"No, I like this Greg." Nick smiled sliding his hands under Greg's shirt. Greg gasped under the touch of Nick's strong hands. "Do you like that Greg?" Nick whispered brushing his lips over Greg's ear.

"I love it." Greg gasped doing the same to Nick.

Nick gently tugged at the rim of Greg's t-shirt pulling it up over Greg's head. "You're still covered in sand." Nick smiled brushing some sand off Greg's chest.

"Maybe we should take a shower." Greg suggested then bit his lip nervously noticing he said 'we' and not 'I'.

Nick looked into Greg's eyes wondering if he was serious. "Are you sure Greg?" Greg bit his lip looking at Nick. His body was bubbling with a warm excited feeling so he gave Nick a nod.

They both climbed off the bed making their way down the hall to the bathroom with the biggest shower. Nick pulled his t-shirt up over his head dropping it to the floor.

"You work out." Greg smiled looking at Nick's strong torso. Nick smiled placing his hands on Greg's hips as he invaded his mouth with his tongue. Greg shivered as Nick's hands worked open his trousers.

"You sure about this Greg?" He asked. Greg could only nod as he was so nervous and excited at the same time. Nick dropped Greg's trousers to his ankles then pulled down his own, stepping closer to Greg, continuing to kiss his luscious mouth.

Greg's eyelids fluttered as Nick backed him up into the shower stall, running his hands down his sides. "Ready?" Nick asked. Greg opened his eyes giving Nick another nod. Nick slowly slipped Greg's boxers down over his legs then handled his own. He backed Greg up into the shower turning the knobs, letting the heated water pour down over their flesh first before he resumed kissing Greg's starved for affection flesh.

Greg gasped fluttering his eyelids again in pure bliss as Nick pulled their bodies closer together. Their hardened flesh brushed up against each other sending waves of pleasure through each of their bodies. In their desperation for their impending release they clutched each other closely, feeling weak in the knees as the electricity surged through their bodies.

Greg let out a soft moan crashing into Nick's body. His skin was warm and vibrating with excitement. Nick held Greg in his arms as the water poured down around them, panting in perfect harmony with one another as they came down from their high.

* * *

"Oh hey G." Jade smiled seeing him walk through the bar.

"Can I talk to you a sec?" Greg asked nervously. Jade nodded leading him out back to a private office.

"So what's up?" Jade asked sitting on the desk watching Greg pacing up and down. "G?"

"Right." Greg looked at her nervously biting his lip. "I really need to know something."

"Okay wha..." Jade's words were cut off by Greg crashing his lips into hers, kissing her. Jade pushed him away wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "What the _hell_ Sanders?" She shouted angrily.

"Just look me in the eyes and tell me you don't feel anything for me." Greg pleaded.

"I don't Greg not that way."

"Why not? We're perfect for each other." Greg said emotion seeping into his voice.

"Greg . . . I'm not gonna be your rebound from Nick. I don't love you in that way. Why aren't you with Nick anyway?"

"Do we have to talk about Nick?" Greg slumped onto the desk heavily.

"Greg what happened?" Jade asked seeing his shaky hands.

"I don't want to talk about it." Greg said ashamed. "I feel so lost."

"Why?" Jade sat on the desk beside him.

"On the one hand I've got Nick, he's perfect in almost every way except for the being a guy part then there's you . . . and you're completely perfect and natural."

"Greg you can't throw this all away just because he's a guy."

"But it's wrong, I'm wrong; please tell me it's wrong." He begged her.

"Greg, sweetie . . . you've got to get over this. There's nothing wrong with, nothing at all. Gay, straight it doesn't matter who you love Greg."

"Why do I have this gut aching feeling inside. It's like I'm being pulled between what's right and what's wrong."

"Why do you see your sexuality as wrong?" Jade asked curiously. "What do you thinks going to happen to you if you let yourself love Nick?"

Greg sighed heavily looking at down at the floor. "Nothing."

"Exactly, nothing is going to happen to you, no lightning bolts are gonna strike you down or anything." She smiled seeing Greg finally smile. "Just because you're in love with a guy it doesn't make your life any different." She assured him.

"Now I feel stupid."

"You are stupid." She laughed punching him in the arm. "And Greg don't ever kiss me again or I'll knock yah teeth out." She warned him heading out the office.

"Understood." He smiled watching her leave.

Greg climbed to his feet, walking out the bar with his head held low, heading back towards the house. He felt stupid for freaking out that badly and actually confessing his feelings to Jade, but she didn't react to it at all. He wondered what Nick must be thinking. After they got dressed from their shower, Greg told him he needed to go for a walk. He went straight to Jade not even thinking about Nick. He started to wonder if it was always going to be like this or whether he'd finally get used to being physically intimate with Nick.

* * *

"Hey G." Nick smiled looking up from the sofa. "You okay?" Greg nodded shoving his hands deep into his pockets as he approached Nick. Nick climbed to his feet seeing Greg was shaking slightly. He slowly approached Greg pulling him into a hug. "What's up Greg?"

"I feel so stupid." Greg huffed wrapping his arms around Nick.

"Why Greg? You're the smartest person I know." Nick chuckled getting a laugh out of Greg. "Greg I know what you're goin through, when I realised I liked guys, I kept havin' freak outs thinkin there was somethin' wrong with me. There's nothin' wrong with you though. Okay G?" Greg nodded resting against Nick's shoulder. "Now c'mon, let's go get some breakfast." He smiled.

"Always thinking of your stomach." Greg grinned.

"Can I help that I love my food?" Nick laughed.

"I was under the impression you loved me." Greg said bravely.

"Oh I do G, but a man's gotta eat too." Greg smiled joining their lips for a kiss. He realised at that moment that Jade tasted like a sweet bitter fruit, but Nick was a ripe, sweet forbidden fruit, like ecstasy instantly craving more.

They panted heavily breaking the kiss after a few minutes, resting their foreheads against one another.

"As long as I come before food. I'm okay with it." Greg grinned leading the way downstairs, holding Nick's hand in his own.

"Oh definitely G, it's you, food then Rascal Flatts."

"Who's Rascal Flatts?" Greg asked, frowning at Nick.

"You don't know who Rascal Flatts are?" Nick asked stunned. "I can't have a boyfriend who doesn't know who the greatest band in the world are." Nick teased.

"They're a band? You'll have to let me listen to some of their songs." Greg grinned. "Unless it's that hick stuff you play in car." He teased him.

"It is." Nick smiled.

"Oh not that crap." Greg teased.

"You're gonna get it now Sanders."

Greg ran down the stairs giggling with Nick chasing after him, crashing against the sofa together. Nick tickled Greg, sitting on top of him so he couldn't get away, looking down into his eyes. Greg looked right back into Nick's eyes with a wide smile on his face.

* * *

Nick and Greg grabbed some breakfast then sat by the pool on the sun beds catching some rays, as they worked long nights in Vegas, it had put a strain on their tans. As Greg stood up to grab another beer Nick pulled him into his arms on the sun bed. Greg smiled as his lips were captured by a lusty hungry kiss. "You okay now G?" Nick whispered running his fingers through Greg's hair.

"I'm perfect Nicky." Greg smiled relaxing in his Texan's arms. "Sorry I freaked out earlier Nicky."

"That's okay G, first times are always awkward." He smiled gently soothing his hands across Greg's back. "You're okay now though?"

"Perfect, this all still seems so surreal though. But I wouldn't want to take it back for anything in the world."

"Good to know G." Nick smiled, kissing Greg once again more passionately. "Maybe we could even do it again?"

"Definitely." Greg smiled capturing Nick's lips for a kiss unbeknownst to them that they had an audience.

Papa Olaf, Daniel and Jean were all stood inside with their noses pressed against the window, watching the two of them in their tight embrace on the sun bed. Jean was actually starting to think her sons new found sexuality might not be such a bad thing as she saw how much they cared for each other. She's never seen someone love her son that much before.

The three of them jumped hearing a loud crunch coming from behind them. They spun round seeing Jade with an apple in her hands.

"What nothing on the telly?" She laughed seeing their guilty expressions.

"N-no we w-were just..." Jean stammered trying to act innocent.

"Actually, no there's nothing on telly but all this day time crap, this is real life love and lust." Papa Olaf smirked turning back to the boys outside.

"Don't you think they deserve some privacy though?" Jade asked them.

"Why are you here, Jade?" Jean asked her, folding her arms across her chest.

"I picked up Nick's truck for him." Jade dropped the keys into Daniel's hand.

"Thanks, I'll tell Nick." Daniel head off for the door, but stopped as he saw the boys in a tight lip lock. "I'll tell him later."

"I still don't approve of this..." Jean remarked as she watched them again.

"Relax Mrs S, there's always adoption or surrogacy." Jade assured her knowing how much she wanted grandchildren.

"You offering?" Papa Olaf chuckled.

"Me? No I don't do the pregnancy thing." Jade shook her head.

Jean Sanders sighed in relief, it was bad enough her son was gay, but she wouldn't want a grandchild with Jade's DNA too. Jade watched the three of them as they pressed their noses back against the window, watching Nick and Greg outside.

Jade pulled her camera phone out her pocket, turning the flash on then raised it above their heads clicking the flash to alert Nick and Greg. As the boys looked over the three peeping toms quickly scrambled away bumping into furniture and things so they wouldn't be noticed, but in their desperate attempt to get away they noticed them even more as they stumbled into the furniture.

"What'd you do that for?" Jean scowled her while Papa Olaf was in stitches of laughter.

"Serves yah right." Jade smirked. "No one likes being spied on. They need some privacy. It's a new big thing for them."

"Well they shouldn't be doing it in the garden for all to see." Papa Olaf chuckled then saw Greg stood in the doorway. Greg looked at the mess of the room. The couch was shifted aside, the carpet was turned up and a vase lay on the floor with the flowers scattered in front of it.

"What are you guys doing?" Greg asked them all with a suspicious glare.

"Um..." Jean looked around trying to think. "We were going to move this couch to the other end of the room, but we... we er... lost our footing and... fell." She badly covered as she picked up the vase she knocked over while Daniel readjusted the couch and Papa Olaf kicked the carpet back with an innocent smile on his face.

"Really?" Greg asked curiously watching them. "What was that flash?"

All eyes turned to Jade who took another loud crunch from her apple.

"Oh me?" She said looking at them all then grabbed the keys from Daniel's hand. "I brought Nick's truck back; they must have flickered in the light." She handed them to Greg then looked at her watch. "I came to see if you actually made it back too . . . so anyway I gotta go, see yah later."

"Bye." Greg waved then turned back to his family, once Jade was gone. "Were you spying on us?"

"No, no, no, no." They all insisted, shaking their heads at him.

"Sweetie we just wanted to know if you were happy with Nick, so we came down to see and we kinda got caught up." Jean sheepishly explained.

"I am happy." Greg smiled at them. "And Nick really cares about me, so don't freak him out with the Brady bunch routine."

"We weren't doing anything." Papa Olaf whined defensively.

"We're sorry sweetheart, just have you really thought this through? What would people think?"

"Jean!" Daniel and Papa Olaf scowled her.

"It doesn't matter what other people think Greg, just follow your heart." His father told him.

"Okay dad, I will. Now can you all clear out of here . . . please?" Greg asked them.

They all nodded then scrambled out of the room to go and find something to do.

Greg grabbed two more beers from the fridge heading back out to Nick. "There you are, thought you got lost." Nick chuckled, pulling Greg back into his arms.

"Nope, hard to cope with the Brady's." He smiled lip locking with Nick again. They slowly pulled apart resting back on the sun bed.

"Am I supposed to know what that means G?"

"No, don't worry about it . . . Jade brought your truck back by the way." Greg pulled the keys from his pocket placing them on the side table.

"You still on for dinner later G?"

"With you... definitely." Greg smiled running his fingers across Nick's bare chest.

"See it's not so scary to be with me after all is it Greg?" Nick asked as Greg was too afraid to touch him before.

"No . . . not so scary." Greg admitted, shaking his head at him. "I think you may actually be my cure Nicky."

"What do you mean?"

"After the beating . . . I've been kinda," Greg looked up into Nick's eyes. "Feeling a little worthless . . . I killed someone Nick, I've been drinking myself in coma's every night since, constantly dreaming about it, but last night for the first time I managed to sleep sober and I had a great dream." He smiled lacing his fingers with Nick's. "Without you Nick, I'd still be lost."

"I'm glad I could help out, but you've helped me so much too G. I didn't wake up in a sweaty panic last night thinkin' I was back in that coffin. Instead I had you in my arms and I felt completely secure."

"Guess we're both screwed up huh?" Greg chuckled.

"Yep, but we're together now and we can cure each other." Nick smiled, hugging Greg closer.

"I thought it would be really weird in a relationship with a guy, but it's basically the same."

"I never realised it either . . . until now. It's just the same as any other relationship."

"You've never been in a relationship with a guy?" Greg asked surprised.

"Never G," He admitted, shaking his head at him. "I've never given into that part of me until today with you. The first time I kissed a guy was you."

"You always seem so confident though."

"Coz I feel safe with you G." Nick brushed his thumb across Greg's lips looking into his eyes. "You're the first person I've ever really loved, besides my family."

"I've never been anyone's first before . . . I'm glad I could be yours Nicky."

"Me too G."

"So what should I wear for tonight? It's our second date isn't it?"

"I guess so." Nick smiled, getting excited already. "Well it's on the beach . . . so you could go naked." He suggested then chuckled at Greg's shocked expression. "I'm kiddin' G."

"Evil." Greg grinned, poking Nick in the chest.

"You can wear anythin' you like G. Course if you do change your mind about goin' naked, I'd be happy to do the same." Greg smiled then climbed off Nick's lap pulling him to his feet. He joined their lips for a heated kiss slowly backing Nick up towards the pool without him even noticing. Greg stopped his kissing cheekily looking up into Nick's eyes. "What are you up to G?" Nick asked recognising the devious grin.

Nick stumbled back as Greg pushed him into the pool. Nick swam to the surface wiping the water from his eyes seeing Greg was laughing hard. "What'd you do that for?" Nick asked, spitting the water from his mouth.

"I thought you could use some cooling off." He grinned crouching down beside the pool. "That and you look... spectacular wet." Greg teased, licking his lips as he looked at Nick's wet torso. Nick smiled swimming towards the edge by Greg.

"And you think I'm the horny perv." Nick chuckled, pushing himself up on the rail to reach Greg's mouth for a kiss.

"You taste like chlorine." Greg smiled, holding Nick's wet face in his hands.

"I bet you'd look even hotter in a wet t-shirt." Nick rasped then grabbed Greg's arms before he could register what Nick was planning, pulling him into the pool with him. Greg swam to the surface laughing as he wiped back the water from his eyes. "Yep, just as I thought scrumptious." Nick rasped looking at Greg. He pulled him into his arms holding his body against his own.

"You're amazing Nicky." Greg smiled running his hands through Nick's wet hair.

"So are you Greg." Nick grinned, sinking his tongue deep into Greg's mouth.

* * *

Nick put his hands over Greg's eyes, slowly leading him down the steps towards the beach where he had set up a romantic dinner for two. "Okay G, open your eyes." Nick whispered in Greg's ear, slowly removing his hands from his eyes to Greg's hips. Greg opened his eyes smiling as he saw the set up. "Like it?"

"No." Greg turned to face a stunned Nick. "I love it." Nick smiled cupping Greg's face in his hands, pulling him closer for a lusty kiss.

They then sat down enjoying their meal together, their first intimate meal together as a couple before crashing on the sand to look up at the stars in each other's arms. "Shootin' star." Nick pointed. "Make a wish G."

"What if it already came true?" Greg asked looking into Nick's eyes.

"Count yourself lucky." Nick smiled capturing Greg's mouth with his own, while his fingers were entwined in his hair. Greg felt brave enough to place his hands on Nick's hips as they deepened the kiss pulling apart only a few seconds for a gasp of air before they continued. Nick slid his hand down slowly Greg's side, tightly gripping his thigh, pulling it over the other side of his body so Greg was straddling his hips.

"What's wrong Nicky?" Greg asked looking down at his expression.

"I've just never had a man on top of me before." Nick smiled.

"That's a first." Greg smiled biting his lip. "The hunky Texan actually has insecurities?" Greg grinned.

"Yes I do Greg, but this feels purrrrfect." He purred cupping Greg's face in his hands again sinking their heated lips together. He slowly inched his hands down Greg's body gripping his hips, getting really worked up feeling the younger man's body hardening against his own.

Nick gripped the rim of Greg's shirt slowly rolling it up over his chest then swooping it off in one swift motion resuming his kissing. Greg bravely worked open Nick's jeans pulling them down past his knees. Nick did the same with Greg's sliding his hands beneath Greg's boxers, gripping the globes of his arse. Greg shivered under the touch. In the shower they kept their hands above the waist so this was all new territory for them.

Stripping down one another's boxers, Nick began to grind against his partners hips. Greg returned the actions looking into Nick's eyes as they both gasped with each sensational motion. Nick couldn't hold on any longer. Their grinding and panting became more desperate between kisses, getting completely worked up in the moment.

Nick threw his head back moaning Greg's name as his orgasm surged through his body. With the igniting body beneath him Greg let out a soft guttural sound as his own body shook realising his seed onto Nick.

Greg panted heavily then rolled off Nick onto the sand beside him. Their chests arched up and down as their toes curled into the sand slowly coming down from their high. Nick turned to look at Greg seeing a wide smile spread across his face.

"I think I almost . . . blacked out there." Greg panted, feeling the shudders through his body beginning to calm.

"Me too Greg . . . I've never felt . . . anythin' like that before." Nick panted, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a tissue to wipe them both down then started to redress themselves as it was quite a cold night.

"Now I feel tired." Greg admitted resting on the crock of Nick's neck.

"We can't sleep here." Nick chuckled. "The tides comin' in." Greg looked past their toes seeing the ocean was slowly crawling up the sand towards them. "You're shakin' G."

"It's cold." Greg chattered through his teeth. Nick grabbed his discarded coat wrapping it around Greg's shoulders. "I love you Nick." Greg said looking deep into his eyes.

"I love you too Greg." Nick smiled that they both finally got to say it together.

"K-kind of intense f-for a second date." Greg jittered as his body shivered from the cold.

"We should get you home G, you don't wonna catch a cold." Nick climbed to his feet pulling Greg up with him. Greg slipped his arms into the sleeves of Nick's jacket now he was standing then laced his fingers with Nick's walking up the moonlit beach back to the car in each other's arms.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Please Review**

* * *

**First Published 31st Jan 2010 = Re-edited by Lolly4Holly 20th Oct 2010**


	9. Chapter 9: Our Relationship

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Nine: Our Relationship**

Greg slowly awoke, rubbing his eyes open then smiled seeing Nick was propped up on his elbow watching him sleep. "Mornin G." Nick smiled.

"Morning Nicky." Greg inched closer capturing Nick's lips for a sweet tender kiss. "What are you smiling at Nicky?"

"You look like an angel when you're sleepin." He smiled, running his thumb across Greg's jaw line. "You're so beautiful G."

"Oh boys." A voice called from the hallway.

"Damn that's my mother." Greg pulled the covers up over them both to cover their hard on's. Jean Sanders poked her head round the corner then walked in seeing the two of them were awake. "What's up mom?"

"I just wanted you to know I've been thinking a lot about your relationship, not like that." She quickly clarified seeing the odd looks on their faces. "And I just wanted you to know, I will fully support you sweetie . . . because I love you . . . and you are my only child so I can't pick and chose." She grinned ruffling his hair. "And you Nick welcome to the Sanders family."

"Thank you Mrs Sanders." Nick smiled.

"Please call me Jean. It might take me a while to get used to it, but I fully support you." She pulled out a leaflet from behind her back.

"P-FLAG?" Greg asked looking at it.

"Parents, families, friends of Lesbians and Gays. I called them yesterday while you two were out on your big date and they put my mind at rest about a lot of things. They have a support group nearby so I was thinking of joining . . . your Papa Olaf actually suggested it, to help me get over the fact . . . that you're." She looked into her sons eyes then at Nick. "I mean I can get grandchildren other ways huh?" She smiled. "And I was even considering being nicer to Jade."

"Okay who are you and what have you done with my mother?" Greg asked her.

"Well you were right sweetheart, I never liked the girl because of her family . . . I didn't like you Nick when you first got here. Sorry for the honesty, but it was because you were changing my boy, but now I realise it's not something done to you . . . it's who you are, just like Jade in fact . . . she was born into that family not her fault and you were born like this . . . not your fault either."

"Wow thanks mom." Greg hugged his mother feeling so much better now all of his family were okay with his new found sexuality.

"I love you Greg, you too Nicky . . . whatever my boy loves I love too."

"Thank you Jean." Jean smiled to them then picked up her leaflets heading back out the room. "Wow G I am so jealous of your family."

"Why's that Nicky?" Greg asked turning back to him.

"If I ever told my family, they'd cast me out in a heartbeat, not tellin me they love me and joinin support groups." Greg inched closer to Nick holding him in his arms.

"Well my family will start to get on your nerves after a while, but you're welcome to share." Greg smiled. Nick laughed wrapping his arms around Greg.

"Thanks G, you're family aren't so bad."

"You've only seen them in small doses Nicky; they get much worse the more time you spend with them."

"Maybe we should take them all out for dinner?" Nick suggested.

"You want to be out in public with these people?" Greg asked shocked.

"C'mon G, they can't be that bad."

"You have much to learn cowboy." Greg snickered. "My mother threw a party for me when I hit puberty, all the balloons and banners said 'Greg's a man now' one person thought I had a sex change or something and my mother was throwing me a party for it." Nick chuckled rolling his eyes. "They always talk openly about sex all the time, especially Papa O he's the worst. Then Nana she misunderstands everything..."

"C'mon G they're great." Nick smiled. "I would love to have a family as open as yours; we can even invite Jade if you want."

"If you're sure about this Nicky, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Okay." Nick smirked. "So what else did you wonna do today G?"

"Shower first?" Greg asked biting his lip as he looked at Nick.

"Sounds good to me G." Greg grinned excitedly climbing off the bed. Nick followed his eager boyfriend down the hall to the bathroom. As soon as the door was closed they started stripping each other of their clothing making their way into the shower stall.

"W-wait what are you doing?" Greg asked.

"You've never had a BJ before?" Nick asked him. Greg shook his head embarrassed. "Never G?"

"No Nicky, never."

"It's so cute how new you are to all this G." Nick smiled, capturing Greg's lips for a kiss. "Don't worry; I'll walk you through it. Hold the rail and just relax." Greg nodded holding the shower rail behind him.

"Wait Nicky." Nick looked up into Greg's eyes. "I just want you to know that I might not be able to return the favour."

"Relax Greg, this is all for you. This is the one thing I'm experienced at with guys." Nick smiled then slowly kissed down Greg's chest towards his intended destination. Greg gasped leaning back against the rail as a warm kiss was planted on the most private part of his body. He shivered as more kisses were circled around it, then let out a soft moan as Nick's mouth enveloped his man hood.

Greg gripped the rail tighter as his eyes rolled back into his head, his knees started to feel weak as Nick continued to get him worked up with his skilful tongue. Nick could tell Greg was close as the moans got closer together and more desperate.

"Oh God." Greg moaned panting heavily as he came into Nick's throat.

Nick had to support Greg as he almost blacked out when the moment came. Nick returned to Greg's mouth kissing him deeply so he could taste himself.

"See wasn't so bad was it?" Nick grinned looking into Greg's eyes.

"I flippin saw stars." Greg smiled clutching Nick close to his chest.

"So you've never had a BJ not even from a girl?" Nick asked.

"No Nicky, never." Greg repeated. Nick smiled at how adorable his inexperienced lover was sinking their lips together for another kiss as the water poured down around them.

* * *

"Hi mom, Nick wants to take you all out for dinner tonight, so don't make plans." Greg smiled looking at her. Jean looked up at her son then smiled.

"Okay honey, that's very sweet of him, but he has met us right?" She giggled. Greg nodded then looked round as Nick made his way down the stairs. "Good Morning Nick."

"Mornin Jean." He smiled.

"Thank you for the lovely offer Nick, but are you sure about this? All four of us at dinner table?"

"Yes I'm sure." He smiled. "It's the least I can do after you welcomed me into your home." Jean smiled at how adorable her possible future son in law was.

"Okay then, I'll inform the troops and tell them to be on their best behaviour." She laughed. "There's some muffins in the oven sweetheart."

"Yummy." Greg smiled. Jean kissed her son on the head then walked off to find her husband. "Wonna Muffin Nicky? My mom's are the _best_." Greg grabbed the tray from the oven, lifting two hot sticky muffins from it.

"Sure G." Nick smiled taking a seat at the breakfast bar. Greg handed him a plate with one of the muffins then grabbed them some coffee before he sat down. Nick was glad Greg was finally comfortable around him, especially since he didn't have a freak out today about being intimate with him.

"Did you wonna tell Jade in person or should I call her?" Greg asked, wiping the chocolate from his mouth.

"I'll tell her in person." Nick smiled, wiping the rest of the chocolate from Greg's mouth with his thumb. "So messy." Nick laughed. Greg stuck his thumb in his muffin then wiped some chocolate on Nick's cheek.

"Messy yourself there cowboy." He giggled, Nick went to wipe it away, but Greg's mouth got there first. Greg licked the chocolate from his lovers face then joined their lips for a melted chocolate kiss.

"Don't let me interrupt." Papa Olaf interrupted them. The boys broke apart looking up at his Papa. "Ooo are those muffins."

"Oven." Greg pointed. Papa Olaf grabbed one from the oven putting it on his plate.

"Don't worry Nick, I can eat mine myself." He giggled making them both blush. Papa Olaf laughed walking off towards the front room.

"You sure about this dinner Nicky?"

"Definitely, your family are brilliant." Nick smiled, licking his lips from the chocolate kiss.

"I love you Nick, you make me feel like a teenager again. I've never made out on a beach, been soaked by a wave, fallen in a pool . . . or cuddled watching a movie." He giggled.

"I'll show you so much more G. I've never done half the stuff I'm doin with you either."

"Seriously the experienced cowboy?" Greg grinned.

"Yep, I've never fooled around on a beach before or been pushed into a pool." He laughed. "I love everythin about Greg." Greg smiled sinking their lips together for another kiss.

* * *

Greg ran up the hill, turning back once he reached the top to look at Nick, who was right behind him. "This is it." Greg smiled looking down at the city below. Nick wrapped his arms around Greg's waist from behind looking out at the view.

"This is your teenage make out spot? It's amazin G, much better than the one back in Dallas."

"Yep, if you come here just as the suns setting, it fades right between the buildings over there, it looks so beautiful." Greg smiled leaning back against Nick's chest.

"We'll have to try it out one day." Nick said, kissing Greg's neck. "So how many girls you bring up here?" Nick asked curiously.

"One." Greg turned in Nick's arms to look into his eyes. "In college, her name was Maria."

"You didn't go to a make out spot until you were in college?"

"I didn't lose my virginity until I was 22 Nicky."

"You are so adorable Greg." Nick smiled, kissing him on the forehead as no one was around. "So who did you lose your virginity too?"

"You tell first."

"I was 17, back seat of my car with Hayley somethin. It was awful though." Nick confessed.

"Jade." Greg said in a low whisper.

"She was your first?"

"Yeah why?" Nick shrugged, looking at Greg in his arms.

"Just she doesn't really seem your type."

"Oh she's my type." Greg nodded, thinking how she's almost exactly like Nick. "She was my best friend for years, so I'm glad she was my first."

"She wasn't a virgin was she?"

Greg shook his head. "You can't tell her I told you this." Nick nodded, looking at Greg's serious expression. "Jade was raped by her uncle when she was child, then in her teen years she started sleeping with anyone that would give it to her. I had always loved her, but she wouldn't sleep with friends, so I asked her out . . . after we broke up I moved out to New York, then Vegas joining the crime lab."

"Do you still love her?" Nick asked curiously.

"I love her, but not in that way. Not as much as I love you, she'll never come between us Nicky so don't worry. She's like a sister and best friend to me."

"Okay G."

Greg laughed looking up at Nick again. "We must be dating now; you're not supposed to share your firsts unless you're truly in love."

"I am G." Nick confessed, licking the inside of Greg's lip, teasing him into a kiss. Greg held Nick's hips as he deepened the kiss, caressing Greg's mouth with his tongue. They slowly broke apart for air resting their foreheads against one another.

"I don't want you to go to this conference thing." Greg finally admitted.

"It's just for a couple of hours for four days G." Nick smiled. When Greg left he thought he rejected him, but now he was completely addicted to him. "You can come along if you want."

"I'd love to." Greg bit his lip looking up into Nick's eyes.

"Look at you, it's like you've completely changed." Nick softly ran his fingers through Greg's hair.

"I realised I love you and it doesn't matter that you're a guy, there's nothing wrong with me, I'm just in love with you." He explained proudly.

"Well I'm glad, I was afraid you'd never be able to love me."

"Don't be Nicky . . . I do love you, more than I've ever loved anything in the world. I've never fallen so hard for someone in three days either." He grinned, licking the inside of Nick's lip. "You're perfect Nicky."

* * *

"Jade." Greg called out. Jade slowly slid out from under the car looking up at Nick and Greg. "Hey you got a minute?"

"I gotta get this car finished by four." She said looking up at the clock. "So talk, while I work." She grinned at them then slid back under the car.

"Nicky wants to invite you to a family dinner tonight."

"Family? Then why you inviting me?" Jade slid back out, climbing to her feet. "Jean wouldn't want me there."

"She's actually on board with it and starting to like you." Greg smiled. Jade looked at Greg frowning.

"You drug her or something?"

Greg laughed. "No, she's starting to come around on Nicky and me too."

"Yeah and we'd love you to come Jade." Nick added. Jade looked at them both thinking.

"When and where?"

"Yay." Greg cheered, hugging her tightly. Nick laughed as it took Jade completely by surprise.

"Down boy." Jade stumbled out of the hug seeing the grease marks all Greg's t-shirt. "Okay I'll go, but don't ever hug me in public again." She teased getting back to work on the car. Greg laughed looking back at Nick.

* * *

Nick and Greg went back home to crash in the summer house in front of the movie theatre. This time they watched an action movie, but they barely made it through the opening credits. Nick lay down on top of Greg, kissing and grinding against him.

"Nicky, what are we gonna do back in Vegas?" Greg asked curiously, hoping this wasn't just a vacation thing for Nick.

"Well would you still wonna be with me?" Nick asked.

"I do, I don't wonna go back to sleeping alone."

"Me either G." Nick admitted. "You could move in with me if you wanted."

"Wouldn't . . . you know, people think that's a bit odd?"

"Greg I have two spare rooms, we could always dump your stuff in one of them so people think you're sleepin in one of them." Nick suggested as he didn't want Greg to have another freak out, after the wonderful day they've had so far.

"Okay, should I pay you rent or something too?"

"You could do, we could share everythin . . . you know like a proper couple?" Nick lay down on the sofa beside Greg propped up on his elbow, while he brushed his fingers softly through Greg's hair. "You do wonna be a couple doncha G?"

"I do Nicky." Greg looked up into Nick's eyes. "I love you Nick, I never want to be alone again."

"You won't have to be G."

"Doesn't it feel weird to be so committed, even though we haven't even had sex yet?" Greg asked him.

"No G, I said I'll wait until you're ready and I meant it."

"But did _you_ want to?" Greg asked. Nick looked at Greg biting his lip then gave a slight nod. "Why didn't you ask me?"

"We haven't been on three dates technically." Nick informed him with a smile. "I'm a gentleman remember."

"When will we go on this third date then?" Greg asked, getting excited.

"Well dinner tonight with yah folks doesn't really count." He grinned. "Maybe I could take you out after the conference tomorrow. A posh restaurant or somethin, your choice."

"You really are a traditional guy aren't yah?" Greg smiled.

"I am G, my Mama raised me to be a gentleman and that's exactly what I am."

"Have you ever?" Greg asked raising his eyebrows. Nick looked at him confused. "You know . . . done it . . . with a guy?"

"With guys? No, but I'd imagine it's basically the same G."

"You've done it with the ladies?"

"Some of them like it." Nick laughed. "It's so cute how you say 'done it' instead of sex Greg." Greg smiled embarrassed. "But no, I've never done it with a guy. I'm not gonna rush you either, if you don't want to its fine by me. I'm havin so much fun with you anyway."

"What did you mean when you said you've actually got experience in blow jobs?" Greg asked curiously.

"Oh, in college . . . I fooled around with my roommate . . . he already had a few boyfriends, he showed me a few BJ techniques, we never had sex or anythin like that . . . but I didn't really love him either, he was just someone I could fool around with." Nick awkwardly explained. He had never told that to anybody before.

"You ever kiss him?"

"Nope, you're the first guy I kissed Greg."

"Well you are an amazing kisser Nicky; I suppose you got that from the ladies?" Greg asked sounding slightly jealous.

"I did actually, but I never kissed them while we had sex, it was always too weird for me."

"Is there anything you aren't experienced in?" Greg asked in a wide grin.

"I don't know G; I'll have to get back to you on that one." He grinned back, running his thumb across Greg's jaw line.

"You're not still gonna flirt with the ladies though are you?"

"I don't know G, are you gonna flirt with Sara still?"

"Sara and I are so over." Greg cheekily grinned.

Nick laughed, shaking his head at him. "No I'm not G, you're my one and only now." Nick rolled back on top of Greg, kissing and caressing all his sensitive spots, as they were doing before they got into a discussion about their relationship.

* * *

**Please Review**

**I hope you enjoyed the last few Chapters :D ****I'm having great fun writing this story so i will update soon**

**Thanks so much for your reviews and to my Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**


	10. Chapter 10: Dinner with the Folks

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta: NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Ten: Dinner with the Folks**

"Which tie do you wonna wear?" Nick asked holding up a tie in each hand for Greg.

"I don't know, the blue one kinda goes with my shirt, but I like the silver strips on that one. You pick Nicky." Nick looked at the ties in his hands then picked the one with silver strips, tying it around Greg's shirt collar for him. "Do you know Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer, Nicky?" Nick shook his head. "They were TV's first male gay couple to kiss on American daytime TV."

"What made you bring them up?" Nick asked, smiling.

"Coz their first kiss was when Luke was tying Noah's tie for him." Greg grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

"What's the show?" Nick asked, adjusting the tie around Greg's neck.

"As the world turns." Greg smiled looking at Nick's lips. Nick turned down Greg's shirt collar then held Greg's chin in his hand as he kissed him softly. Nick slowly broke the kiss resting his forehead against Greg's. Greg licked his lips looking up into Nick's eyes.

"How was that G?"

"Much better then Luke and Noah's." Greg grinned. "I love you Nicky."

"Love you too baby." Nick rasped in a sexy Texan accent, while he ran his hands between Greg's shirt fabric, against his silky smooth skin. "Don't worry tonight will be fine." He assured him.

"Are we talking about the dinner or after?" Greg asked, licking his lips cheekily.

"Well I didn't have anythin' planned G, but if you're not too tired I'm sure we could find somethin' to do."

"You're on cowboy." Greg winked, grabbing his suit jacket off the back of a chair. "So Nicky." Greg asked facing him. "How do I look?"

"Sexy, like I wonna rip that suit off you right now." Nick rasped, pulling Greg against his fully aroused body.

"Nicky, you'll crease my shirt." Greg giggled.

"Sorry . . . you just look so gorgeous." Nick smiled, looking into Greg's eyes.

Jade loudly cleared her throat, leant against the door frame.

"You know you could knock?" Greg suggested to her.

"Knockings overrated I prefer a good throat clearing." She grinned. "Besides doors open." She pointed out to them.

"She's got you there G." Nick laughed, grabbing his suit jacket.

"Mom send you up to get us?" Greg asked, curiously.

"No Papa O, he said out of everyone downstairs I was the one most likely to not throw up over whatever I saw up here." She teased, through a grin.

"That's evil." Greg scowled, checking his appearance in the mirror one more time. "Ready to go Nicky?"

"I don't know I feel as though I'm about to meet the in laws..."

"Well technically you are this is like the pre-in law banquet. It's okay to change your mind at this one." Jade teased.

"I'd never change my mind." Nick smiled, looking at Greg.

"Jade are they coming yet?" Jean shouted up the staircase.

"Don't say that." Papa Olaf hissed at her, while he silently chuckled.

"Oh gross dad." Jean cringed, pushing her father away. Nick, Greg and Jade stood at the top of the stairs, exchanging awkward looks.

"You're taking Papa O." Jade told Nick quickly, as they the three of them walked off down the stairs.

"Wow don't they look handsome." Nana Olaf smiled, then looked at her husband in a cardigan, old shirt with coffee stains down the front and an old pair of jeans that clung to him in all the wrong places. "Can we go now? I'm starving, I have to eat four hours before I go to sleep otherwise I mess myself..."

"Nana, Too Much Information." Greg yelled at her, even though it was too late everyone already heard it. Greg looked round at Nick seeing the uncomfortable look on his face. "If we're taking Papa O, you're taking Nana." Greg told Jade.

"Okay, but you're taking your mother. Nana, Danny boy come on." Jade ordered, marching for the door. Dan watched Jade walking out the door then gave his wife a smile.

"We'll see you there then Nick." He waved.

"See yah Dan." Nick waved back.

"Huh guess we're stuck with each other." Papa Olaf smirked, looking at his daughter.

"I call shotgun." Greg shouted already running for the door.

"How do you put up with him?" Papa Olaf asked Nick.

"A lot of Love and Patience." Nick smiled, following his eager boyfriend out the house.

* * *

"Hello, welcome to the Blue Coyote Grill." A young blonde waitress said. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Sanders sweetheart." Papa Olaf smiled to her, getting elbowed in the ribs by his daughter. "I was just being friendly." He moaned back to her.

Jean rolled her eyes checking if Nick had changed his mind yet. They already had three squabbles in the car. Once over too much air being blown into the car, making Jean's hair blow around. Again when Papa Olaf wanted the window open again, as the car stank like perfume, then once more when everyone was getting cold, but Nick refused to turn up the heaters as they would be there soon.

Nana, Dan and Jade rode in her car listening to Marilyn Manson being blared out of the speakers, sat plastic sheeted chairs as it was a rental car from work and she didn't want to have to clean it before she returned it.

"Sanders... right this way." The waitress smiled; grabbing a handful of menu's leading them through the restaurant to their reserved table. She watched as the family sat down then handed round the menu's pulling out her notebook to take their drink orders.

"Can I have that seat?" Papa Olaf asked Greg.

"Papa O there's no difference." Greg moaned at him.

"This one has a hard cushion Greggy." He moaned right back. "I'm old, my ass isn't as squishy as yours." Greg rolled his eyes, blushing slightly then traded chairs with him to stop him moaning.

"Better?" Greg asked him. Papa Olaf nodded, looking through the drinks list. Greg looked at Nick with a smile on his face. "Still not too late to change your mind Nicky."

"Yeah it is. I want my free meal." Papa Olaf chuckled.

"Let's have a grey goose Martini." Jean suggested. Nana Olaf nodded in agreement.

"I'll have a water." Jade said leaning forwards on her chair.

"Are you sure Jade?" Nick asked her. "I'm buyin'."

"I never drink during dinner Nick and I'm driving, but thanks." She smiled. Greg's boyfriend defiantly was a keeper.

"Two beers." Greg smiled ordering for his boyfriend too. Papa Olaf smacked his lips together looking through the menu.

"Same." He nodded.

"I'll have a beer too." Dan nodded.

"Okay." The waitress smiled walking away.

"Greg, did yah see the rack on her?" Papa Olaf asked, elbowing his grandson.

"Totally fake." Jade mumbled rolling her chewing gum up into a napkin.

"Dad." Jean scowled at him.

"I can't see a rack of lamb on here." Nana Olaf moaned, looking at her menu. "Am I missing it?"

"There is actually one." Jean pointed to it for her mother.

"Oh no, that's rack of ribs." She complained.

"Gregory where are you going?" Jean asked as Greg climbed out of his seat.

"I was going to the bathroom." He said walking off.

"Greg, your shirts all bunched up at the back." Jean shouted for the whole restaurant to hear, as if he was a child. Greg nervously pulled it down, practically running to the bathroom. Jade covered her mouth with both hands trying not to burst into giggles. "Jade are you all right dear?"

"I'm fine." She gasped, finally able to breathe.

"I think he would have preferred it if you didn't point out his bunched up shirt to the whole restaurant." Papa Olaf scowled his daughter.

"Sor-ry." She said sarcastically. "Is it my fault that I care about my son's appearance? Besides you with your squishy butt comment was more embarrassing."

"Yeah, but you don't have to announce it. I said that for Greg's benefit. I'm sure he'd of preferred a bunched shirt rather than humiliation." He explained to her.

"Excuse me." Jade climbed out of her chair heading towards the bar.

"Having fun Nick?" Dan asked him. Nick nodded seeing Greg slowly walking back through the restaurant, with his head held low. He slumped down in his chair avoiding eye contact with his mother.

"Did you wash your hands?" Greg nodded to his mother feeling even more embarrassed. "I'm sorry sweetie." Jean discreetly apologised. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"Well next time how about we just leave my shirt bunched up? I'm 31 mother." Greg informed her as the waitress walked over with the drinks. "Where'd Jade go?" Greg asked looking at the empty seat.

Papa Olaf pointed towards the bar, where Jade was twirling a straw from a drink in her fingers talking to a guy.

"Thank you sweetheart." Papa Olaf grinned, ogling the waitresses implanted chest. The waitress gave him a sweet smile pulling out her notebook for their orders. "Get his number?" Papa Olaf asked Jade as she returned to the table. Jade flashed the napkin with the number to them then shoved it into her pocket. "I'll have the mixed grill lovely." Papa Olaf said to the waitress, raising his eyebrows making her blush.

"You're like my grandpa, hits on anything that can walk." She giggled. Greg laughed at his Papa Olaf shaking his head.

"Lemon chicken stir fry please." Jean said.

"Same for me." Her mother added.

"Um... the rack of ribs sounds nice." Dan smiled to her.

"Sirloin Steak, no onions." Jade said to her. The waitress nodded then turned to Nick and Greg.

"Um I'll have the Sirloin too, no onions." Nick smiled, looking at Greg. Greg knew Jade was allergic to onions and Nick hated them on his steak.

Greg grinned at how alike they really were.

"I'll have the surf and turf please." Greg said handing her back the menu. The waitress nodded, collecting up all the menu's then walked away.

"What's so funny G?" Nick asked him.

"Nothing." He giggled.

"So Nick why doncha like onions?" Papa Olaf asked curiously, as he knew what his grandson was laughing about.

"I hate the taste of em, especially on steak." Nick explained, looking at the families expressions.

"Jade what's your favourite colour?" Dan asked her.

"Green."

"And you Nick?" Dan asked turning to him.

"Green." He repeated, seeing Greg was laughing even harder. "What's so funny?" He asked again.

"Nothing I swear." Greg giggled, but he wasn't very convincing.

"You think me and Nick are alike?" Jade asked them all. Dan and Papa Olaf nodded watching Greg in his fit of laughter. "State your source?" She asked leaning on the table.

"Well you both fell for Greg for starters." Papa Olaf pointed out to them.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Greg said feeling hurt.

"It's not a bad thing sweetie, he's just being mean." Jean stated, punching her father in the arm. "It would be a treat for anyone to be in love with you. At least you grew out of your acne sweetie."

"Mom." Greg scowled at her.

"It's true he had it terribly when he was a teenager Nicky." She admitted. Greg hung his head in shame, leaning back in his chair. "Then with the braces, you were really the runt of the litter, but now your all grown up and handsome." She smiled.

"Well I had acne too actually." Nick confessed, trying to make Greg feel better.

"Me too." Jade nodded.

"And me." Dan added. "I think we're the better lookers round the table." He grinned looking at Papa Olaf.

"You're not too old to put across my knee boy." Papa Olaf warned him. Dan nodded sinking lower into his chair. Greg smiled looking up at Nick sat beside him.

"So Nicky, tell us more about yourself, I feel we barely know you." Jean said taking the last sip of her Martini.

"Well I'm from Texas..."

"Der." Nana Olaf interrupted, rolling her eyes at him.

"My dad's a Judge, my mama's a lawyer. I have five sisters and one brother..."

"Whoa, whoa... six siblings?" Jean asked. Nick nodded nervously biting his lip. "That is so unfair, do they know about you?"

"Unless they forgot him while he was away." Papa Olaf burst into giggles, but no one else laughed, just gave him a blank stare. "Oh come on that was funny and you know it."

"Not really Papa O." Greg said, shaking his head.

"No they don't know, I'm..." Nick stopped, not wanting to say it in the crowded restaurant. "What else is there to know?"

"What's your sign?" Papa Olaf asked.

"There's a chat up line with a little dust on it." Jade smirked. "You don't ask guys what their sign is Papa O."

"Sor-ry." He said sarcastically. "So Nick what's your plans for our Greg..."

"Food's here." Greg interrupted, desperate to change the subject. The waitress handed round everyone's meals, telling them to enjoy their meals then walked off to serve another table.

"Think she'll tell me what her sign is?" Papa Olaf asked elbowing his son in law.

"Dad behave." Jean scowled.

"Your wife's sitting 3 inches from you." Dan pointed out to him.

"I know." Papa Olaf smiled, patting his wife on the hand giving her a smile. "Lucky for me I can flirt all I like, but at the end of the day this woman is giving me..."

"Hot sauce anyone?" Greg practically shouted to cut off his Papa Olaf.

"That's not hot sauce sweetie." Jean pointed out to him.

"I know." Greg said reading the label. "How about we talk about the weather or something?"

"What that guy's name?" Papa Olaf asked looking at Jade.

"Mark... something."

"I told you to stop dating shit heads."

"For the record he looks like a very decent... shit head." Dan added, looking at the man still sat at the bar. "What does he do?"

"No clue, you don't get into personal stuff while you're asking for a number Danny boy." She grinned at him.

"So when are you going to call him?" Greg asked curiously.

"24 hour rule am I right?" Nick asked her. Jade nodded to him.

"You two even date the same." Greg smirked, rolling his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Nick asked him.

"Nick name the last girl you went out with." Greg asked, knowing this would catch him out.

"Tristy... somethin'."

"Need I say more?" Greg smirked.

"Look on the bright side Greg, if Jade was to be yours and Nick's surrogate, if you submit your DNA, you'd still get a kid that's half Nick." Papa Olaf said making Nick and Greg uncomfortable.

"He's only been my boyfriend for three days Papa O."

"I don't wonna be a surrogate." Jade added, suddenly not feeling very hungry.

"Why not dear?" Jean asked her.

"I told you before; I don't do the pregnancy thing. Lasting nine whole months without a cigarette, beer..."

"Or a shag." Papa Olaf added.

"Exactly." She agreed. "No offence guys."

"None taken, we really hadn't discussed kids." Nick said looking at Greg.

"Well time to start boys you're 35 and my son's 31..."

"Men don't have the ticking body clock." Jade interrupted.

"That's why we have mid-life crises." Papa Olaf added.

"Dan wanted kids." Jean argued. Dan grabbed his beer, sinking low in his chair. "You didn't?" She asked shocked.

"Well not exactly, I'm glad we had Greg though, but I never wanted lots of kids like you dear." He finally admitted to her after years of marriage.

"I can't believe you, why didn't you tell me that in the first place?"

"You didn't ask." He retaliated.

"New subject." Papa Olaf interrupted. "So how much longer you gonna work at the crime lab Greggy?"

"I don't know? Until I retire."

"Seriously?" Dan, Jean and Papa Olaf said in sync with each other.

"I do kinda like my job." He explained, awkwardly.

"You were ready to quit when you came here." Jean said giving Nick an evil glare.

"Nick didn't do anything mom, I decided myself that I like my job."

"You almost died Gregory, I forbid you to go back."

"I'm 31 mom, I make my own decisions." He told her.

"Daniel, say something." His wife insisted.

"If he loves his job, I can't deny him from working it." He simply told her. "I'm happy for you Greg and I support your decision."

"Thanks dad." Greg smiled.

"I don't." Nana Olaf added. "I hate your job Greg, I hate that you even have a job."

"Someone's gotta do it Nana."

"To Greg and Nick." Dan interrupted, raising his glass as he saw Papa Olaf and his wife about to get into it again.

"Greg and Nick." Everyone joined in.

* * *

Nick and Jade helped Greg up the stairs as he was completely wasted. "Thanks Jade." Nick smiled.

"Welcome, see yah Nick." She smiled back walking out the room. Jade watched as Nick sat down beside Greg running his fingers softly through Greg's hair. Jade smiled walking off down the hall.

"What am I gonna do with you G?" Nick whispered softly.

"I'm all yours Nicky." He smiled without opening his eyes. "Sorry about my family."

"Tonight was fun G, don't apologise." He grinned, kissing Greg on the forehead. "Do I get a good night first?" Nick whispered.

"Good night Nicky." Greg croaked.

"Night Greg." Nick readjusted Greg on the bed so he could pull the covers over him. He pulled his shoes off then climbed into bed beside him watching him sleep. "I love you Greg." He whispered softly into his ear.

* * *

**Please Review**

**I tried to add as much humour and banter as I could between all the Sanders family characters in this chapter so I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Thanks to NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan for being my beta reader :D**


	11. Chapter 11: Boyfriend

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Eleven: Boyfriend**

"No, I don't wonna go." Greg mumbled, pulling the covers back over his head. Nick smiled pulling the covers back off Greg's head again.

"We just gotta meet him for breakfast baby."

"But its Grissom, Nicky." Greg moaned with a pouty lip. Nick smiled again lying down beside Greg.

"He asked us to breakfast G, we can't turn him down..."

"Tell him we have hangovers."

"Greg he's your boss." Nick laughed, placing his hand on Greg's chest, making Greg shiver under the touch. "We'll just act completely natural around him, he'll never know."

"What if I wonna kiss you?"

"You'll have to take your chance when we're alone." Nick grinned, joining their lips for a moist kiss. Greg closed his eyes as Nick's feral tongue invaded every corner of his mouth.

"Mmm . . . I love it when you do that." Greg beamed a smile, licking his lips. "Now I have a below the waist problem, so I really can't be seeing my boss now." Greg grinned trying to get out of it again.

"You need to get your cute little ass, out of this bed, Sanders." Nick laughed tickling him. Greg squirmed under Nick's fingers in a fit of giggles. "C'mon G, we have to be there in 20 minutes."

"Okay Nicky, since you asked so nicely." Greg leant up on his elbows to kiss Nick again before he climbed out of bed to get ready. "I knew it." Greg smirked, padding over to the wardrobe.

"What?" Nick asked, turning to face him.

"You were checking out my butt." Greg grinned, seeing Nick blushing.

"I was not . . . well can you blame me? You do have such a gorgeous bottom." He grinned, sitting up on the bed, to take another look. This time Greg blushed, grabbing his clothes.

* * *

"There he is." Nick pointed through the diner. Greg nodded seeing Grissom sat at a booth in the corner by himself. "Ready for this G?"

"To act like I'm not completely crazy in love with you? Craving your tongue in my mouth and your hands all across my body?" Greg asked, making Nick feel suddenly warmer. "I guess so." Greg grumbled.

"It's just an hour G." Nick smiled, checking Grissom hadn't seen them yet.

"Just an hour Nicky, that's 60 minutes."

"C'mon, I promise to kiss you as soon as we've left."

"I'll hold you to it." He grinned, finally parting from Nick. They walked over separately, joining Grissom at his table.

"Hey Greg, how you doing?" Grissom asked.

"Better now." Greg nodded, sliding into the booth.

"Hey Nick, enjoying the weather?" He grinned, seeing Nick in sunglasses.

"Well I'm not used to sunshine." He smirked, sliding into the booth, inches apart from Greg. "How's things at the lab?"

"Hectic, Catherine was pissed I had to go to this conference. We could really use you back there Greg." Grissom said looking at the younger CSI. He looked a lot better than the last time he saw him. He had put on a bit of weight, more colour in his cheeks, not to mention the better haircut.

"I will be back soon Griss." Greg was mostly thinking about going back there to be in a proper relationship with Nick, he wasn't even thinking about the work.

The boring breakfast breezed by in a matter of minutes.

Greg was counting the minutes before he got to kiss Nick again. Sure enough he got his wish. As soon as they got back to Greg's house, their lips were glued together for a deep, saliva exchanging twelve minutes. They didn't even make it through the passage way of the front door.

"There's no way I can last through those long double shifts, without kissing you." Greg admitted, panting before they resumed the kiss. Nick slowly broke the kiss, resting his forehead against Greg's.

"We'll have to grab a kiss wherever and whenever we can then baby." Nick cupped Greg's face in his hands looking deep into his eyes. "I love you baby."

"Now that _is_ cute." Nick and Greg looked round seeing Jade stood feet from them, holding a tub of ice-cream in her hands, watching them kissing. "Sorry did I ruin the moment?"

Nick and Greg laughed shaking their heads.

"Why are you eating ice-cream anyway Jade?" Greg asked, straightening his jacket.

"Oh, I was feeling depressed, but Papa Olaf banned me from the liquor cabinet, he said there's enough alcoholics in this family." She said looking directly at Greg. "That and I'm out of cigarettes. So next best thing." She smiled, then held her head as she got a brain freeze. "You know, word of advice, it might be easier to just come out to the people you work with. Then you can kiss wherever and whenever you want." She suggested.

"We can't tell them, their cops. Vartann and O'Riley have already expressed a few of their opinions on homosexuals at a few crime scenes we've handled." Greg said, dropping heavily onto a stool in the kitchen.

"Well you don't have to tell everyone, just a few friends maybe." She suggested sitting opposite him. Nick slumped down on the stool beside Greg, slightly agreeing with what she was saying.

"Nicky you agree with me don't you? A lot of LVPD are very anti-gay."

"They are G, but our friends aren't."

"I don't wonna tell anyone though . . . at least not for a while. That's okay right?" Nick looked at Greg's adorable face then nodded.

"That's fine G."

"Oh, you give in too easy Nicky." Jade laughed. "You give into Einstein's puppy dog look once; you'll find yourself doing it all the time." She smirked.

"I'm okay with that." Nick grinned, looking into his boyfriends adorable puppy dog eyes.

"You gonna share that ice-cream Jade?" Greg asked. Jade handed the spoon over to him, then pushed the tub across the counter. "So what was is it, boyfriend stuff?" Greg asked curiously, licking a spoonful of the cookie dough ice-cream.

"No . . . my dad had a heart attack last night." Nick and Greg bit their lips, nervously looking at her. "It's cool, I'm okay."

"You sure?" Greg asked, licking his lips from the ice-cream he spilt down his chin.

"Yep, I'm fine. Not like I really had a relationship with him anyway. He doesn't wonna see me so I'm cool with it." Jade looked round at the clock then climbed off her stool. "I gotta get back to work . . . catch yah later." She winked at them walking out the house.

"She took that pretty well." Nick said looking at Greg, once she was gone.

"That's her denial Nicky; she always acts like that when something bad happens." Greg spun on his stool to face Nick. "You are okay with not telling everyone at the lab about us right?"

"About that G..."

"You already told them?" Greg asked, shocked.

"No, no, no G . . . only Sara." Nick nervously said, looking back at Greg's puppy dog expression. "And Cath." He sheepishly added.

"Catherine?" Greg shouted in shock. "Why'd you tell em Nicky?"

"Well G you just left, I was upset. I needed to talk to someone..."

"So this is my fault?"

"No Greg, I said that wrong . . . I meant I needed someone to talk to, about all this."

"But Catherine? Why Nicky? Sara I understand, but not Catherine . . . she's a blabber mouth." Greg shouted in a panic, climbing off his stool and pacing the room.

Nick stepped off his stool catching Greg's hands in his own.

"Relax Greg, she's not gonna tell anyone..."

"But Nicky the way she'll look at me."

"Hey Greg." Nick softly ran one hand through Greg's hair, trying to calm him down. "She's not gonna look at you any different, I swear. Sara and Cath won't tell anyone or treat you any different baby, it's gonna be fine."

"Okay, I trust you Nicky . . . but we can't tell anybody else."

"Promise G, not until you're ready . . . or me, I'm not ready to tell everyone yet either." Nick smiled, holding Greg in his arms.

"Is there anything else you're not telling me?"

"Can't think of anythin . . . how about from now on we'll be 100% honest with each other."

"Okay, 100% starting now?"

"Yep." Nick sealed the deal with a kiss.

"Nick this shirts a really nasty colour." Greg snickered, holding the rim of Nick's shirt in his hands. Nick looked down at his green shirt then rolled his eyes at Greg.

"I bet it looks better on the floor though huh?" Nick teased.

"Much better." Greg bravely rasped, then ran up the stairs with Nick, like a newly wedded couple on their way to the honeymoon suite.

* * *

"C'mon Nicky I wonna hear you're speech." Greg pleaded. Nick pulled his boxers back on crashing onto the bed sheets with Greg. "I can give you pointers and things." He grinned resting on the bed beside Nick.

"Okay G." Nick smiled retrieving his presentation speech from the bedside cabinet.

It took him a whole hour to read through. When Nick finally finished reading his speech, he looked down at Greg, seeing he was fast asleep, resting his head on Nick's stomach. Nick laughed running his fingers softly through Greg's hair. "Was it that borin G?" He giggled seeing his young lover blinking his eyes open.

"You finished?" Greg asked, yawning as he stretched out.

"Yeah G." He chuckled. "So what'd yah think?" Greg nervously bit his lip looking up into Nick's eyes.

"Well Nicky . . . I-I thought it was brilliant, but I got caught up _really_ listening to your sexy Texan voice and I fell asleep."

"Aww G." Nick chuckled, pulling Greg into his arms. "I really have a sexy voice?"

"So sexy Nicky, you have no idea." Greg grinned, resting against Nick's warm chest. "I could listen to your voice for hours and never get bored." Greg raised his head to kiss him. After a slow sensual kiss they parted looking into each other's eyes. "Mmm . . . I love you Nicky."

"Love you too baby . . . hey you've never said what you like about me G." Greg rolled off Nick crashing on the bed beside him, looking deep into Nick's sexy eyes. "Are you still scared to tell me?" Greg shook his head, nervously biting his lip. "Then tell me G."

"I love your hair especially when it's wet in the shower Nicky; don't ever shave it again..."

"Oh I won't, believe me. Feeling your fingers in it when we kiss is magical." He grinned, pulling Greg back on top of him, joining their lips for a kiss. Greg weaved his fingers through Nick's hair while they kissed, just the way he liked it. Nick rolled their bodies so Greg was underneath him, looking down into his young lover's eyes as they kissed.

"I love your eyes, no one's ever looked at me the way you do Nicky . . . Oh and I was so jealous of Wendy, when she got to rip your shirt off you..." Greg said, running his palms down Nick's naked torso.

Nick smiled remembering what he meant. "I didn't even know you liked me then." Nick worked some kisses across Greg's jaw line, softly sucking on his adams apple.

"I didn't know either . . . I just felt so envious . . . at that moment I wished I still . . . worked in the lab so I got . . . to do that to you." Greg said, between gasps of pleasure.

"Aww that's sweet G." Nick kissed Greg again, sucking his sweet tongue into his mouth. Greg smiled leaning back on the bed as Nick kissed his way down Greg's chest. Greg arched up into the kisses, gasping as all the blood rushed straight to his groin.

"Now when she shoved her hand in your front pocket . . . that made me more jealous, I had this dream the next night of fighting her for you. I didn't know what it meant at the time." Greg grinned; looking up into the Texan's smiling eyes. "Now I realise its coz I was crazy about you Nicky."

"I'm crazy bout you too G." Nick ground his hips against Greg's as he deepened his kiss. "I love you so much Greg." Nick panted across the younger man's neck.

"I love you so much too Nicky. Do you really have to go to this conference thing?"

"Can't last without me huh?" Nick chuckled, thrusting his hips into Greg's.

"No way Nicky, I'm completely addicted to you." He giggled.

"There's plenty of breaks at these things G, at the end of the day I'll still be crawlin into bed with you though baby." He grinned, caressing the younger man's body beneath him.

"Won't you ever get bored of me Nicky?" Greg asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Never G, even watchin you sleep entertains me."

"Really? Even if I . . . you know I never get comfortable enough to have . . . sex with you." Greg anxiously asked.

After a long pause Nick finally answered.

"Yep . . . you're too good to let go. I don't care how long it takes for you to get used to me completely . . . after all it has only been four days, I don't wonna rush you baby."

"Really that long?" Greg asked surprised. "Seemed longer."

"It has felt longer." Nick agreed. "But time always melts away when I'm with you G."

"How much longer you got now?" Greg asked. Nick grabbed his watch off the side checking the time.

"4 hours 22 minutes . . . don't worry that's plenty of time G." He assured him, putting his watch back on the side.

"But you'll be conferencing all afternoon." Greg whimpered. "Plus Grissom said something about a dinner, so you can't take me out."

"You can come if you like G..."

"Nicky it's a free bar, there's no way I can stand to be around that much free booze and keep my hands off you."

"You're so cute when you're in love." Nick grinned, caressing his body again with his strong broad hands. "How about I skip the big dinner, tell them I'm not feelin too good, then we can spend an evening in your big ol movie theatre?"

"Sometimes I think you only want me for movie theatre." Greg teased, playfully poking Nick in the ribs.

"Don't get me wrong I love your movie theatre, but you're so much better. I'd pick you over that deluxe movie theatre any day G."

"What about if the games on?" Greg asked with a cheeky grin. Nick bit his lip looking into his boyfriends eyes. "I knew it; you love the game more than me." Greg laughed, pushing Nick off his hips onto the bed beside him.

Nick rolled onto his side, wrapping his hands around Greg's body. "No way G, just the games only on TV for a short time, but you're always around see..."

"And people say marriage is compromise." Greg chuckled.

"How about I hug you during a game? That counts as compromise." Nick teased back.

"How did we get from the free bar to this?" Greg asked puzzled.

"I don't know G." Nick laughed, looking into Greg's eyes as he looked right back.

"How long now?" Greg asked, rolling onto his side to face Nick.

Nick rolled his eyes reaching for his watch behind him. "4 hours 2 minutes. Greg how are you gonna cope when we're hours apart workin on cases?"

"There's always the good ol right hand." Greg chuckled. "I'll be fine Nicky; I'm in the early stages of separation anxiety."

"Well three days ago you were in the insecure, not wantin to be pushed out of your comfort zone anxiety."

"Is that really a condition?" Greg teased. "I have to admit, as soon as we sat down with Grissom I started freaking again. I can't help it Nicky, sometimes I want you to never stop touching me . . . but others it feels weird..."

"Weird how?" Nick asked, smoothing his palms across Greg's chest.

"Like I just found out my long time friend is gay and it's my arse he fantasises about." Greg said insecurely.

"Wonna know what my biggest fantasy of late is?" Nick asked him, pulling away his hands. Greg looked up at Nick nodding. "C'mon get dressed and I'll show yah." Nick smiled, climbing off the bed.

"Well it requires clothing, so I think I'm safe." Greg smiled back, scrambling off the bed.

"Very funny G." Nick laughed.

* * *

"This?" Greg asked shocked. Nick nodded, handing Greg another ball. Greg shrugged at him then threw the ball at the target in front of him. Nick cheered as Greg hit the target winning a stuffed dog. "I can't believe you have fantasies about taking people to carnivals."

"Oh not people G, just you." Nick smiled, watching as his shy boyfriend blushed. "This is like the next step of our relationship; truthfully I never got to this stage with women..."

"You never made it to the third date?" Greg asked surprised.

"Not exactly . . . don't feel pressured to follow the third date rule though G, I'm not expectin yah to put out."

"See now that's compromise." Greg chuckled. "So this means I'm really your boyfriend?" Greg cringed, feeling the word in his mouth. It felt weird to say, but he desperately wanted to be Nick's boyfriend.

"Really does Greg..."

"You sure you wouldn't be happier with someone like Jade? She puts out all the time and you two have loads in common." Greg anxiously asked.

"I don't wonna be with someone like Jade, she's like the old me..."

"A womaniser? Only technically she's a maniser . . . is that a word?"

"No more sugar you." Nick laughed. "I don't wonna be with you for the sex G, I wonna be with you because I love you."

"Did somebody body swap you back in Vegas?" Greg asked, making Nick laugh again. "I'm serious is this some freaky Friday crack?"

"No G, it's really me." Nick smiled. "I'm really Nick Stokes; I just gave into the real me for once."

"For the record the pretend Nick wasn't so bad to have around."

"Thanks Greg . . . So what'd you wonna do now G?"

"No spinney rides." Greg warned, happy to change the subject. "My dad took me here when I was little, we went on those twisting tea cup things, I threw up everywhere, it was a twisting vomit cup once I was done." Greg laughed at the memory.

"Okay no spinney rides G." Nick chuckled, leading him through the carnival towards another game.

They had a great three hours together returning home with a handful of cuddly toys and hyped up on sugar. Or at least Greg was as he had 2 more buckets of toffee coated popcorn and 3 lots of candy floss, along with a tall glass of chocolate milkshake and a few cans of soda.

"You really can't come to the conference now G, you're bouncin off the walls as it is." Nick laughed at how much energy his young lover had.

"I wonna see your speech though." Greg smiled, throwing himself onto the sofa with the large stuffed bunny Nick won for him in his arms.

"You love that bunny far too much G." Nick laughed, sitting on the sofa beside Greg.

"First gift my boyfriend gave me, I'm gonna treasure it forever, just like girls treasure movie tickets and things. Like when Rachel shows Ross her little box of things from each date the tickets and that fossil thing. I can't believe I said that without feeling weird."

"Which part?" Nick asked confused. Greg's run on sentence's seemed to get worse the more sugar he consumed.

"Huh?" Greg asked, looking blankly up at Nick.

"Which part felt weird to say G?" Nick laughed.

"Boyfriend, boyfriend feels weird to say. Boyfriend, boyfriend, boyfriend." He said over and over trying to get used to it. Nick laughed again, shaking his head.

"It shouldn't feel weird G, I am you're boyfriend, I'm gonna be the best boyfriend you ever had..."

"Considering you're the only one I've ever had, that kinda gives you an advantage." Greg excitedly interrupted. "Although I think Mr. Woggles here might come in second." Greg laughed, holding up the bunny.

"You named him Mr. Woggles? See I can't have you there G, you're all jittery, like a squirrel on caffeine." He laughed.

"Do you want some? Caffeine I mean not the squirrel, although we might be able to find you one. You might have to settle for road kill..."

"That's it next time I'm givin you all organic." Nick laughed, trying to calm his excitable, child like boyfriend.

"You forgot to read my feeding instructions before you took me out the box huh?" Greg joked, getting Nick in stitches of laughter again.

"This is why I love you G." Nick smiled, joining their lips for a slow kiss, then glanced at the clock behind Greg. "I better go get ready."

"Just remember to..."

"Picture everyone in their underwear, I got it."

"I was actually gonna say to picture me in my underwear, but if seeing Grissom in tighty whiteys works for yah, knock yourself out." Greg laughed.

Nick cringed, picturing what Greg just put in his head.

"Ugh... that put a nasty visual in my mind, thanks for that G." He said sarcastically, kissing Greg once more before he had to rush to get ready.

"I think your right Nicky."

"About what G?" Nick asked throwing his suit over the back of a chair.

"You're gonna be the best boyfriend I ever had . . . and that didn't feel weird to say." He grinned.

"I'm glad." Nick smiled, blanketing his boyfriend's body again. "I love you G."

"Love you more Nicky."

* * *

**Please Review**

**Thanks for reading, I hope your enjoying the story. I tried to make their relationship more realistic and cute, rather than rushed into sex and fluff like most people do. Not that there's anything wrong with that :D I just thought I'd make it seem more real.**

**I got loads more chapters planned so keep reading to find out more :D**

**~ Holly**


	12. Chapter 12: Freaking Out

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Twelve: Freaking Out**

Greg ducked between the rows of students, taking comfort in an empty seat watching Nick presenting his speech. "Oh my gosh . . . Greg Sanders." A voice came from the row behind him. Greg looked round wide eyed as he recognised the woman.

"M-Maria." He nervously stammered, giving her an awkward smile. "Wow what's it been?"

"About ten years." She smiled, studying him closely. "Wow you haven't changed a bit, still with the Marilyn Manson t-shirts and the crazy hair." She laughed. Greg wanted to tell her to be quiet because he couldn't hear his boyfriend talking, but he decided not to. Fear trembling through his body once again.

Maria got one of the students to swap seats with her so she could sit beside Greg. "So wow what are you doing back in Cali?"

"Vacation." He nervously answered.

"You're not still seeing that Jade are you?" Greg shook his head. "Thank god, no offence."

"She's still my best friend." Greg said, seeing Maria's face suddenly turn into an apologetic look.

"I'm so sorry Greg; I just meant she's not the dating kind. Not for you anyway." Maria smiled, looking into her long lost lovers eyes. Granted they only dated for a month and never shared a moment of the big O, but she still had feelings for him.

Maria talked to Greg all the way through Nick's speech then gave him her number to get in contact with her again. Greg nodded; shoving the napkin into his pocket then went to look for Nick out the back.

"Greg." Nick smiled, surprised to see him here. "I told you not to come."

"I'm calmer now." Greg innocently smiled, feeling nervous about being so close to Nick in a very public place.

"You okay G?" Nick asked taking a small step closer to Greg. Greg took one back awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets. Nick could sense he was having another insecure moment, as he watched Greg anxiously watching the other people walking around them. "C'mon G, there's a break room back here." Nick indicated. Nick started walking, watching as Greg half-heartedly followed close behind.

Nick opened the door to the break room letting Greg step through into the empty room first. Nick guided Greg over to the table pouring him a coffee. "What's up Greg?" Nick asked, dropping into the empty chair opposite Greg.

"I'm sorry Nicky." Greg weakly apologised. "I just saw someone I used to know and I had a momentary freak out."

"You don't have to apologise G, nobody knows about you and me here."

"I know . . . and I feel so stupid. It's an irrational fear and I know that, but I can't stop this feeling from creeping up on me unexpectedly."

"It's okay Greg, we'll be back in Vegas on Wednesday, then we'll have our own privacy."

"I know Nicky. I'm still sorry . . . ugh . . . this coffee taste like lighter fluid." Greg cringed, pushing it away.

"You've tasted lighter fluid?" Nick asked.

"Once, accidentally."

"Okay Greg . . . Go home G, I'll be home to you in an hour."

"You're not going to dinner with Grissom?"

"No I told him I have a headache." Nick smiled. "He said it's okay for me to just relax back at my hotel."

"You told him you were staying in a hotel?" Greg asked, curiously.

"Well I couldn't tell him I was at your place. What if he wanted to come over too..."

"And meet the crazy insecure boyfriend, the family with verbal diarrhoea..."

"Exactly." Nick chuckled. "Go on go home baby, you need to start catchin up on your sleep ready to switch round again for yah shift . . . and promise me you'll eat somethin, that doesn't have sugar in it?" Nick asked standing up.

"I promise." Greg smiled, checking the room for security camera's before he kissed his boyfriend goodbye. "I love you Nicky." He whispered softly.

"Love you too baby." Nick waved, watching Greg head out the door. "And no alcohol." Nick warned him.

"Yes mother." Greg said sarcastically as he left.

* * *

"Mom I don't want anything." Greg moaned to her again lying on the sofa.

"Gregory you have to eat something." She protested, placing her hands on her hips. "I swear you're all skin and bones as it is, you've got to eat something." Greg mockingly pulled a stick of gum from his pocket, shoving it into his mouth. "That's not funny."

Papa Olaf stuck his head round the door interrupting them. "Hey how do you spell chick? Is it c-h-i-c-k or c-h..."

"The first one." Greg interrupted. "What are you spelling Chick for anyway?"

"Never you mind." He grinned tapping his nose, walking back out the room. "One more thing." He said quickly running back. "What's another word for radical?"

Greg stared blankly at his Papa Olaf.

"Extreme, what are you doing dad?" Jean asked.

"Never you mind." He repeated, walking back out the room.

"Greg, how about some toast?"

"No."

"Pizza?"

"No."

"Burrito? I can whip one up in ten minutes?" She suggested, but Greg's answer remained the same. "Fudge ice-cream or a chocolate sundae."

"No and No, Mom take a hint, I DON'T WANT ANYTHING." He sounded out for her frustrated.

"What's wrong with you?" She snapped at him. "Nick dump you or something?"

"Why does everything always have to be about Nick?"

"Uh oh, someone's have only child syndrome."

"What does that even mean?" He asked angrily. Jean rolled her eyes at him, sitting down on the sofa beside him.

"Being in a relationship is tough Greg..."

"Sorry, how would someone go about describing a woman/man whore kinda thing?" Papa Olaf interrupted again. "Is it a womaniser or manho?"

"Dad what are you doing? Writing some sort of weird sex novel?"

"No, I'm trying to prove a point to someone. So?" He asked them.

"What do you mean a woman/man whore?" Greg asked. Papa Olaf bit his lip trying to think of the best way to describe them, without giving too much away.

"Like a hooker . . . only not the money sense?" He weakly explained.

"Well that helps." Greg sarcastically rolled his eyes. "Whore would be good?"

"No that's too bold." Papa Olaf said, rubbing his chin in deep thought.

"Greg my point is being an only child; you're bound to have issue's with suddenly having to share things with someone. You've only been dating four days and you haven't left one another's sides." Jean explained to her son.

"How about slut?"

"Oh for f..." Jean threw her arms up in the air trying not to swear at him. "Cheese and rice dad, would you just tell us what the hell you're doing?" Jean blared at him.

"No, it's personal. Does slut work?" He asked them.

"I guess." Greg shrugged. Papa Olaf nodded, walking back out the room again. "Mom I'm not having only child syndrome, I'm worried we're moving too fast. Nick wants me to move in with him . . . and this is kinda personal." Greg looked up into his mothers eyes. "It's more of a dad subject to cover with his son."

"I'll go get him then, can I get you anything?" Greg gave her the stink eye glare. "Just thought I'd ask." She said defensively walking away.

"Hey Greggy, how does this sound?" Papa Olaf handed over his note book to his grandson.

"Papa O, what the hell is this for?" Greg asked confused, looking at the scribblings on the note pad.

"Jade..."

"Why are you writing Jade a note like this?" Greg looked at his Papa Olaf as if he was insane.

"I set her up on a blind date, he's not really her type, but he's a really nice guy..."

"You're trying to set Jade up on a blind date and you're expecting her to _not _sleep with him because you wrote a ridiculous note like this?" Greg shook his head laughing, re-reading through the note. "First of all you don't wonna call her Chick, or the extreme/physical part . . . you especially don't want to call her a slut."

"Well I was planning on leaving the note on her table while she waited for her date to arrive; she'd think he sent it." Papa Olaf explained.

"She'd think her date called her a slut and leave."

"Well he's a really great guy; I don't want her to blow her chances." Papa Olaf sheepishly explained.

"Papa O, Jade sleeps with every guy she dates, just because you leave a lame note like this, calling her a slut and a chick, doesn't mean she isn't going to."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Let me handle it." Greg tore up the note in his Papa Olaf's hands heading for the front door, completely forgetting his mother had gone to fetch his dad for a father son talk.

* * *

"So what should I do?" Greg asked, hoping for some best friend advice. Jade looked up from the engine she was working on, not even realising Greg had been talking to her this whole time.

"About what?"

"Oh my God Jade, I just told you I'm FREAKING out coz the cowboy asked me to move in with him. At the time when he said it, I was like fine, what the hell. Now I'm having second... Ow." Greg winced as she slapped him out of his freak out. "You just hit me."

"Well done Einstein." She blared sarcastically. "What the hell is there to freak out about any ways?" She asked, returning to the engine of the car.

"Because..."

"If you dare say, coz he's a guy one more time, I will whoop your ass Sanders." She warned him.

"Fine." Greg folded his arms across his chest sitting on the edge of the table. "Maybe it's more because he's my co-worker and friend..."

"**Boyfriend**, you gotta add the _boy_ part now." She snickered to him. "Listen up Einstein there's basically two types of people. Ones that are in love with someone, but they don't love them back, then there's the lucky few that are both in love with each other . . . you fall into that category and you're gonna throw it away, coz he's a guy, coz he listens to hick crap or even coz he wants to pop your cherry, but you're a wimpy little 31 year old virgin who can't accept something good when its handed to him on a Texan beef platter."

Greg sat a moment in silence, feeling as though he should be offended by some of things she said, but she actually had a point.

"You really think I'm a wimp?" Greg asked. Jade looked round at him from under the hood of the engine nodding.

"Only in the dating area though." She winked.

Slightly relieved that someone else thought so too, Greg gave out a loud sigh. "Thanks Jade, you're a great friend for the tough love approach."

"How I was raised." She grinned. "You better not come in here tomorrow having another freak out or I'm gonna hit yah."

"Why are you suddenly siding with Nick?" Greg asked, folding his arms across his chest again.

"Coz he loves yah G, that's rare to find, especially for you." She teased. "You screw this up, you're screwing with your chance at a happily ever after."

"Okay . . . I will try not to screw this up. And at least give this mystery date a chance."

"No way, I'm not meeting with some weirdo I've never met and Papa Olaf picked out. Remember who he set me up with for the 6th grade dance?"

"C'mon Dexter was sweet." Greg giggled at the memory.

"He bit my damn lip trying to kiss me, stomped on my foot while we were dancing then he called me a loser." Jade looked at the shocked expression on Greg's face. "Right I left that part out when I told you." She remembered.

"I've been called a loser hundreds of times Jade; I know how deep it cuts."

"Well Greg, you screw this up with Nick, I'm gonna call yah a loser. Now go away, I have work to do. And you have a hunky Texan to snuggle up to." Greg smiled, watching her get back to work on her love life, her love of cars that is. The only love that has never let her down.

* * *

Nick walked slowly into the games room seeing Greg sprawled out on the sofa bed, fast asleep. Nick pulled Greg's shoes off for him, along with his own then sat on the bed beside Greg, softly stroking his fingers through his hair. Nick glanced up at the table beside the bed seeing an open bottle of Valium and half a glass of water.

"I only had 2." Greg smiled, opening his eyes. He saw the CSI studying the bottle and the glass.

"Okay G." Nick smiled. "You okay?"

"Better now your here." Greg gave out a slight yawn, re-closing his eyes. "How'd it go?"

"Fine G, what you been up to then?"

"Not much."

"Why are your eyes all puffy G?"

"Ever the CSI." Greg giggled, opening his eyes again. "I was crying . . . I needed to let it out." Nick lied down beside his sleepy boyfriend, draping his arm over Greg's waist.

"What were you cryin about baby?"

"I love you Nicky . . . but it's still hard for me to get my head around it."

"Not that much will change Greg; you keep thinkin its somethin huge. All that's really changed is instead of playing computer games together, we hug in bed . . . maybe more, once you get used to having a boyfriend."

"I love playing computer games though." Greg added, making Nick smile.

"We can still play computer games together G, don't worry. We'll still drink beer, talk and be best friends . . . Best friends with a little extra perk though."

"Best friends with benefits." Greg grinned.

"Exactly G . . . I'm scared too you know G, I've never been in a relationship..."

"You can stop there." Greg interrupted with a giggle.

"I was going to say with a guy, smart arse." Nick chuckled, tickling Greg. "I'm scared about this too G, I've put all my trust in you because I love you . . . my family would probably crucify me if they found out what I was doing, but yours are great. They love you no matter what, that and their able to crack jokes about it."

"I'm sorry Nicky . . . I know it's hard for you too."

"Look at you, you're already half asleep." Nick chuckled.

"I may have had a few shots of Jack Daniels before the Valium." Greg said with his eyes closed.

"Do I get a goodnight first?" Greg leant up on his elbows to kiss Nick, then dropped back onto the pillow with his eyes closed.

"Night Nicky." He murmured.

"Good Night Greg." Nick whispered. "What am I gonna do with you G?" Softly running his fingers through Greg's hair.

"Love me . . . feed me . . . never leave me." Greg whispered softly.

* * *

**Please Review**

**Thanks to NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan for beta-ing :D**


	13. Chapter 13: Next Step

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Thirteen: Next Step**

"Rise and shine sweetheart." Nick smiled, perched on his boyfriends hips.

"With you grinding against me like that, rising inevitable." Greg grinned, rubbing his eyes.

"Mornin' G."

"Morning Nicky." Greg leant up on his elbows to kiss his boyfriend. "Did you brush?" Greg asked as he could taste mint on his boyfriend's lips.

"I've been up for three hours, I had to do somethin'." Nick told him. "Don't worry I don't mind, you taste like liquorish."

"Liquorish really? I love those sweets. One of the perks of dating a guy I guess, you don't care about morning breath." Nick laughed, shaking his head at him. "So what have you been doing the past three hours?"

"Well I made you a coffee." Nick reached for it off the table beside the bed.

"Mmm blue Hawaiian." Greg smiled as the scents woofed up his nostrils. "Thank you, perfect hangover remedy."

"You're welcome." Nick kissed Greg again, this time he tasted like coffee. "Greg I really think we should talk about this at some point."

"About what coffee?" Greg looked up at his boyfriend puzzled.

"You're alcohol problem G."

"I don't have a problem Nicky; I was just enjoying myself at the dinner then last night I needed something to calm me down." Nick nodded, knowing otherwise. He was a classic alcoholic in denial. "So what else have you been doing?" Greg asked trying to change the subject.

"I did our washin' too and I found this." Nick pulled the napkin with Maria's number out of his pocket.

"I had no intention of calling her. She gave it to me at the conference, but I didn't wonna be rude, so I just shoved it in my pocket." Greg quickly explained.

"That's what I thought, but then when I found this..." Nick presented a second napkin Jade had given him, but it didn't have her name on it.

"That's Jade's one. When I first got here I didn't have her new number so she wrote it down for me."

"Okay G." Nick said believing him.

"Are you mad at me?" Greg asked self consciously.

"No G, I did kinda feel like the wife who found lipstick on her husband's collar though." Nick confessed with a slight chuckle. "But I know you wouldn't lie to me, especially not when you have your puppy dog eyes look."

"Damn, took mom ten years to spot that." Greg laughed. "You didn't think I had that much luck with the ladies did yah?" He chuckled.

"I don't know G, you are quite the looker. I can see the ladies linin' up round the block to take you out, but they can't have yah coz your mine."

"I love it when you say that." Greg declared. "Makes me feel so special."

"You are special G, in the non retarded sense of the word."

Greg laughed. "Careful you're beginning to sound like me."

"Well your very contagious G, I can see you in all of your family, although to be fair, you probably got your wackiness from them."

"Yep, it's a contagious Sanders trait." He chuckled. "Living with me you'll be confessing all your deepest sins at awkward times and be all unfocusy"

"Is that even a word?" Nick laughed at his hyper boyfriend.

"Yep, I made it up, therefore it is a word." Greg grinned, cheekily licking his lips after another sip of his coffee.

"You're crazy G." Nick laughed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, but you know you love me."

"I do, I'm crazy about you, so it works out fine." Greg smiled, pulling his boyfriend closer to him initiating a kiss.

"I'm crazy for you too cowboy."

"Your mom made us some blueberry muffins, when you're ready baby."

"Your fingers smell like blueberries." Greg inspected as Nick was running his fingers across Greg's jaw line.

"Well done Mr CSI, I helped make them." Nick chuckled.

"You can cook?" Greg asked surprised.

"Yeah I can G." He laughed. "You think I was completely useless in that area? I know a few things."

"Life-long bachelor, I suppose you'd have to learn to cook." Greg chuckled.

"Mean." Nick laughed, tickling Greg for teasing him again. Greg squirmed giggling, then pulled Nick closer initiating another kiss.

"You know I love you really Nicky, we're in the teasing stage now." He whispered.

"In that case you need to get your hyper little ass downstairs to taste my muffins I slaved over." Nick grinned, ceasing his tickling.

"Five more minutes?" Greg pleaded with his puppy dog eyes.

"Two." Nick haggled as his eager boyfriend pulled off his pyjama top.

"Three." Greg smiled, smoothing his palms under Nick's shirt.

"Better make it four." Nick chuckled, pulling his clothes off too.

* * *

"Hey Jade, what are you doing here?" Greg asked walking into the kitchen with Nick behind him.

"Papa O, broke my car." She said angrily.

"I didn't mean to, I didn't know about those gear things. I've only ever driven automatics."

"Papa O you're in your 70's, how could you have not driven a manual?" Jade asked annoyed.

"Ah you must always read the manual." Nana Olaf added, not understanding what they were talking about.

Papa Olaf chuckled. "Now you're talking, those damn thunder sticks..."

"Please my ears are bleeding." Jade yelled at Papa Olaf before he finished his sentence.

Greg snickered looking up at Nick. "See its Sanderitious." Greg pointed out, making him laugh again.

"What's Sanderitious?" His father asked, topping up his coffee.

"The Sander's personality trait." Greg grabbed some muffins off the side that Nick made for him. "We say what we want, when we want, whenever and wherever we want and in front of whoever we want."

"Bet you can't say that ten times fast." Papa Olaf grinned at his grandson.

"Don't take that bet G." Nick warned him, knowing his hyperactive boyfriend would give it a try.

"Morning everyone." Jean sang, walking into the house.

"Mom what are you wearing?" Greg cringed, seeing his mother in a skin tight leotard.

"I was doing my exercises in the garden." She smirked. "Close your mouth Daniel." She laughed walking by him, swinging her hips as she made her way to the bathroom. Jade reached out pushing Dan's jaw shut for him.

"You're drooling, Danny boy." She laughed. Dan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, looking round at everyone.

"What?" He asked nervously, quickly making a break for the back door.

"You're heading back to Vegas later aren't yah?" Jade asked them, peeling an orange in her hands.

"Yep." Nick smiled looking at Greg.

"Nice to meet you Nick." Papa Olaf smiled, shaking his hands. "Greg is non-returnable though, once you cross the border I won't give you a refund."

"Okay." Nick laughed at his humour.

"What about a trade in?" Nana Olaf asked. "You could trade him for a bigger hunkier version."

"Thanks so much guys." Greg said sarcastically.

"Anytime baby." Nana laughed, heading outside with her husband.

"I'll miss yah G." Jade admitted, shoving a piece of orange into her mouth. "Been nice having yah home again."

"We'll have to come back and visit yah, unless you ever come to Vegas." Greg handed Nick his coffee and muffin on a plate. "Be the perfect city for you." He laughed getting punched in the arm. "Ow, my boyfriend will so totally beat you up now." He said rubbing his arm.

"No I won't G." Nick grinned, wiping his mouth. "I don't hit girls."

"I do." Jade laughed, punching Greg in the arm again.

"You're so mean to me Jade Valentine."

"Stop making fun of me then G. I'll see you guys some other time then. I gotta get to work with only 2 gears in rush hour traffic."

"Bye Jade, nice to meet you." Nick smiled.

"You too Nicky, take care of Greg." She winked walking out the door.

"Why does everyone assume I'm the girl of the relationship?"

"Uh oh someone's havin' a Chuck and Larry moment." Nick laughed.

"Am not." Greg protested, folding his arms across his chest. "Although I would love to work with fireman Nicky." He rasped, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Gregory, I don't need to hear about your fantasies." Jean cringed as she entered the room.

"Sorry mom." Greg laughed, slightly embarrassed.

"Did you drink all the Jack Daniels again?" Jean asked finding the empty bottle by the bin.

"No, it was half empty when I got to it." Greg weakly explained. Jean nodded, looking at him concerned as she took the trash out.

"Greg seriously..."

"I don't have a problem with alcohol Nicky, I swear." Greg interrupted. "I would tell you if I did though don't worry."

"Okay G, so are you ready to go back home and move in with me?" Nick asked pulling Greg onto his lap.

"I guess so, aren't you worried about what Warrick would think. You're still gonna see him right?"

"Yeah, I'm not worried coz he doesn't know about us. It might be kinda awkward to explain that one to him though."

"See I told you."

"Hey I'm not backin' out G, you're not havin' second thoughts _again_ are you?"

"No." Greg shook his head slightly. "I can't wait to go back with you . . . it's just work and stuff I'm worried about."

"They're not gonna know..."

"Except Catherine and Sara coz _you_ told them."

"They won't say anythin' to yah G. If they do they'll have to talk to me about it. Don't worry, no one will know, not until we both want them to."

"Okay." He huffed. "If they do find out can we move to a third world country and live our happy ever after?"

Nick laughed shaking his head. "Well G third world country's aren't that gay friendly and I love my job."

"More than me?"

Nick tightened his embrace. "No way G, I love catchin' a cold more than my job. You're right at the top of the list of things I love."

"My sentiments exactly . . . what are we gonna do about holidays? If we always take them together they'll know for sure."

"We'll have to work somethin' out; please don't have another freak out on me."

"I'll try not to." Greg mumbled, fiddling with a loose thread on his t-shirt. "What if we get fired when they do find out? You know with the whole lab policy thing."

"Greg would you please relax. Griss is breakin' the rules more than us. Neither of us are in the supervisor position, we're just co-workers who fell in love. When and if they do find out, we'll just have to explain that workin' so close in a life or death situation daily . . . you kinda need a release from the stress of the job, so you seek comfort in those that know exactly what you're going through."

"I vote when we have to explain that to them, you're the one doing it." Greg laughed. "Have you been practising that?"

"No I just thought of it actually." He chuckled. "But it's true, until we have to tell them we'll just have to be really discreet . . . Now shut up and eat yah muffin." Greg smiled picking up the muffin off the plate. Greg carefully inspected it before he took a bite. "Pretty good huh?"

"Horrible." Greg teased, getting tickled again. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding." He laughed. "I love it."

"Good." Nick smiled, initiating a kiss on his lover's lips. "Can you finish packin' your bags while I go get some gas for the trip?"

"Okay." Greg nodded, climbing off his boyfriends lap. "Can you get some liquorish, I really fancy some."

Nick laughed. "Okay G."

* * *

Jean Sanders poked her head round the corner seeing her son sat on his bed staring into space. "Everything okay?" She asked walking in. Greg looked up at her startled, then gave her a slight nod. "You're not fooling me Gregory. I know you well enough now."

"Do you think I'm rushing into this with Nick?"

"Sweetie we discussed this yesterday, did you ever talk to your father?" Greg shook his head. "Why not, I'm sure he knows what you're going through . . . more than I do anyway."

"It feels weird talking to my dad about my boyfriend. Papa Olaf always cracks jokes . . . and Jade wants what's best for me, she thinks its Nick."

"I can't believe I'm saying this . . . but Jade's right. I've seen the way you two look at each other; I may be uncomfortable with certain aspects..."

"You and me both."

"Maybe if I didn't mother you so much, you would have been more macho for the ladies." She chuckled to herself. "Sweetie, I'm kidding. I think you and Nick are perfect for each other. I'll sound like a hypocrite if I didn't accept you, because I accepted your father after I found out he had been with a guy."

"Does anyone else know about dad?"

"I never told any of our friends, not that I was ashamed or anything . . . he never really talks about it any more."

"Where is dad?"

"I think he's in the summer house." Greg smiled, kissing his mother on the cheek.

"I love you mom."

"I love you too, sweetie." Greg scrambled off the bed running down the stairs to find his father.

"Grissom." Greg yelped in surprise, once he reached the bottom of the stairs. Grissom was stood in his hallway, talking with his Papa Olaf.

"Hey Greg, I just met your legendary Papa Olaf." Grissom smiled at the younger CSI. Papa Olaf smiled proudly. "I came to ask if you're coming back to work Thursday night, we could really use your help."

"Umm... sure." Greg nodded, nervously looking at his Papa Olaf, hoping he didn't spill the beans on his and Nick's relationship.

"Great I'll see you back on Thursday then." Grissom smiled, then shook Papa Olaf's hand before he walked out the door.

Greg sighed in relief once he was gone.

"You didn't tell him did you?" Greg accused Papa Olaf.

"No, I didn't tell him. I wouldn't do that to you Greggy."

Greg nodded then walked through the house towards the summer house at the end of the garden.

"Hey dad." Greg said startling him. "Sorry."

"Hey Greg, what's up?" Dan stopped the treadmill he was on, grabbing his towel to wipe away the sweat from his head.

"I wanted to talk to you, if you've got a minute."

"Sure son, what's up?" Dan sat down on the sofa indicating for Greg to join him. Greg slumped down onto the sofa beside his father, feeling even more awkward.

"I don't know if I can do this whole thing with Nick."

"Why? Has he done something to you..."

"No nothing like that." Greg quickly clarified for his over protective father. "Don't get me wrong I love Nick, but I can't be with him."

"Greg I understand, but you've got a good thing going. You can't just let Nick go."

"This whole thing is completely wrong though. I don't wonna be beaten up coz I'm a fag now." Greg panicked. "I still can't sleep from the last one; I don't think I can handle another beating."

"Greg has anyone threatened you?"

"Besides Jade . . . no."

"Jade threatened you?" Dan asked surprised.

Greg smirked. "She said if I screw this up she's gonna hit me."

"I agree with her then." Dan laughed. "Greg no one's gonna know just by looking at you. Gay bashing isn't that common any more. More die from suicides then murders."

"How would you know that?"

"Because I had to do the research to put your mothers mind at ease. That's why she's worried about the alcohol and drugs you keep popping."

"I don't have a problem." Greg moaned, starting to get annoyed. "I'm gonna have to tell Nick I can't go back with him."

"What? Why?" Dan asked confused.

"I need a few days to think things through . . . I can't think if I'm in Vegas where the problem is."

"Greg it's only a problem if you make it into one. You can live with Nick and appear heterosexual to the rest of the world until you're ready. You can't just throw it away."

"Sure." Greg huffed climbing to his feet, walking off. Everyone was telling him the same thing, but it didn't make a lick of sense to him.

Upon entering the house again Greg grabbed a bottle of scotch off the side heading for the front room. He intended on having one glass to clear his head, but ended up drinking the whole thing.

* * *

Nick returned home from getting petrol, walking into the front room, finding Greg passed out on the sofa. Upon further inspection he found the empty bottle of scotch, stuffed between the sofa cushions. "Greg." He sighed disappointed. Nick shook Greg waking him up. "Hey G, what's the matter?"

"Nothing Nicky." He mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Then what's the alcohol for?" Nick asked holding up the bottle.

"It's nothing Nicky." He mumbled again, avoiding eye contact.

"Greg you can't fool me . . . somethin's up. Is it about us . . . are you havin' second thoughts?" Nick asked nervously. He was starting to get frustrated with Greg's constant freak outs. He knew Greg loved him now, but it wasn't enough to assure him that Greg wouldn't break his heart.

Greg propped himself up on his elbow to look into Nick's eyes. "Nicky I can't go back with you..."

"What? Why?" The statement felt like a dagger had been stabbed into his heart.

"I just need some time to think Nicky, I love you . . . but I don't know if I can be with you."

"Why are you sayin' this Greg? You were fine when I left."

"Nicky please . . . I love you; I can't be with you right now." The emotional drunk sobbed. "Please Nicky, I just need to be alone . . . I just need to think please." Greg begged, pulling away from Nick.

Nick looked at him feeling hurt. He dropped the bag of liquorish treats he bought for Greg on the coffee table then walked off out the room without looking back. As soon as Nick left, Greg was in tears.

Nick sat outside in his truck, trying desperately to hold back his tears. His greatest fears had already come true.

Greg was rejecting him, before they even got started.

* * *

**Please Review**

**Keep reading to find out what happens next...**

**Thanks to NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan for beta-ing :D**


	14. Chapter 14: Bad Luck Wednesday

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Fourteen: Bad Luck Wednesday**

"Greg? What the hell are you still doing here? You're supposed to be on your way to Vegas with Nick." Jade shouted disappointed. Greg shoved his hands into his pockets leaning against the table beside the car she was working on. "GREG!!!" She shouted angrily, alerting the whole garage of employees and customers. "What the hell man? You didn't just let him go off by himself did you?"

"Yeah . . . I can't do this, this whole thing with Nick..." Greg's moaning was interrupted by Jade's fist colliding with his face. "Ouch."

"I told you I was gonna do that." She told him, pointing her finger at him.

"Thank you." Greg said, holding the side of his face. "I can't do this Jade."

"Do you ever listen to anything I tell yah?" Jade looked round at the clock then wiped her hands on a rag. "Bill, I'm clocking out early."

"Okay Jade." Her boss shouted back.

"Where are we going?" Greg asked as he was tugged outside to her car.

"How long ago did he leave?" She asked pushing Greg into the passenger seat of her car.

"Jade I don't wonna go after him." Greg moaned still dizzy from the scotch.

"Yes you do . . . God you've gotta be the dumbest smart person I know." She shouted at him starting the engine.

"Jade I can't have a relationship with him." Greg protested with tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Why not? Give me one good reason why." She demanded, before she drove off. Greg looked down at his hands on his lap. "You've got to be seriously dumb G, to not realise how much Nick loves you. Do you know how many of us would kill to have that?"

"I know you would." Greg chuckled, beginning to feel his head throbbing.

"C'mon G, one good reason why you can't go after Nick."

"It's nothing to do with Nick . . . it's about other people."

"Why do you care about what other people think?" Jade asked, watching as Greg dried his tears, clutching a bag of sweets in his hand. "What's with the bag of liquorish?"

"Nick bought them for me." Greg looked up at Jade seeing her roll her eyes.

"I would hit you again, but it wouldn't be worth it." She groaned. "Greg you've got a once in a life time chance. The guy loves yah, buys you liquorish, which I know you love. Why can't you see that Greg?"

"Because..."

"Greg!!!" She shouted annoyed, clutching her head. "You're seriously not getting this are you? Nick loves you, yah frigging idiot. Who cares what other people think of you. You told me yourself your boss is shagging the girl you used to have a crush on. Why do you care so much about people who don't really care about you?" She asked.

Greg sighed heavily looking at the bag of liquorish in his hands.

After a moments silence something finally clicked in his head.

"God what the hell am I doing? Drive!" He suddenly shouted pulling his seat belt on.

"That's what I've been trying to tell yah." She laughed, putting her foot down on the gas as she pulled away.

* * *

Meanwhile Nick was driving back home to Vegas alone listening to Rascal Flatts song 'What hurts the most' as the lines '_What hurts the most, was being so close. And havin' so much to say. And watchin' you walk away.'_ Were sung from the speakers, Nick began to choke up with tears in his eyes.

He couldn't believe after five glorious days, which he never wanted to end, suddenly meant nothing to Greg and he was willing to throw it all away, just because he was scared of what people would think of him.

Nick had never loved someone so much, then suddenly lost them in the blink of an eye. He felt like maybe it's better to never love at all.

* * *

"C'mon faster Jade." Greg impatiently urged.

"I floor it any more G, we'll be Flintstoning it there..."

"The love of my life is driving back to Vegas hating me as we speak; now c'mon give it the left foot." He urged again.

"I AM." She shouted frustrated. "As for the leaving you part, it's your own fault Einstein..."

"Don't get snippy with me, I'm a little drunk, but I can understand you."

"You know the first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one..."

"Shut up will yah? One problem at a time." He shouted, clutching his head. "Take the highway." He frantically pointed.

"But this ways quicker."

"Nick wouldn't take that route." Greg instructed. "I know him too well; he would have mapped out his route perfectly." Jade nodded taking the highway route as instructed.

"Whaddya mean one problem at a time?" Jade asked.

"Stop talking, more driving." He urged.

"My talking doesn't affect my driving G, what did you mean?"

"If it will make you drive any faster. I admit I have a problem. There I said it, now DRIVE."

"A problem with what?"

"I dunno . . . being gay, loving Nick, being beaten up, going back to work, Grissom and Sara together, loving you, Demetrius James, I love Nick, feeling guilty, I killed someone, I love Nick more than my own life, not wanting to have sex with Nick, weird that my parents have accepted me and Papa O is making jokes at my expense." He nervously rambled, spilling all his problems out without taking a breath, finding himself panting heavily at the end of it all.

"Damn G, you seriously need professional help."

"Ha ha you're a riot." He said sarcastically.

"Okay Greg, I'm not qualified to help with all of that, but I can tell you if you love me and Nick then you can't be completely gay. Feeling guilty for that James kid, you shouldn't. He was going to kill you and that tourist guy..."

"Stanley Tanner."

"See he's alive coz of you. Don't feel guilty for that." Jade looked at Greg, seeing he was clutching the liquorish bag ever so tightly in his hands. "As for the not wanting to have sex part, do you think its coz he's a guy, or because you're worried about what people will think of you?"

"Little of both." Greg sheepishly admitted. "I love Nick, but I don't think I'm ready."

"I'm sure he'll wait for you to be ready Greg. He doesn't seem the anxious to bed you type."

"This feels so weird having this conversation with you." Greg chuckled.

"Kinda weird for me too G." She laughed. "That help a bit?"

"A little." He smiled. "I did miss off some other problems..."

"I noticed. The drinking and drugs part. I don't think I can really help you with that in a 10 minute car journey, but I will tell yah you need help G."

"They're prescribed drugs." He corrected, showing her the proof.

"Okay G, that still doesn't make it okay to pop them while you're heavily drinking. You think Nick wants to see you like this? A drunken mess?"

Greg sighed, hoping they got to Nick soon so he could tell him how sorry he was and how much he loves him.

* * *

Nick started to feel more tears welling in his eyes as he got closer and closer to Vegas. He felt sick to his stomach, thinking of going back there alone without Greg. He could understand his point of freaking out. He felt the same, but he'd never leave Greg because of what other people would think.

Nick tried to start hating Greg, but he loved him too much. He looked at his phone sat on the dashboard thinking about calling him, but he'd still be wasted and not very easy to talk to. _Maybe he'll change his mind once he's sobered up. _Nick tried to convince himself.

* * *

"That's his car." Greg excitedly pointed out. Jade nodded trying to weave through the traffic to get closer.

"How much of that Valium did you take G?" She asked curiously, as he was bouncing all over the car like a hyper puppy.

"About 2, but I already had a stomach full of scotch." Jade rolled her eyes at him. "Maybe it was 3, I can't remember. C'mon pull up closer!"

"G there's a freaking lorry blocking my way." She told him, pointing to the giant lorry beside them. "This isn't the fast and furious; I can't just weave under it."

"Go faster then, overtake it." He instructed impatiently shouting at her.

"Greg, which part of I don't have third gear, did you not understand? If I floor it any more the engines gonna explode." She snapped at him.

"Well you shoulda fixed third gear."

"Yeah you know I would be right now, but _someone_ had another boyfriend freak out episode." She told him sarcastically.

"No need to get nasty." He smirked. "There he is c'mon just over take this car in the fast lane."

"We won't even make it..."

"Just do it!!!" Greg yelled fretfully, as if the longer he left it, the less chance he had at getting Nick back.

"Don't hit me again." He said, seeing the angry look in her eye. Jade rolled her eyes then checked in her rear view mirror before she floored it turning into the fast lane. The engine started making lots of strange scratchy chugging noises as its speed slowly increased.

"How'd you break third gear anyway?"

"I didn't, Papa O borrowed my car, were you stoned this morning too." She shouted, starting to get annoyed with the hyper puppy sat beside her.

"No I was hung-over. There he is." He pointed, once they passed the lorry. "Nicky." Greg shouted, waving his arms around, but Nick didn't look over. "Get in front of him."

"G we're gonna get pulled over..."

"Please just get in front of him." He pleaded even though there was a puff of grey smoke coming from her engine. "If he doesn't see me he won't stop and he'll hate me. Please." Jade rolled her eyes, slowly flooring it again to get in front of Nick.

* * *

"What's this idiot doin'?" Nick moaned, watching the car swerve in front of his truck. He widened his eyes in disbelief as he saw Greg frantically waving his arms around in the back of the car. "Greg?"

"Nicky it's me." Greg mouthed, pointing to himself.

Nick laughed. "Yeah I can see that." He mouthed back, pointing to his eyes. "What are you doin'?" Nick mouthed to him.

"Huh?" Was Greg's response. Nick looked around at the road signs then pointed to the exit slip. Greg nodded, instructing Jade to pull over.

"C'mon Jade, pull over." He pleaded.

"Greg we're three lanes across from the exit."

"I'm gonna wet myself all over your seats if you don't pull over." He threatened.

Jade rolled her eyes pulling over to the exit slip, getting tooted at by lots of angry drivers in the process.

Once Jade stopped the car, Greg legged it out the door running towards Nick's car. Nick stepped out of his car as his eager ex-boyfriend ran towards him, jumping into his arms, throwing his own arms around his neck.

Nick fully embraced the hug, pulling Greg closer against his chest.

"Nicky, please don't hate me, I love you, I'm an idiot, I love you, I'm the dumbest smart person I know, I love you, I'm such an idiot, I really do love you, I'm so sorry I hurt you again, you can hit me if you like, I love you Nicky, shit you've been crying..." He rambled hyped up on Valium, liquorish and scotch.

"Relax Greg." Nick laughed. "You're starting to get loopy. You had me at I love you." He smiled holding Greg closer, never wanting to let go. "You didn't drink a load more after I left did yah?" He asked concerned.

"No." Greg said nodding his head, making Nick smile. "I did have three lots of Valium though." He indicated with his fingers.

"That's five fingers G." Nick laughed pointing to his hand.

"Nicky can you please forgive me? I love you and I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm such a..." Greg's anxious apologetic words were suddenly cut off by Nick's lips kissing him, completely unaware of the fact that Grissom just happened to be driving by.

Grissom choked up on the coffee he was drinking, spitting it all down his front as he saw his two supposedly straight male CSI's in a very passionate lip lock. Unfortunately though, he forgot he was driving, bumping into the car in front.

Luckily he was going slow enough, so no one was injured, but that didn't stop the female driver from getting out the car to yell at him angrily for his carelessness.

"What the hell are you doing?" She yelled at him, frantically knocking on the window. Grissom's attention was still taken away by his CSI's though, who he never thought in a million years would be gay; or kissing each other.

The woman knocked on the window again, this time alerting his attention. "Go and get your jollies off somewhere else you old pervert, and look where you're going next time." She yelled again returning to her car.

Nick softly ran his hands down Greg's back holding his hips as they both deeply indulged in the most passionate lip lock they've ever had. "I love you too Greg." Nick panted, once they finally broke the kiss. "I'd be happy to take you back, coz I love you so much."

"Nicky I swear I didn't freak out about us together, I love you more than anything. I still have the liquorish." Nick laughed as Greg presented the bag from his pocket. "I love you Nicky, I never want to be alone . . . it was about other people, but Jade made me realise, what I want is more important because I love you . . . did I mention that?" Nick laughed nodding.

"Before or after she hit you?" Nick asked, seeing Greg's left eyebrow had a bump above it.

"After, but I totally deserved it and she warned me if I hurt you she'd do it..."

"She warned _you_ not to hurt me?" Nick asked surprised, then looked over at Jade fanning her engine, as thick black smoke poured out of it.

"Yep she likes you Nicky, she thinks you're the best thing that ever happened to me . . . and I agree with her."

"Same for me G, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me too."

"I love you so much Nicky, I'm so sorry I hurt you again. I promise to never ever ever ever do it again as long as we're together. I really love you so much. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. I can't believe I was going to throw it all away just coz I was worried about being beaten up again, or having to explain to people we work with about how we fell in love. I really love you Nicky. Can we go home now?" Greg asked beginning to feel sleepy. Nick laughed once he finally stopped talking hugging him closer.

"I love you too baby. Did you bring your stuff with yah?" Greg shook his head, making Nick laugh at him again. "You came all this way without any of your clothes?"

"Only the stuff on my back and a bag of liquorish, think I'll win survivor?" He joked with an adorable grin.

"You're adorable G."

"Well I could trade the liquorish for some proper food, most of my clothes for soap..." Nick interrupted Greg's nervous ramblings by kissing him again.

"I love you Greg and you're completely forgiven, but could you please stop talkin'." He laughed.

"Done, I'm kinda beat anyway."

"I'll bet. Scotch doesn't go with Valium and usually after one Valium you're sleepy so three I'd imagine you're ready to drop." Greg nodded, then in that instant he dropped into Nick's arms.

"Even the guy's fall at his feet." Grissom remarked, still watching them slightly jealous that they had such a passion for each other, whereas he had to settle for seeing Sara whenever either of them weren't busy or craving some alone time.

Nick carried Greg to the back of his car, lying him down on the back seat. He then helped Jade with her car making his way back home to Vegas with his boyfriend asleep on the back seat. He felt much better than the first leg of the journey when he was alone.

Nick finally felt ready to start the next stage of his relationship with Greg at home . . .

* * *

**What will happen now they're back in Vegas...**

**A/N: Keep reading to find out. Thanks so much for all your reviews and faving my story, I'm really glad you like it :D Lots more chapters coming. This story might go up to thirty chapters, possibly more so it'll be the longest story I've written so far. Plenty more humour and dramatic chapters coming up.**

**I based Greg's drunk side on a friend of mine, whenever she's drunk she gets really loopy and changes her minds about things instantly, just like Greg. One minute he wanted to be with Nick the next he was freaking out. (She's not an alcoholic though :D)**

**Thanks to NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan for beta-ing again :D**

**Please keep the reviews coming.**

**~ Holly**


	15. Chapter 15: First Day back

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Fifteen: First Day Back**

Greg slowly stirred awake, feeling warm kisses on his forehead. He opened his eyes seeing Nick smiling at him. "Mornin' Sunshine." Nick grinned, blanketing his boyfriend's body.

"More like night, technically." He corrected, seeing it was dark out.

"Yeah, but sayin' 'Night Sunshine' doesn't really work."

"You could say 'Night Moonrise' instead." Greg suggested making Nick laugh.

Nick frowned at him. "That makes even less sense G. C'mon Greg, open your eyes."

"They are open." Greg mumbled, even though they were closed. "I can see you...so they're open."

"What am I wearin' then G?" He decided to test him.

"In my eyes you're naked." He grinned placing his hand on Nick's sides slowly moving south. "They're special Nick nakedness eyes." Greg rasped, leaning up on his elbows, softly tugging on Nick's lower lip, teasing him in for a kiss. "I love you Nicky."

"I love you too baby." Nick softly ran his fingers through Greg's hair looking into his eyes. "C'mon Greg, you promised Griss you'd be goin' in today."

"I didn't actually say 'promise' so it doesn't count." Greg mumbled.

"Greg it's your first day back in months."

Greg rolled back under the covers, covering his face. "Tell Grissom I'm sick..."

"Greg you can't do this again. If you don't go back now, you'll never go back." Nick tried to reason with him. "C'mon baby." Nick pulled the cover away from him; Greg rubbed his eyes open, finally looking up at Nick. "You'll be fired if you keep pullin' this?"

"That's fine by me."

"Greg." Nick moaned at him. "Are you scared to go back or somethin'? Maybe you need counsellin' or somethin'?"

"I'm not doing counselling." Greg mumbled. Nick rolled off Greg, lying beside him to face him.

"Greg you have to talk to somebody, it's not good to bottle this stuff up."

"Like you yah mean?" Greg asked, rolling to face Nick. "You always bottle up this crap Nicky."

"Well I'm not the one drinkin' myself in coma's, tryin' to get out of work by sayin' I'm sick all the time, though am I G?"

"True." Greg grumbled, lying on his back again.

"C'mon baby, it'll be fine. Nothin's gonna happen to yah." Nick smoothed his hand across Greg's chest looking into his eyes. "C'mon baby."

"You can't call me baby when we get to work." Greg cautioned him.

"I won't G; C'mon I made you coffee and breakfast." Nick said climbing off the bed.

"W-w-wait." Greg grabbed Nick's hand, pulling him back on the bed. "I never got my morning kiss." Nick smiled sinking his lips onto Greg's. After a moist slow kiss, Nick pulled back licking his lips.

"Mornin' Sweetheart."

"Morning Nicky, I love you."

"Love you too baby. Breakfast in five minutes."

"Ten." Greg tried to haggle, reaching for Nick's belt buckle.

"Seven." Nick rasped, pulling Greg's pyjama t-shirt up over his head.

"Deal." Greg pulled Nick's shirt off, pulling his warm body on top of him. Nick unzipped his jeans tossing them away, then blanketed the body beneath him, watching Greg's eyes roll back into his head as their erections brushed against each other. Nick removed the last piece of clothing keeping them apart as he joined their lips for a slow sensual kiss, grinding against the younger man's hips.

* * *

"Honey it's gonna be okay." Nick assured him. Greg looked round the parking lot then leant over the gear shaft to kiss Nick.

"Love you Nicky." He smiled, climbing out the car. Nick licked his lips watching as Greg bravely walked towards the elevators, before he climbed out the car himself.

Greg took a deep breath watching as the doors to the elevator slowly opened in front of him. He looked out into the hall of people walking by with their files and things, getting on with a normal day of work, then he spotted Sara signing in at reception.

"Hey Greg, you're back." She smiled warmly. Greg nodded, still unable to move from his spot in the elevator. Sara could see he needed some encouragement, so she walked over to the elevator leading him out by the hand. "You okay Greg?" It was the first time he had been back since the beating and he was more nervous than ever.

"I'm fine." Greg smiled, enjoying the hug she gave him. "Thanks Sara." He sighed softly onto her shoulder.

"Hey G-man, you're back." Warrick smiled giving Greg a high five. "Hey it ain't been the same without yah around here Greggo."

"Missing my Yoko jokes already?" Greg smirked.

"Don't start with me man." He laughed, walking off through the lab.

"So I heard you moved in with Nick..."

"In the roommate's style of the word 'moved in together', yeah." Greg nervously corrected. Sara nodded knowingly, walking with Greg off towards Grissom's office.

"So where have you been?"

"Back home in California." Greg smiled.

"Well you certainly seem well rested." Sara smiled back. Greg nodded remembering the mornings he woke up in Nick's arms and all the time they spent together, whether it was fooling around on the beach or snuggling in front of the TV. He loved every minute of it.

"See yah later Greg." She winked. Greg waved then walked into Grissom's office nervously. Grissom looked up from his coffee, giving Greg a warm smile.

"Hey Greg, glad you made it." He decided not to bring up what he saw yesterday on the exit slip of the highway. He didn't want to know the details or embarrass his youngest CSI.

* * *

"Hey Nick." Warrick called out. Nick looked round giving Warrick a smile. "Good to see yah back man, you seen Greg?"

"Yeah I did, he looks better huh?" Nick smiled at the memory of how gorgeous Greg looked when he woke up in his arms.

"Nicky there you are, we got a 420." Catherine told him waving around the slip.

"See yah man." Nick smiled to Warrick.

"Hey you never told me if you hooked up with anyone." Warrick shouted after his womaniser friend that always had a story to tell.

Nick raised his eyebrows looking back at Warrick, with a smirk across his face. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He grinned following Catherine down the hall.

"So details Nicky?" Catherine asked in the elevator.

"Sorry Cath, I don't kiss and tell." Nick smirked looking at her.

"Oh come on Nicky, you've gotta give me something." She pleaded. Nick smiled shaking his head.

"Sorry Cath, you'll have to get your rocks off somewhere else." He grinned, heading for his car.

"Oh Nicky, that's no fair." She complained, climbing into the passenger side of his car. "I'll have to get it out of Greg then."

"No you won't." He warned her with a stern finger. "I don't want you buggin' Greg about this. I've had to deal with enough of his freak outs over the past few days..."

"Ah ha yesss, so it did happen with you two?"

"It...No, but yes we're together. I'm serious Cath, don't bug Greg about this."

"Promise." She smiled. "I'm happy for you Nicky."

"I'm happy too." Nick smiled, starting the car.

* * *

_Okay no one's gonna know I was grinding against a man this morning. The most gorgeously sexy man as a matter of fact. _Greg nervously told himself, as he tried to steady his hands to process some DNA samples. Greg relicked his lips, still tasting the Texan on his breath. He had opted to stay in the lab for today to help out Wendy with her work overload, but he couldn't concentrate or stop his hands from shaking.

Greg looked up seeing Wendy staring at him. "You okay Greg?" She asked watching his shaky hands pouring the liquid down one of the sample tubes.

"Yeah . . . I'll be back in a minute." Greg placed down the equipment he was holding, snapping off his gloves then walked off, heading for the locker room. Greg checked no one was around then pulled out the whiskey bottle, he had stowed away under some clothes taking two chugs before he returned it to its hiding spot, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

He knew he was risking a lot by drinking on the job, but he really needed the release to keep him calm. Greg grabbed two sticks of gum, shoving them both in his mouth, to cover the alcohol scent as he was working with a bunch of CSI's that notice these things.

* * *

"At least tell me you kissed him?" Catherine asked.

"No, Cath would yah shut up." Nick nervously snapped at her, seeing Vartann only feet from them. "I'm not tellin' yah any of the juicy details."

"We'll talk in code if it will make you feel better?" She suggested, not one to give up on getting juicy details too easily. "So this Gwen." She smirked. "You have kissed her right?" Nick smiled looking up at Catherine from behind the skip he was processing.

"Yes I kissed . . . Gwen." He grinned, raising his camera to his eye, to photograph the paint transfer on the side of the skip.

"And how was _she_?" Catherine grinned, desperately waiting for answers, before she continued with her work.

Nick licked his lips lowering the camera to his chest. "Best kiss I ever had." Nick shyly admitted.

"Aww, now that's cute." She smiled, getting back to work. "So you love him..._her_." She quickly corrected.

"Yes I love . . . _her_." Nick nodded. Catherine smiled to him again, bagging some evidence. "Can you please stop buggin' me now?"

"Sure, one more thing I wonna know though." Nick rolled his eyes at her, wondering what it could possibly be this time. "Is _Gwen_ okay with it?"

"He's gettin' there . . . I meant she's." Nick smiled, checking how far away Vartann was. "One minute he seems fine with me, then the next he's freakin' out and doesn't want me near him."

"I'm sure he'll get there Nicky. Remember when you were a teenager and you first started dating? How everything was really awkward and new, you didn't know when to kiss her, even where to touch her?" Nick nodded. "Coming out, is basically the same, you have to get used to doing it the other way round to your own sex instead of the opposite. He'll get there." She assured him.

"Thanks Cath." Nick smiled. "Put this on the list of conversations I never thought I'd have with you." He laughed.

"Well consider me your tutor, in your brand new sex life." She giggled, making him blush. "Seriously though Nicky, I'd be happy to help. I grew up with closeted guys."

"Thanks Cath, I really appreciate it."

"Just know if you ever have kids though, I'm not on your babysitting list." She added making him laugh.

* * *

"Grissom said you needed my help." Greg asked walking into the garage. Warrick slid out from under the car he was processing smiling at Greg.

"Yeah Greggo, someone made this little beauty into a car bomb. We need to find out how."

"Okay, tell me where to start." Greg snapped on some gloves grabbing a flash light. Warrick pointed to the front of the car removing his goggles as he wrote down the evidence he collected from under the car on his sheet.

"Hey Greg, where'd you get that bruise on yah eye?" Warrick asked curiously as he saw the young CSI flinching putting goggles on his face.

"Oh . . . I pissed off a girl." Greg laughed, remembering how Jade had punched him.

"You with a girl?" Warrick asked surprised.

"Yep." Greg watched Warrick suspiciously. "I actually had offers from three girls while I was away; one was so much more special than the others though."

"Really? You?" Warrick scoffed. "What's their names?"

"Jade, Maria and Nicky." Greg quickly bit his lip as he said the last name, nervously watching Warrick's reaction.

"Really? Which one was this special girl then?"

"Nicky." Greg bit his lip nervously again, not even concentrating on the engine he was processing.

Warrick looked at him surprised. "Really . . . you calling this Nikki again?"

"I don't know." Greg sighed in relief. "I don't think I can fit her into my schedule now I'm back."

"Wasn't love after all then huh?" Warrick chuckled. "I know me and Tina aren't meant for each other, so it's good you got out of your relationship quick. The only people that can really stand to work these hours and deal with the job is the people we work with . . . but I don't see you dating anyone in this office." Warrick laughed. "Maybe Wendy, if she wasn't so into Hodges. Do you think their relationships a little weird?"

"Uh huh." Greg nodded, not really listening as he saw his Texan lover walking through the hall's of the lab, laughing and talking to Catherine. As Greg watched the two of them together, it made him slightly envious as his boyfriend was still a ladies' man, but everyone saw him as a pathetic dateless loser.

Nick looked in the garage giving Greg a wink as he continued on down the hall.

"Hey Greg." Warrick shouted, to snap him out of his daze. Greg shook his head, snapping himself out of it looking over at Warrick. "I said you can stop now, I found the trigger switch." He smiled holding it up.

"Oh okay, so you don't need me anymore?"

"Nope I'm good." He smiled back. Greg snapped off his latex gloves, running down the hall to catch up with Nick.

"Hey Nicky, can I see you in the private supply closet?" Greg asked casually. Nick looked round at his boyfriend, watching him licking his lips.

"Of course G, I'll be right there. Just gotta drop somethin' off with Hodges." He indicated, holding up the evidence bag. Greg nodded eagerly walking off to the closet. Nick watched as he did getting caught in the act by Catherine.

"Oh yeah, you tapped that ass." She snickered in a sexy voice making him blush. Catherine laughed at him walking away down the hall.

Nick walked through the lab seeing Hodges stood against the table staring at Wendy. Nick smiled snapping his fingers loudly together, snapping Hodges out of his daze.

"Nick, I didn't hear you come in."

"Sure." Nick smirked, seeing him blush. "Can you process these for me?" Nick handed over the evidence bags watching Hodges inspect them.

"Sure, I'll beep you when their done." Nick nodded, excitedly heading off towards the supply closet to meet Greg.

Nick barely had time to close the door as his eager boyfriend pulled him inside. "Miss me did yah G?" He laughed as Greg latched his lips onto his, for a moist hungry kiss, sending warm tingles through Nick's body.

"I love you Nicky, I missed you so much."

"I was only gone four hours." Nick smiled, cupping Greg's face in his hands. Nick licked his lips looking at Greg with a frown on his face. "Why do you taste like cough drops and mint?"

"I-I felt a cold coming on." Greg sheepishly explained.

Nick looked at Greg's expression, immediately knowing what was going on. "Where is it Einstein?"

"Where's what?" Greg asked playing dumb. Nick shoved his hands into Greg's front pockets pulling out a receipt. Greg tried to grab it back, but the curious CSI was already reading through it.

"You bought a bottle of whiskey, cough drops and a packet of chewin' gum?"

"Shopping's a crime now?" Greg sneered, snatching the receipt back from Nick's hands.

"Greg you can't be drinkin' on the job."

"I'm not, it's for later."

"Where's the bottle?" Nick asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"My locker."

Nick nodded walking off out of the supply closet, before Greg could protest; he was already at his locker finding the bottle under some clothes at the bottom.

Greg ran in seeing the CSI holding the bottle in his hands.

"Greg this is half empty." Nick stated disappointed. "What the hell are you thinkin' G?" Nick walked over to the sink to pour away the rest of the contents.

"No Nick, I need that." Greg protested, holding the bottle upright before Nick could tip it away. "Please I won't drink on the job anymore, just give it back." Greg pleaded.

"No G, you don't need it." Nick pushed him aside heading for the drain again, but Greg stopped him with both hands.

"Please Nicky, I swear to you. I won't drink on the job anymore, just don't pour it away..."

"You have to admit you have a problem G, you're like a drug addict lookin' for yah next fix."

"I'm not doing drugs though, I'm just drinking." Greg managed to pry the bottle from Nick's hands holding it behind his back. "I need it Nicky, it mellows me out..."

"What's going on in here?" Grissom asked. He looked in the mirror seeing Greg was holding a bottle of whiskey behind his back. "Mind telling me what's going on?" Greg looked into Nick's eyes begging him not to say anything.

"Greg . . . Greg's not ready to come back to work yet." Nick turned to face Grissom. "He's been drinkin' Griss."

"Greg? Is that true?" Grissom asked disappointed. Greg nodded shamefully presenting the bottle of whiskey. "Okay Greg, since you admitted it. I'll let it slide, but you're going home." Grissom warned him.

Greg nodded then watched as Grissom walked away.

Nick turned slowly to face him. "Give me the bottle G." Greg looked into Nicks eyes then handed over the bottle. Nick unscrewed the lid, stepping past Greg to the sinks to pour it away. "I'm drivin' you home..."

"I can take care of myself." Greg snapped, storming off out the locker room.

Nick leant against the sink trying to think about what he was going to do with Greg. He loved him, but he couldn't let him do this to himself. He saw the same thing happen to his uncle after they lost their son.

* * *

**Please Review**


	16. Chapter 16: Misconception

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Sixteen: Misconception**

Nick returned home straight after his shift worried about Greg. He searched the whole house, but there was no sign of him. Nick rang Greg's cell phone as he walked back out to his car, but there was no answer again.

"C'mon Greg, where are yah?" Nick was really worried about him. Especially after the way he behaved in the locker room. Nick climbed into his truck, nervously biting his lip, thinking about checking all the local liquor stores or bars, but decided to check Greg's apartment first as he hadn't sold it yet. Greg still had a fear things wouldn't work out between him and Nick, so he kept his apartment just in case.

Nick managed to slip through the entrance, thanks to one of the other residents then ran up the stairs to Greg's apartment pounding on the door. When Greg didn't answer he rang his phone again.

Nick could hear it ringing through the door, but there was still no answer.

Nick took a step back then kicked the door off its locks, just in case Greg had overdosed or something. After all the things he's seen on the job, he was fearing any number of them had happened to Greg right now.

Nick ran through the apartment finding Greg lying on the bathroom floor. "Greg, Greg." Nick called out worried. He shook Greg's lifeless body seeing his eyes slowly opening. "Greg talk to me."

"Nicky." Greg groggily said, in a low scratchy whisper.

"It's me Greg." Nick looked beside Greg seeing an empty bottle of scotch. "What am I gonna do with you G?" Nick asked disappointed. He lifted Greg, bridal style into his arms carrying him out to the bed.

Nick gently lowered Greg to the mattress, brushing his hair off his forehead. He looked down at his sleeping boyfriend, wondering how he was going to help Greg, if all he did was continue to drink himself to death.

* * *

Greg rubbed his eyes open seeing Nick lying on the bed beside him, fast asleep. Greg looked around realising they were at his apartment. He had never had someone else in this bed with him. It was a nice surprise to wake up next to Nick.

Greg looked at the bedside table seeing a bottle of water marked 'drink me' in Nick's hand writing. Greg smiled grabbing for the bottle to take a sip. The water flushed out the dryness of his throat, but he suddenly felt the urge to throw up. Greg quickly climbed off the bed running for the bathroom, to chuck the rest of last night's liquor down the toilet.

After three full rounds of vomiting, Greg was finally able to breathe better. He flushed the toilet, dropping back against the wall beside it, taking deep steady breaths, when Nick emerged in the doorway.

"Mornin' Greg." Nick leant up against the door frame, with his arms folded across his chest watching Greg.

"Morning Nicky." Greg mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

After a moment of awkward silence, Greg finally spoke up. "Okay you win Nicky . . . I admit I have a problem."

"It's not about me winnin' anythin' G." Nick walked in kneeling down in front of his boyfriend. "I love you Greg, I hate seein' yah like this. You really scared me last night . . . I kinda broke your front door too."

Greg smiled. "Jeez Nicky, I told you the spare keys in the blue flower pot on the balcony opposite."

"Oh yeah . . . forgot." He grinned. "I was more worried about you, then your door though G."

"I'm sorry . . . so what do we do now Nicky?"

"Well you finally admitted you have a problem . . . that's the first step baby. I'll help you through it, I promise." Nick put his arm around Greg's shoulder, holding him tightly as he kissed him on the forehead.

"I'm sorry about yesterday Nicky."

Nick kissed Greg on the head again. "You're completely forgiven..."

"How can you forgive me so easily?" Greg asked.

"Coz I love you so damn much." Nick laughed. "I'm not gonna lose you to this after all this time I spent tryin' to get you."

"Okay Nicky . . . where do we start?"

"Brushin' yah teeth." Nick laughed, climbing to his feet to check the sink. "But you don't have a toothbrush here, so we'll go back to mine."

"Okay." Greg smiled climbing to his feet. "Can we stop and get breakfast?"

"Sure okay." Nick led Greg out the bathroom, grabbing his stuff then making his way down to his truck outside.

"So that's why you won't kiss me?" Greg asked climbing into Nick's car.

"No offence baby, I don't like the taste of vomit." He grinned, kissing Greg on the cheek. "I'll kiss you all you like once you've brushed your teeth though."

"I'll hold you to it." Greg smiled.

* * *

Nick took Greg out for some breakfast then took him home to clean him off. He was glad Greg finally admitted it, but they still had so much more to do. He knew from his uncle that going cold turkey is a lot easier said than done.

Greg brushed his teeth finally able to get the kiss he was earlier denied. Greg then joined Nick in the shower, enjoying Nick washing his hair and back for him. They then crashed on the bed together in a tight embrace, softly circling their finger tips over one another's arms.

"I love you baby." Nick whispered softly.

"I love you more." Greg teased, raising his head to kiss Nick.

"So when did you realise you had a problem G? Was it before or after you collapsed on your bathroom floor?"

"Actually _way_ before." Greg leant up on his elbow looking into Nick's eyes. "Yesterday in the bathroom, when I was begging you not to tip that bottle away . . . I felt so pathetic. It was like I was saying it, but I didn't know what I was saying."

"You scared me." Nick admitted, brushing his thumb across Greg's lips.

"I'm sorry Nicky, I didn't mean to..."

"Greg, I want you to reconsider counsellin' . . . it really helped me after the coffin. No one will think you're weak or pathetic. You really need it after what you've been through."

Greg looked up at Nick wanting to argue with him, but he couldn't knowing deep down he was right. Greg lay his head back down on Nick's chest listening to his heartbeat while Nick ran his fingers softly through Greg's hair.

"Okay Nicky . . . I'll do it."

"Good . . . coz I can't lose you. Without you I'd die too."

"I'm sorry things got so bad Nicky." Greg softly whispered, while Nick's fingertips softly ran across his jaw line. "I don't wonna lose you either. So where do we start?"

"Well first off, we need to get rid of all the alcohol in the house." Nick climbed out of bed grabbing a t-shirt. "Then you need to sign up for counsellin' sessions, possibly an AA meetin'..."

"I'm not going to an AA meeting." Greg grumbled. Nick looked at Greg pulling him towards the edge of the bed so he could hug him.

"Please Greg, do it for me . . . and yourself. I didn't even recognise that guy in the bathroom yesterday."

"I'll do it then." He groaned. Nick smiled kissing him on the cheek. Greg grabbed Nick's A&M hoody pulling it down over his head.

Nick led Greg to the kitchen pulling the bin towards the fridge. Greg sat on the counter watching as Nick threw away all the beers.

"Don't you want them Nicky?"

"Nope, I'm gonna do this with you. No more alcohol, we'll both be happier and healthier." He smiled placing his hands on Greg's knees as he kissed him again.

"What about when you go to work?" Greg asked curiously.

"I think I can trust you not to buy alcohol." Nick looked up into Greg's eyes. "Maybe I should hire a babysitter huh?" He giggled.

"I'm 31..."

"I know you are G, but the first few days are always the hardest."

"I'm not an alcoholic Nicky..."

"Yesterdays evidence says otherwise." Nick said gliding his hands across Greg's thigh's gripping his hips. "I'm not doin' this to punish yah G, I'm doin' it coz I love you."

"Do I get gold stars?" Greg asked with his adorable grin.

"Sure you can." Nick smiled. "I'll give you a gold star for every day that you manage to stay sober." Nick lifted Greg off the worktop onto his hips as he invaded his mouth with his tongue.

* * *

"Nick." Sara shouted, running to meet him in the hall. "Is everything okay with Greg? Grissom told me about yesterday."

"Well . . . not exactly, but I'm handlin' it. Greg's kinda been drowin' his problems in alcohol the past few months and its only gettin' worse..."

"Shouldn't he be with someone then? Alcoholic's from my knowledge and own experience, can't ever be trusted to go cold turkey."

"He's not that bad and he is with someone."

* * *

Jade bit into the pizza slice again, licking her fingers clean. "So I told him, if he calls that a first date he's got another thing coming. He thought watching a wrestling match and eating tortilla chips was my idea of a good time. That plus he's the most boring guy I ever met, seriously the dude has mommy issues. The guy even waxes his legs, what's up with that?"

Greg looked at her a moment realising no one had ever talked as long as he does about one subject.

"G did yah hear me?"

Greg nodded. "Yep . . . Nick waxes his chest."

"Ouch." She winced. "He doesn't wax any other parts does he?"

"Eww . . . I'm not telling you that." Greg laughed. "So you really moving down here?"

"Yep . . . So how come he's not here with you? Why'd I get called?"

"Coz Nick has to go to work to keep up appearances." This was the one time Greg wasn't enjoying Jade's company. She came with pizza and a DVD marathon, but they were all blood and gore movies that Greg didn't like and she hadn't stopped talking about her first date that Papa Olaf set her up on.

"Whoa whoa where are you going?" Jade asked stopping him.

"The bathroom, do I need permission?" He snapped at her. Jade shook her head, but she followed him to the bathroom to inspect it before he went. "Prisoner in my own home." Greg mumbled as she checked the cabinet above the sink.

"Nick's orders." She grinned then walked out the bathroom. "And your mothers actually." She shouted heading back to the front room. Greg pulled his cell phone out his pocket dialling Nick's number as he slumped down on the floor.

"_Stokes."_

"Nicky why are you doing this to me? Don't you trust me?"

"_Not the first day I leave yah alone, no. Besides you and Jade are buds..."_

"She's talking about boys and forcing me to watch scary movies." Greg complained.

"_Aww I'm sorry baby, it's not forever. I just didn't trust leavin' yah alone today. You understand doncha baby?"_

"I guess." Greg mumbled. "I'm not going to the AA meeting though..."

"_Yes you are G, you promised me."_

"Nicky I don't wonna sit in a circle of people I don't know talking about our stupid drinking problems, please I'll do anything. I'll let you have sex with me..."

"_Temptin', but it's not gonna work G. I'm not gonna pop yah cherry just coz you don't wonna go to the AA meetin'." _Nick said checking no one had come into the layout room he quickly ducked into. "_G I love you, I only want what's best for you."_

"Next time can you hire a better babysitter though? She's drinking beers and eating pizza right in front of me."

"_I'm sorry baby, it was last minute and she was in town. I'll be back on my lunch break."_

"Okay . . . I love you Nicky."

"_Love you too baby."_

Greg snapped his phone shut shoving it back into jeans pocket. He took a deep breath before he stood up returning to the horror movie marathon.

Greg looked around the front room seeing no sign of Jade, but she did leave her beers right on the coffee table. Greg checked the kitchen then walked towards the table to grab one of the beers, when a hand grabbed his stopping him in his tracks.

"I-I wasn't..."

"Sure G." Jade nodded, grabbing all the beers off the table. Greg dropped onto the sofa heavily looking at the zombies pulling apart people on the TV screen. "Have you ever seen Leaving Las Vegas?" Jade asked dropping onto the sofa beside him.

"No."

"Seriously? With Nicholas Cage? We are so renting that."

"What are you doing?" Greg asked as she grabbed for his cell phone from his pocket.

"I heard yah bitching about me G so I know your phones in your pocket."

"Why are we renting Leaving Las Vegas then?" Greg asked watching her dialling.

"Coz it's about an alcoholic..."

"You want me to watch a movie about an alcoholic?" He asked leaning back on the sofa.

"Yeah G."

"What if I don't want to?" He mumbled, but she was already ordering it.

"They got it; I'll be back in 20 minutes." Jade took her beers with her to lock in her car while she rushed to the store to grab the DVD.

* * *

"Hey Nick, you up for beers later?" Warrick shouted entering the layout room.

"Nah, I'm good. I need to start catchin' up on my sleep again."

"Suit yourself." Warrick turned to walk away, but he saw the look on his friends face deciding to stay. "What is it girl trouble?" Nick looked up at Warrick shaking his head. "Then what is it Nick?"

"Have you ever loved someone so much it breaks your heart to see them hurtin'?"

Warrick sat on the table looking at Nick then shook his head. "You? In love?"

"Yeah I know, never thought it would happen huh?" He laughed softly.

"No, especially not for you. No offence, you just seem to breeze through girls."

"None taken." Nick smiled. "But this one . . . I really love."

"Great in bed huh?" Warrick asked. Nick bit his lip looking up at Warrick. He desperately wanted to tell him, but he might think it was gross or something.

"Actually . . . I've never slept with em." Warrick looked at Nick shocked.

"And you're in love? My God that's gotta be a first. And you don't even know what she's like in bed?" He laughed. "Dude you go it bad. Whoopsshhh." He cackled holding his sides as he laughed at him.

"Hey I'm just a traditional romantic man." Nick explained. "There's nothin' more romantic then fallin' in love without even havin' sex man."

Warrick laughed again. "So when do I get to meet her?"

"Not for a while yet, they're kinda shy." Nick cleverly covered. "I just want you to know how much I love them, and hopefully this won't change things between us." Nick said cryptically then walked out the room. Warrick watched him go slightly confused. He didn't understand how Nick being in love with someone could change their friendship.

_No!!! He's in love with Catherine . . . how dare he!!!! _Warrick gasped in shock.

* * *

"I got it." Jade announced pushing the DVD in. She looked around the empty room then walked off towards the bedroom seeing Greg lying on his bed with a book. "Whatcha reading G?"

"You're gonna think I'm really sappy." Greg held up the cover showing Jade.

"Angels Fall by Nora Roberts, never read it." Jade crashed on the bed beside Greg.

"It's a mystery romance novel. I've read it like ten times." Greg grinned. "Reece has a mysterious past back in Boston, it revolves around her life. She witnesses another murder, but she thinks she's crazy, until a tall dark and handsome man helps her solve the mystery."

"Greg, why do you smell like scotch?" Jade asked curiously. Greg looked at her with a guilty expression. "Gimme." Greg reached over the side of the bed handing her the bottle. "How much yah have?"

"Two mouthfuls, that's all I promise. You're not gonna tell Nick are yah?"

"G I kinda hafta, coz otherwise that would be cheating. You don't wonna cheat on your lover do yah?"

"No . . . but it was a one time slip up."

Nick stood at the door frowning at them. He walked in on the conversation after Greg asked if she was going to tell Nick. Nick cleared his throat making them both look round at him.

"Mind tellin' me what's goin on?" He asked, looking at them both lying on the bed with the bottle of scotch in Jade's hand.

Jade and Greg looked at each other awkwardly.

"Nicky we can totally explain." Greg nervously jumped off the bed to greet his boyfriend. "Jade went out to get another DVD, I kinda slipped and had two mouthfuls of scotch, then she came home and crashed on the bed asking about the book I was reading." Greg held up the book then looked over at Jade.

"Totally." Jade said climbing off the bed. "Just so you know Nicky, he was asking me not to tell you about the scotch slip up and I told him it would be like cheating on you." She explained, hoping Nick hadn't changed his rule about hitting girls.

"Okay, I believe you." He smiled at them both. "So you drank G?"

"Two mouthfuls, I was depressed without Jade here..."

"Sorry I got a guys number at the store." Jade presented the evidence to them.

"Jade." Greg moaned at her. "You were supposed to be here for me, not getting guys numbers."

"Easy for you to say, you've got a boyfriend."

"Maybe you would have if you weren't such a slut...Oops, I didn't mean to say that." He quickly covered his mouth, but it was too late.

"Asshole." Jade snapped at him, then shoved him backwards. Greg stumbled then pushed Jade right back.

"Hey, hey, guys don't fight." Nick tried to pull them apart from their cat fight.

"I'm not a slut." Jade shouted kicking Greg in the shin. Nick just managed to push Greg out the way before he kicked her back.

"Aye, no more fightin'." Nick told them both, holding them apart. "I can't believe you two your actin' like kids." He struggled not to as he was trying to talk to them. "Apologise to each other."

"No way." Greg muttered, folding his arms across his chest. Nick looked round at Jade who shook her head.

"C'mon you two are best friends; you can't just break up over somethin' stupid like this." Nick told them.

"I'm not apologising first." Greg mumbled.

"Me either . . . and Nick, Greg tried to drink one of my beers." Jade told him. Nick looked round at Greg disappointed.

"Bitch, I did not." He snapped at her.

"I'm not a bitch. You . . . you . . . you freaking loser." She finally shouted then stormed off out the house.

"Jade." Nick ran after her out the front door. "Jade he didn't mean it." He told her catching up to her by her car.

"I hate dealing with drunks." She mumbled, fishing for her keys. "I know he didn't mean it." She shielded her eyes from the sun looking round at Nick. "I left the scotch in there . . . you might wonna." Nick nodded, looking back through the house.

"I'll talk to you later Jade." He waved dashing back inside the house. He found Greg chugging the bottle in the bathroom. "Greg." Nick pulled the bottle away from him replacing the lid.

Greg slid down the wall to sit on the floor slumping his head into his hands. Nick placed the bottle on the sink then sat down beside Greg on the floor. "Jade didn't mean to call you a loser or an asshole G, you hurt her feelin's so she tried to do the same."

"It's not about that." Greg mumbled looking up at Nick. "I couldn't even go four hours without a drink."

"Was Jade tellin' the truth about the beer G?" Greg nodded, seeing the disappointed look on Nick's face. "It's okay G; it's only the first day . . . where'd you get the scotch from anyway?"

"Bin." Greg shamefully admitted.

"Guess I shoulda took out the trash then huh?" Nick smiled, putting his arm around Greg.

"Why do you keep forgiving me Nicky? I keep letting you down..."

"I told you baby, coz I love you. You are goin' to the AA meeting though." He warned him. "I'm not gonna make you have sex with me so you don't have to go though."

"I didn't mean to say that, exactly how it came out." Greg awkwardly replied. "I don't want you to have sex with me for that . . . I want you to do it coz you love me."

"And I will, when you're ready."

"I love you Nicky . . . from now on I'll try harder . . . and apologise to Jade." He remembered.

Nick smiled, kissing Greg on the forehead. "I know you will baby."

* * *

**Please Review**


	17. Chapter 17: Addicted to You

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Seventeen: Addicted to You**

3 weeks later . . .

"There you go G, your twenty-first Gold star." Nick smiled proudly, sticking it on the calendar. Nick wrapped his arms around Greg's waist from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder. "I'm so proud of you baby."

"I'm proud of myself too, but I have to give into one of my cravings." He grinned turning in Nick's arms to face him.

Nick looked at Greg's cheeky smile, knowing exactly what he meant. "I think you should definitely give into this cravin' G." He smiled as Greg's hands found their way to his belt.

"I might have to bring this up at my next HTCA meeting." Greg grinned, leading Nick over to the sofa.

"HTCA meetin'?" Nick asked with a smile on his face.

"Yeah it stands for; Hunky Texan Cowboy Addicts." Greg grinned removing his t-shirt then climbing on top of Nick on the sofa. "You'd be surprised at how many people are addicted to cowboys." Greg smiled, teasing Nick into a kiss.

Nick laughed going along with the joke. "Maybe you should stop; you won't earn your gold star for this week if you cheat."

"No one will know." Greg teased, nibbling Nick's earlobe. "It'll just be our little secret." He sexily rasped as his hands glided under Nick's shirt, making him shiver.

Nick gasped as Greg kissed and marked his neck. "I think you should certainly give into your cowboy urges then G." Greg smiled sliding his hands back to Nick's hips as he continued to work open his belt.

Nick carefully rolled their bodies onto the floor pulling off his t-shirt.

"You always do that Nicky." Greg moaned, stopping what he was doing.

"Do what?"

"You always have to be on top." He moaned again without looking up at him.

"I'm sorry G, I don't even realise I'm doin' it." Nick looked down at his pouting lover then pushed aside the coffee table so he could roll them again with Greg on top. "Better?" He asked looking up at Greg.

"I guess, but you should really see someone about your controlling issues Nicky."

"I'm sorry Greg, next time just tell me I'm doin' it." Greg smiled, leaning in for a kiss. "Besides I thought you liked bein' possessed?" Nick asked slipping his hands into the back pockets of Greg's jeans.

"I do . . . but it's nice to be on top sometimes." Greg pulled down Nick's jeans to his knees grinding against him. "Usually you just make me lay there while you do all the work, but did you ever care about yourself Nicky?"

Nick let out a soft moan. "I do, but I care about you more G."

"You shouldn't." Greg softly kissed Nick's jaw line. A technique he learnt well from Nick over the past three weeks. "There are two people in this relationship Nicky."

"I know G." Nick softly panted, slipping Greg's jeans down to his knees along with their boxers. "I just love you so much, I forget about myself sometimes."

"You shouldn't Nick, you're just as important." Greg thrusted his hips against Nick's, loving the sight of Nick experiencing the pure bliss instead of just himself for a change. "If only Warrick knew how much I can make you squirm." Greg grinned, grinding against Nick, increasing his pleasure by the minute.

"You totally spoiled the moment bringin' Warrick into it." Nick chuckled.

"Sorry. Just what would Warrick think when you tell him the geek you used to pick on, made you squirm like this?" Nick couldn't answer as Greg thrusted his hips against him again making him moan, struggling to hold on.

"He'd think I was mad." Nick pulled Greg closer to him, engaging another kiss. "But I love you Greg. That's all that matters."

Greg's eyes rolled back into his head as he continued to move against Nick's hips, increasing heart rate and breathing as they got really worked up in the moment. Nick gasped, moaning Greg's name as started to shudder. He gripped the edge of the sofa turning his knuckles white as he allowed himself to let go. Greg started to shudder in perfect timing, releasing their seed onto one another's stomachs, before Greg collapsed on top of Nick.

"I love you baby." Nick whispered, clutching Greg's sweat glistened body closer to his own.

"I love you more." Greg smiled, closing his eyes, falling asleep in his lover's arms.

* * *

"You still haven't?" Catherine asked Nick surprised.

"No, so what?" Nick smiled, tying his shoes as he sat on the locker room bench. "We don't have to have sex to be happy with each other."

"I know." She smiled sitting on the bench beside him. "So is it you or him?"

"It's just never really come up. I didn't want to rush him and we ended up not doin' it at all." Nick closed his locker looking round at Catherine. "Think I should ask him?"

"Unless you wonna remain a virgin the rest of your life." She chuckled. "I'm sorry that was mean. How long you been together?"

"3 weeks." Nick smiled proudly. "Longest relationship I've had since High school."

"Okay well Nicky if he was willing to dominate you last night, I'm sure he'll be willing to let you dominate him in bed." She explained, making Nick feel awkward.

"What if he still doesn't want to?" Nick asked leaning against the lockers.

"I'm sure he will Nicky, curiosity will get the better of him eventually. What's he doing today anyway?" She asked as Greg had taken the day off while Nick came into work.

"Oh he's out with Jade for the day. They haven't really talked much since their big blow out over Greg drinkin', so I thought it would be good for em." Nick smiled. "You wonna get to this crime scene now?" He asked checking his watch.

"Sure, you can buy me coffee while you tell me every dirty little thing you two have been doing." She grinned, making Nick blush again. Nick grabbed his vest and kit following her down to the locker room.

"Have you noticed Warrick's been kinda off lately?" Nick asked as his buddy had completely ignored him all day.

"He's probably still having marriage problems. Don't worry Nicky; you couldn't have done anything to piss him off." She assured him, walking through the parking lot towards his car. "Now before I get in here you two haven't been..."

"No Catherine." He rolled his eyes at her. "We're not the horny stereotype you make us out to be."

"Just thought I'd ask." She grinned, climbing into the car. "So what have you guys been doing?" She asked curiously. Nick started the engine looking round at her.

"I dunno . . . we cuddle watchin' TV, spoon in bed . . . normal stuff."

Catherine smiled at how cute they were. "That's sweet Nicky, C'mon hit it we're late as it is."

"Hey you're the one that wants to hear all about my sex life."

"You mean lack of one." She laughed. "Oh C'mon, I'm kidding. I think it's cute you're taking your time. You're exploring each other . . . that's a good thing."

"Thanks . . . why are you so interested in us anyway?"

"When you don't have one yourself Nicky, you get your rocks of listening to other peoples." She smiled.

Nick rolled his eyes at her then pulled out the garage heading off to their crime scene.

* * *

Greg handed over the money for his third ice cream, then turned back to Jade stood behind him. "Seriously?" She asked again.

"No."

"Seriously G?"

"No, I haven't slept with him." He snapped at her.

"Why not?" Jade dropped onto an empty bench waiting for his explanation, but Greg didn't appear to have one. He dropped on the bench beside her, slowly licking his ice cream. "Don't you want to?"

"I want to . . . I'm just not sure." He shielded his eyes from the sunlight looking at Jade sat beside him. "I really wonna know what it's like..."

"Well stop dipping yah toe in the water and dive the fuck in." She laughed watching him cringe. "C'mon G, it can't be all that bad."

"You're the worst person to have around for a comforting friend talk." He teased.

"You know I'm the best really." She teased back. "So Nick hasn't asked you?"

Greg shook his head, wiping his mouth. "No . . . I kinda want him to ask me . . . so I don't have to ask him..."

Jade burst out laughing. "That's ridiculous G, you're seriously gonna wait for him to ask you first? What are you five?"

"How do you go about asking someone if they'll pop your cherry?" Greg asked alerting a mother nearby walking with some small children. "Sorry." He shouted as he watched her run away.

Jade burst out laughing again as Greg blushed bright red. "You know I thought this was a day of bonding, not sex talk?" Jade asked.

"You brought it up."

"No I said 'hey G, how's it going' then you said 'I dominated my cowboy,' so I had to ask." She laughed as he blushed red for the hundredth time today. "Tonight, why don't you just set the mood for him, candles and things . . . no wine!" She warned him.

"Hey I'm straight for twenty-one days now." He proudly smiled, alerting another couple, giving him more funny looks. "Oh my god, can we please go somewhere less public to talk about this."

"They love it and they know it." Jade laughed. "Relax G, they have no idea what you're talking about, and they're probably bumping uglys between the sheets all the time, where as you're the shy virgin."

Greg blushed as a young couple walked by hearing Jade calling him a virgin. "Thanks for that Jade."

"Anytime." She giggled, then tried to get back on point. "Set the mood for him, I'm sure he'll figure it out."

"Can't believe I'm having this conversation with you." He laughed holding his head in his hands.

"I thought your okay with being with Nick now?"

"I am . . . just the sexual stuff takes a bit of getting used to. He is so sweet though, whenever I wake up he's always holding me in his arms . . . he lets me use the bathroom first and he always makes us both coffee in the morning, he always wants to cuddle on the sofa..."

"So jealous." Jade said enviously.

Greg laughed. "Yep my cowboys the best."

"Totally . . . aren't yah glad you didn't throw it all away now?"

"Definitely." He smiled. "I owe most of that to you though."

"Anytime G, now I gotta get you back before Nick gets home, or I'm in deep trouble." She said checking her watch.

"One more sugar rush?" He pleaded. Jade rolled her eyes, unable to avoid the puppy dog eye plead.

"Okay one more." She smiled as he hyperactively jumped off the bench pulling her to her feet with him. "Slow down G."

* * *

Nick was sat in the break room going through a stack of case files he had to get done before he could go home. He was really starting to miss his excitable boyfriend Greg.

Warrick suddenly walked into grab himself a coffee. "Hey man." Nick smiled.

"Nick." Warrick said coldly, without looking up at him.

"Hey man, wassup?" Warrick shrugged still giving him the cold shoulder. He walked over to the counter to pour himself a coffee. "So how's Tina?" Nick asked, trying to break the ice.

"Not so good, think it's just getting worse." Warrick slumped down onto an empty chair looking over at Nick. "Shouldn't you be off home?"

"I got tomorrow off so I wanted to finish these case files." Nick checked his watch as he looked through the stack he had left to do.

"How's your girlfriend?" He asked enviously. "It still true love?"

"Yeah." Nick smiled with a dreamy gaze on his face. "They've got the day off tomorrow too, I was thinkin' of takin' em out on a romantic day."

Warrick frowned at Nick very confused. "Catherine doesn't have the day off tomorrow."

"Who said I was goin with Cath?" Nick asked puzzled.

"You mean you're not with Catherine?"

Nick shook his head with wide eyes. "What made you think that?"

Warrick burst out laughing, shaking his head. He had been acting really cold towards Nick for the past couple of weeks thinking he was getting it on with Catherine. "No its cool man, nothing really. I thought perhaps you and her were together; since you didn't wonna tell me her name." He chuckled.

"No, no . . . it's not Catherine." _It's a lot more complicated than that. _Nick thought to himself. _That's why Warrick's been actin' cold the past couple of weeks. Oh no, how's he gonna react when he finds out its Greg? _Nick suddenly worried.

"That's a relief man, so if it's not Catherine then who is it?" Nick nervously looked up at Warrick then the time.

"I gotta get goin'. Need my sleep if I'm gonna be alert tomorrow." Nick stacked up his files, quickly climbing to his feet.

_If it's not Catherine then why's he suddenly bolting it out the room? _"Okay Nick, see yah later." Warrick watched Nick suspiciously as he walked off down the hall.

* * *

"Ready? Three, two, one . . . Go!!!" Jade and Greg grabbed a bag of pop rock's shoving them into their mouths then grabbed the can of coke to wash it down.

"Ow." Greg held his throat as they crackled down his throat.

"It doesn't hurt yah big baby." Jade laughed, handing him another packet. "One more go?"

"This time three bags." Greg handed her two extra bags. "Okay ready. Three, two . . . one. Go." They both downed all three bags taking another swig of coke. Greg burst into a fit of giggles falling back against the sofa cushions.

"You know Nick would never do this with me." He confessed once he could breathe again.

"Why not?" Jade asked, crashing on the sofa beside him.

"Coz he never lets me get a sugar high. He says we have to eat healthy, whenever he sees me eating something that isn't he always lectures me about calories and things." Jade laughed watching Greg explaining it. "I love him, but I wish he'd just chill out and enjoy the finer things in life. Like Gatorade, chocolate chip cookies or even pop rocks and coke." He laughed grabbing another bag off the table. "Plus he makes me stay medicated, like my mommy."

"Get out, get out while you still can." Jade joked. "Maybe it's good that he's controlling coz you're uncontrollable." She teased ruffling his hair. "You balance each other out."

"I did push him out of his comfort zone this morning." Greg smiled. "He always has to be on top, he thinks if he's not he'll lose control of something."

"Same with me." She agreed. "Where is Nick anyway?" Jade checked her watch. Greg glanced up the clock then grabbed his phone off the coffee table. "You calling him?"

"Texting, he's probably driving or with Warrick so I have to text." Greg told her as he typed in the message to Nick.

"He even has rules on how you contact him?" She asked surprised.

"No, it's just to keep our relationship on the down low." Greg explained watching her nodding. "It is, I'm totally okay with it."

"Whatever you say." She smiled.

* * *

Catherine walked through the lab seeing Nick hunched over on a bench in the locker room. "Hey Nicky, shouldn't you be off home?"

"Yeah, I was just thinkin'." He wiped his eyes as she walked in, hoping she wouldn't notice.

"C'mon Nicky, talk to me. What's up?"

Nick shook his head. "I was just thinkin' . . . about how Warrick would take it."

"Take what?" Nick looked at her as though she was stupid. "Oh right. Why? You wonna tell him?" Catherine sat down beside Nick, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I hate lyin' to him." Nick sniffled. "He thought you and I were datin', that's why he's been avoidin' me the past couple of days. What's he gonna do when he finds out its Greg?"

"I don't know Nicky, but you know why he's pissed at you, if he thought you were with me..."

Nick shook his head looking at her confused. "No why?"

"Coz . . . you know." She smiled wiggling her eyebrows.

"Oh." He said looking at her shocked. "Why didn't he tell me?"

"You can talk, hypocrite." She laughed. "We haven't told anyone yet, so congrats you're the first to know..."

"This place is just a big datin' pool huh?" He laughed. Nick jumped hearing his phone go off. He pulled it out reading the message then smiled.

"Guessing Greg." She smiled. Nick nodded looking back up at her. "What'd he say?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you." He smirked.

"C'mon, I wonna see how romantic Greg is." She pleaded with her eyes. Nick looked at her a moment then handed over his phone. "A hundred hearts would be too few . . . to carry my love for you." She read then looked up at Nick smiling. "Aww, he is so adorable."

"I know." Nick smiled, shoving his phone back into his pocket. "And he's all mine." He climbed to his feet closing his locker.

"If you want, I mean when you do tell Warrick, I'm sure I can help him see eye to eye on this."

"Thanks, I don't think I'll tell him for a while yet though." Nick confessed, pulling his keys out of his pocket. "I've got a hot date with my lover right now."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She called after him.

"There's nothin' you wouldn't do Cath." She laughed in agreement.

* * *

"You can't just leave me." Greg protested.

"I'm not sticking around for the main event G." Jade cringed. "I accepted your sexuality, but I don't wonna see it." Jade grabbed her bag patting him on the shoulder. "Just relax champ, if you're all tense it will hurt." She grinned at him then walked for the door. "Act natural, cute and calm."

"Two of them are my specialities." He smiled.

"Which two?" She asked standing by the door.

"Cute and Calm." He flashed his cutest grin. Jade looked out the door seeing Nick's car pulling up.

"Good time to put it to the test G, your man's home." She winked at him. "See yah G." Greg nodded feeling his throat suddenly tightening now she was leaving.

"Hey Nick." Jade smiled walking down the path.

"Howdy Jade, so have fun?" He asked locking his car.

"Not as much as you're about to." She winked, climbing into her car. "See yah Nick." Nick nodded watching her driving away then walked up towards the house.

"Greg, I'm home."

"Nicky." Greg cheered, running towards him like a hyper puppy to hug him tightly. Nick smiled fully embracing the hug, resting his chin on Greg's shoulder. He breathed in the familiar scents of Greg enjoying the warm hug after a long day at work. He realised that's what he was missing after all these years. Someone he loved to come home to.

"Well I can tell you missed me." Nick smiled, pushing Greg back slightly so he could close the door. Greg grabbed a bag off the counter handing it to Nick. "What's this?"

"Well there's this ingenious mechanism that people have been using for centuries, called opening to look." He said sarcastically.

"All right smart ass." Nick laughed then stuck his hand in the bag pulling out a white t-shirt with the writing 'My Boyfriend's a Geek' written on the front.

"Sweet G." Nick laughed.

"That's not all, that's just the warm up goofball present." Greg excitedly smiled, leading Nick by the hand to the bedroom. Greg pushed the door open revealing the candle lit room with some soft relaxing music playing in the background.

"Wow, you do all this?"

"The candles no, Jade wouldn't let me light them. She thought I was gonna burn the house down, but everything else was all my idea. And look." Greg grabbed Mr Woggles out of the closet. "Jade brought him over for me. Mom found him; we left in the games room where we spent most of our time."

"I remember." Nick smiled, licking Greg's lips. "Are you drunk?" Nick asked as Greg was really jittery.

"No, you think I'd break my twenty-one day streak just like that? I had a lot of sugar today. Do you want some? There's some pop rocks left. I mean the sweets, not that pop music doesn't rock. Is it hot in here?" Nick smiled, rolling his eyes at Greg pulling him in for a kiss.

"Just like our third date." Nick grinned, breaking the kiss. "I love you baby, the t-shirt and the romantic setup . . . what's in those wine glasses?"

"Apple juice." Greg smiled making Nick laugh again.

"I love it all baby . . . are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yep . . . I want you to pop my cherry Nicky; Mr Woggles doesn't have to watch." Nick burst into giggles again, shaking his head.

"I love comin' home to you G; you're exactly what I need after a shitty day."

"Oh and I even bought more condoms and lube coz you're out of stock, who'd have thought a womanising, recently gay Texan wouldn't have any condoms or lube lying around." Nick laughed again at Greg's cute ramblings. "I didn't know what flavour or style you liked, so I got a whole bunch."

"God I love you so much Greg."

"Bout half as much as I love you." Greg grinned, receiving a deep passionate kiss.

* * *

**Please Review**

**I hope you enjoyed these last few chapters :D Plenty more on the way**


	18. Chapter 18: Popping of the Cherry

**WARNING: Chapter RATING is M - 18+**

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Eighteen: Popping of the Cherry**

"You sure you're ready for this baby?" Nick asked perched on Greg's hips still both fully clothed.

"I'm sure Nicky, we've been together 3 weeks now . . . it's about time we did . . . and I wonna know what it's like . . . to feel you inside of me." He whispered between kisses, still slightly nervous that he was asking his best friend to have sex with him. "Unless you're really traditional holding out for marriage?"

"No, I'm not that traditional." Nick laughed. "I told you G, I was waitin' for you to be ready."

"I am Nicky . . . more than ready." He grinned, biting his lip to stop it from quivering with nerves.

"Okay G, long as you're sure." Greg nodded, looking up into his boyfriend's eyes. Nick reached for the night stand fishing out the newly bought supplies.

As Greg saw the condom and lube in Nick's hand he started to get even more worked up.

"We'll take it slow, okay G?" Greg nodded again, helping Nick unbutton his shirt. Nick pulled Greg's t-shirt off then worked open their jeans so they were both down to their boxers on the bed spread. "Just tell me if you want to stop."

"I'm ready Nicky." He smiled anxiously. "I want you."

Nick smiled back, joining their lips for a slow moist kiss. "I love you Greg."

"I love you too Nicky. I'm glad it's you . . . popping my cherry." The first timer broke into a goofy laugh. "Even though I'm 31, I feel like a nerdy teen virgin again."

"You have nothin' to worry about Greg." Nick assured the anxious virgin with a kiss. "I'm glad too G. I'm glad you're the first guy I get to do this to." He whispered into Greg's ear. Greg broke into an excitable grin, hearing Nick's reassuring words. "Now it's important to just relax okay? All the women I ever did this to never had problems walkin' or sittin' down after."

"You really are a pro." Greg anxiously giggled.

"Well technically this is kinda my first time too." Nick nervously admitted. "I've never been this nervous before."

"It's okay Nicky. Just tell me what to do." He said, trying to calm his usually confident boyfriend.

"We'll try it spoonin' first; it's easier for first timers, okay?"

Greg nodded, rolling onto his side. "Like this Nicky?"

"That's perfect G." Nick lay down behind Greg, softly planting a kiss on his neck. "Just relax baby, I wouldn't hurt yah." Greg nodded, desperately trying to relax, but he was so nervous and tense. "Ready baby?" Nick whispered, Greg could only nod from the nervous tension building up inside.

Nick slowly slipped Greg's boxers down to his knees, pushing them the rest of the way with his foot. He softly planted another kiss on Greg's neck before he got started.

He coated two of his fingers in lube then slowly pushed them inside Greg's tight hole as he kissed and marked his boyfriend's neck. Greg gasped from the strange intrusion, leaning back against Nick's warm chest.

"Just relax baby." Nick whispered, slowly scissoring his fingers in and out of Greg, warming him up.

Greg closed his eyes, gasping each time Nick thrusted his fingers back inside of him. Nick couldn't wait any longer hearing the desperate guttural moans, coming from his younger lover's mouth. He felt like he was going to lose control, before he even got started.

"I'm ready Nicky." Greg gasped. Nick smiled as that's exactly what he needed to hear. Greg felt nervous again hearing Nick opening the condom wrapper. He nervously bit his bottom lip as Nick slicked himself up, adjusting his body to perfectly align Greg's.

"Ready honey?" Nick whispered softly, just in case he was changing his mind yet.

Greg could only nod as more guttural moans escaped his throat.

Nick had never been so worked up before, especially not by just the warm up act. He took a deep breath then slowly slid inside of Greg's opening, gripping the younger man's hips as he began to slowly thrust deeper and deeper into Greg. He loved the feel of Greg's warm body enveloping him, he never felt this good inside another person before.

Greg gave out soft moans to begin with as Nick slowly began to penetrate him. Nick wrapped both his arms around Greg's waist as he began to thrust deeper, causing Greg to moan louder.

"Yesss." Greg moaned as his neck was assaulted with lusty kisses. He gasped again reaching his hand back to lace his fingers through Nick's hair. "Oh Nicky." He gasped loudly.

"Love you baby." Nick whispered, smoothing his palms across Greg's chest. Greg's heart began to sore as he came closer and closer to his release. He had never experienced something so pleasurable in his entire life, but he tried to hold on as long as he could as he never wanted it to end.

"Love...you too . . . Nicky." Greg said between moans.

It wasn't long before they both lost control, sending both of their bodies into an overdrive of electrical spasms. They each threw their heads back, clutching one another close, crying out each other's names as their orgasms struck, releasing their seed for what seemed like an endless passionate moment.

Nick slowly pulled out of Greg tossing the condom in the waste basket beside the bed. Greg rolled into his arms, resting their sweat covered bodies against each other as they panted heavily in perfect harmony with one another. Nick smiled wrapping his arms around Greg, he hated cuddling women after, but Greg was special.

He never wanted to let him go.

"You okay Greg?" Nick whispered, once their breathing returned to normal.

"I'm purrrrfect Nicky." He purred, resting in his boyfriends arms. "I love you so much Nicky."

"I love you so much too Greg." He kissed his lover on the head, smoothing his hands around Greg's body. "So how was it baby?"

"Amazing, I've never experienced anything like that in my life, not even on drug trips." He anxiously giggled. "I can't believe we waited so long for something so good." He excitedly smiled, trailing his fingertips down Nick's glistening chest.

"Is it maybe somethin' you'd want to try again G?"

"Definitely Nicky, now I feel like you're truly my boyfriend." He grinned, capturing Nick's lips with his own. "Please don't ever leave me Nicky."

"Never G, I feel closer to you than anyone before. I'd never leave you baby." Nick assured him holding Greg in his arms as he fell asleep. Nick felt completely happy, for the first time he could truly feel Greg's love for him, without having to worry he'd have another freak out.

Nick brushed Greg's sweaty hair off his face kissing him on the forehead. "I love you baby." He whispered, then gave into sleep himself, in the arms of the one he loved.

* * *

Greg slowly awoke to the strong aroma of blue Hawaiian coffee, wafting up his nostrils. He blinked his eyes open a few times seeing a smiling face, watching him sleeping. Greg smiled back rubbing his eyes open to look at Nick. "Mornin' Baby." Nick smiled.

"Good morning Nicky." Greg smiled, inching closer to Nick for a morning kiss.

"Good sleep baby?" Nick brushed Greg's hair from his face, looking into his eyes.

"Best sleep I ever had." Greg grinned, licking his lips. "I just realised we have the day off today."

"That's right G." Nick smiled, initiating a second kiss. "Oh and your mom sent you a gift." Nick reached for the box on the bedside table, placing it in front of a sleepy Greg. "Did you tell your mom somethin'?"

"No why? What's the perv gone and done now?" Greg pulled the envelope from the box, pulling it out the card to read. "Pop goes the Cherry." He read aloud. Greg rolled his eyes then opened the box seeing a fruit bowl of cherries. "Oh . . . I'm gonna kill her." He laughed, covering his face in embarrassment.

Nick laughed pulling Greg into his arms. "I think it's great that your parents are so supportive G, you're so lucky."

"This is embarrassment, not support or luck Nicky, more like harassment." He chuckled. "Think I should sue them?"

Nick laughed, shaking his head. "You can't sue em for lovin' yah G." Greg smiled relaxing in his boyfriends arms. Nick pulled out one of the cherries shoving it in his mouth. "Yum, they're nice and sweet." He smiled, joining their lips for a kiss.

"Bet you can't tie the stalk into a knot." Greg grinned, leaning on his elbow. Nick swallowed the cherry then shoved the stalk into his mouth, trying to tie it into a knot for Greg.

He smiled victoriously, presenting the knotted cherry stalk. "Not surprised, you do have a remarkably skilful tongue Nicholas Stokes." Greg grinned, raising his eyebrows and cheekily licking his lips.

Nick smiled back initiating another ravenous kiss, gliding his tongue across Greg's lips before he sank deeper into his mouth, caressing every corner of Greg's mouth, before he pulled back to look into his eyes.

"See." Greg panted. "You should get an award for your skills."

Nick laughed. "Really what kinda prize would I get?"

"Let me show you." Greg deviously grinned, pushing Nick back against the mattress as he crawled under the covers. Nick gasped feeling warm kisses crawling down his flesh towards Greg's intended destination. Nick moaned Greg's name as his warm mouth enveloped his manhood.

Greg masterfully placed each gentle lick and kiss on Nick's body, heightening Nick's pleasure, beginning to make him shudder. Relaxing against the pillows, Nick struggled desperately for control, but Greg's warm mouth was too much for him.

Nick's body began to shudder as he released inside of Greg. Nick moaned loudly, crashing back against the pillows panting heavily.

Greg crawled out from under the covers, joining the lips for a lingering kiss.

"Not so bad yourself." Nick rasped, relicking Greg's lips. "Have you been practicin' G?"

"Maybe." He grinned, rolling onto the bed beside him. "Don't worry, not on other guys." He assured him.

"So what have you been practicin' on G?"

"Ice lollies." He excitedly grinned. "Nowhere near as big as your anatomy, but their great practice." He giggled, softly biting Nick's lower lip, teasing him into a heated kiss.

"See if you can do one Einstein." Nick said as he fed Greg one of the cherries.

"They are sweet . . . or maybe that was just you." Greg smiled then stuck the stalk in his mouth trying to tie a knot in it. Nick smiled as Greg continued to struggle. Greg gave up tossing the untied stalk into the bin. "See I suck."

"Yeah, but you do that very well too." Nick teased, running his hands down Greg's sides.

"I feel closer to you than anyone in my entire life..."

"Even your mommy?" Nick teased.

"Definitely . . . I've been trying to cut the umbilical cord between us for years." Greg's sweet laughter filled the room once again. "You know that I want to stay with you no matter what."

"Me too G, I love you. I've never said that to anyone besides my own family."

Greg smiled, cupping Nick's face in his hands. "Then I feel honoured, that you picked me to say it to."

"You should be Greg . . . I'd do anythin' for you."

"Anything huh?" Greg bit his lip looking into Nick's eyes.

Nick nodded. "Name it."

"Well I could really use a shower . . . but I'm too tired to walk." He cheekily grinned, swirling his fingers around Nick's biceps.

Nick smiled climbing off the bed, then pulled the covers off his boyfriend, lifting him into his arms, bridal style. "Wow." Greg smiled, wrapping his arms around Nick's neck. "My hero." He initiated a kiss as Nick carried him off to the shower. "The ladies would be so jealous of me." He excitedly laughed.

"They can be all they like, I'm yours now." Nick rasped, carrying Greg into the shower. "All yours baby."

"Likewise cowboy." He winked, tilting an imaginary cowboy hat on his head.

Nick laughed at how adorable his boyfriend was then lowered him into the shower as the heated water poured down over their already heated flesh.

"You're so adorable baby." Nick rasped, guiding Greg's hands to the rail.

"What are you doing Nicky?"

"Someone deserves a little attention." Nick grinned, sucking Greg's tongue into his mouth then slowly kissing down Greg's jaw line, swirling his tongue around his nipples, continuing on his journey south.

Greg gasped gripping the rail behind him as Nick's mouth enveloped his lower half perfectly. Greg closed his eyes, arching his chest up and down as Nick's skilful tongue came in contact with his flesh after each blow of warm air from his breath.

"Nicky." Greg growled as he began to shudder.

Nick climbed to his feet, watching as Greg slowly opened his eyes again. "Howdy Partner." He winked.

"Jeez Nicky, you made me see stars."

Nick laughed, cupping Greg's face in his hands. "My pleasure baby." He rasped, initiated a heated kiss on his lovers lips.

"Can we do this every day?" Greg asked with a grin plastered across his face.

"I'd love to G, but we have to work sometime." Nick laughed.

Greg giggled, pulling Nick's body closer to his. "Only to support our need to feed . . . speaking of, I'm hungry."

"What do you fancy then G?"

"Well I already had my protein this morning." He burst into giggles again. "What does the control freak recommend?"

"Well I doubt you need any more sugar after yesterday." Nick laughed, brushing his thumb across Greg's cheek. "How about some eggs?"

"Love some, but first..." Greg reached over for the shampoo bottle. "My man needs some TLC."

Nick laughed. "I love you G."

"Love you too."

* * *

After their heated shower and some breakfast Nick and Greg sat on the sofa together. Nick was sat against the arm of the chair with Greg sat between his thighs in front of him, resting his back against Nick's chest.

"Do you wonna get a place together G?" Nick suddenly asked.

"Seriously?" Greg asked surprised.

"Yeah, well this place has all my stuff in it . . . the only evidence of you is in the guest bedroom."

Greg turned in Nick's arms to look into his eyes. "I thought it's safer this way though Nicky, so no one knows about us."

"I know G." Nick nodded, brushing his fingertips across Greg's arm. "I'd just like to have more evidence of you around in my life."

"I could properly move in . . . sell my place, if you want."

"I'd really like you to properly move in G. I love havin' you around, definitely wakin' up beside you. That's the best thing." He grinned, kissing Greg on the forehead.

"Guess Jade's right."

"What did Jade say?" Nick asked curiously.

"Once you go Greggo, you never leggo."

Nick smiled agreeing with that. "I couldn't agree with you more G; I'm addicted to you, completely."

"I thought I'm supposed to be the clingy virgin." Greg laughed.

"You're not a virgin anymore G."

"That's right." Greg turned completely so he was straddling Nick's thigh. "My man popped my cherry, now there's no way you can get rid of me." He rasped, engaging in a lusty kiss.

Nick gasped. "I wouldn't dare try . . . I think my heart would stop beatin' if I ever stopped lovin' you."

"Let's make sure that never happens then Nicky."

Nick smiled, holding his partners sides. "Done deal Sanders." Nick sealed the deal with a kiss, staring lovingly into Greg's eyes. "So what did you wonna do for the rest of the day G?"

"Got some ideas . . . one of them involves you and me in that big ol hot tub bath of yours."

"I like where your minds at." Nick smiled, climbing to his feet. He lifted the A&M sweatshirt off Greg's body guiding him off towards the bathroom. Through the extended kissing and groping towards the bathroom door, they managed to shed all articles of clothing, reaching their destination.

Nick sat in the bathtub first then Greg climbed in to sit on his boyfriends lap. Their heated bodies sparked to life as they merged together.

"Who'd have thought a scrawny geek like me would one day be sharing a bath tub with a studdly Texan jock." Greg giggled, leaning back against his warm lover's chest.

"Believe it baby, you're my scrawny little geek now." Nick chuckled, wrapping his arms tighter around the body in front of him that he adored. "I love every inch of you G, inside and out."

"Even my knobbly fingers?" Greg joked. Nick nodded taking Greg's hand in his own.

"I love your fingers." Nick softly sucked one of Greg's fingers into his mouth. "I love your hands." He softly planted a kiss on Greg's hand. "Arms . . . shoulders . . . I love your neck." He whispered, kissing each body part before him. He continued naming Greg's body parts kissing them softly until he reached his mouth again. "Most of all I love your mouth . . . coz then you can kiss me back." He smiled, initiating a kiss.

Greg moaned softly into the kiss, closing his eyes as the kiss deepened. Enjoying each gentle brush of their erections.

"Don't you love those warm tingles in your stomach?" Greg asked feeling them inside of himself.

"I love that feelin'." Nick agreed. "Best feelin' in the world."

"You know I was actually really nervous about yesterday . . . I've wanted to ask you for a while . . . but I finally got up the courage . . . I'm glad we finally did."

"Me too G . . . you don't have to be nervous to ask me anythin' . . . you can tell me anythin' that's on your mind. Anythin' at all." Nick smiled, gripping Greg's thighs under the warm bubbly water.

"In that case . . . I want you to take me out to dinner tonight."

"You sure G?" The younger man had been worried before about what people will think of them if they sat at a romantic dinner for two.

"I'm sure Nicky . . . I love you and I don't care what other people think of me. I don't wonna tell the guys at work just yet though."

"That's fine baby." Nick smiled, brushing his thumb across Greg's chin. "I'd love to take you out to dinner tonight G."

* * *

Nick and Greg wined and dined at a romantic restaurant complete with table cloths, candles and romantic music in the background. Greg had the shrimp while Nick had a steak. They skipped out on dessert as they were eager to get back home together.

They walked back the long way home through the park. When no one was around Nick pushed Greg up against a tree, kissing him passionately under the stars.

"Careful Nicky, you're already tipping the scales on best date ever, scratch that . . . the best day ever." Greg grinned looking into the Texans eyes. "You don't wonna overdo it, you'll have a hard time trying to outdo yourself next time around."

"I'm not worried about that G, I have so much more I wonna do with you." He rasped, his heated lips inches from Greg's.

"I can think of one thing right now." Greg smiled, initiating another kiss, not caring a couple were walking by at the time. "It only works if we get horizontal though." Nick smiled taking Greg by the hand towards the street to hail a cab.

They returned home within no time, stripping the clothes off one another as soon as they stepped through the door, kissing and groping their way to the bedroom.

Nick gently lowered Greg onto the bed then removed his own jeans, crawling across the bed on top of his boyfriend. "How did you like today G?" He whispered, brushing his fingers through Greg's hair.

"I loved today Nicky, you really are the best boyfriend ever."

"So are you G, you kissed me in the restaurant at the park then in the cab, all in front of people without carin' what they thought." Nick smiled, kissing Greg again while he ground his hips against him. "I love you Greggo."

"I love you too Nicky . . . and I did that for you today, to prove how much I love you. I don't care who knows about us . . . I just wonna be with you."

"That works out nicely." Nick smiled, slipping Greg's boxers off his legs. "Coz I just wonna be with you too Greg."

Greg engaged in another kiss, gliding his hands across Nick's body. "Now take me cowboy." He grinned. "I wonna feel you inside of me again." Nick smiled, reaching for the night stand for supplies.

"I thought you'd never ask G." Nick removed his own boxers, kissing his lover before he rolled behind him getting into position.

Soft moans and the slapping of Nick's thrusts echoed through the room, until Nick made that one final thrust, sending both their bodies into overdrive. Raving with pure intense pleasure until they collapsed into one another's arms, falling asleep almost instantly from the amazing day they just experienced.

Hoping there were many more to be experienced between them...

* * *

**Please Review**

**I know 4 chapters in one day :) i'm on a role, but works getting really busy so it might be my last one until next monday so enjoy!!!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I thought you deserved a little extra since you've all been giving me such lovely reviews :D**

**~Holly**


	19. Chapter 19: Pursuit to Happiness

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Nineteen: Pursuit to Happiness**

"You're in a good mood." Sara laughed as Greg giddily skipped around the car they were processing.

"Yep." He grinned, trying to contain his excitement in. "But I'm not gonna tell you why." He dropped to his knees to swab the front radiator of the car, just as Nick walked in.

"Hey Nick." Sara smiled to herself, seeing the looks between both men. She could tell they were in love from a mile off.

"Hey Sara." Nick smiled casually. He hadn't even noticed she was in the room, all he saw was Greg, and he couldn't take his eyes off him.

"You off to lunch?" Sara asked.

"Yep and I came to ask Greg if he'd join me."

"I'd love to." Greg shouted, immediately springing to his feet, making Nick's smile widen.

Sara covered her mouth trying to stifle her laugh from Greg's adorableness.

"Don't be jealous Sara; it's a guy's lunch." Nick badly covered. "We're gonna talk about guy things."

"I bet you will." She winked at them.

"Boobs and ass baby." Greg shouted running out the garage. Sara burst into giggles, shaking her head as Nick took off after his excitable lover.

* * *

"Hey careful G." Nick laughed. Greg almost tripped over again, while they were walking through the park with their burrito's and coffee's. "You really can't do two things at once can yah?" He laughed, wiping some sauce off Greg's chin with his thumb.

"I've never been able to multi task." He giggled. Nick directed them over to a spare bench handing Greg a tissue from his pocket. "Thanks Nicky."

"For what G?"

"Last night, yesterday, this lunch . . . everything." Greg smiled widely at Nick. "You're completely responsible for my happiness."

"Thanks G, your welcome. You're completely responsible for my happiness too."

"If we weren't in public I'd be kissing you right now."

Nick looked around at the people in the park going about their ordinary days. "Don't tell me someone's gone shy again." Nick smiled seeing the tree ahead of them, where they made out last night in front of people.

"Absolutely not . . . just Mandy and Wendy are sitting over there." Greg pointed out.

Nick looked round spotting them in the distance. "We'll have to save it for later then G."

"Definitely." Greg smiled eating the rest of his burrito.

"How much more work you gotta do G?" Watching Greg's tongue darting in and out of his mouth, made him desperately want the kiss more.

"I still have to find an ID on our John Do found in the car that wasn't registered to him. So quite a bit yet, unless Sara's figured it out while I'm out to lunch with my boyfriend." He grinned, finally able to say those words making warm tingles shoot up his spine. "What you working on?"

"Warrick and I got a marital dispute. Both husband and wife were killed an hour apart of each other. Warrick thinks the wife killed her husband then killed herself."

Greg smiled knowing they always wager on cases. "And what's your theory?"

"My theory will earn us a romantic dinner for two somewhere." Nick grinned. "I think the wife was cheatin' on her husband, whoever the mystery man is killed her husband then killed her."

"Anything to back it up? Coz I have very expensive tastes." Greg smirked.

Nick laughed looking into Greg's eyes. "Well the wife had semen in her, but it wasn't her husband's and she wasn't the type to kill herself. Don't worry G; you'll get your romantic dinner again." He winked at him, making Greg smile.

"Good, coz I had a great time yesterday." Greg licked his lips, looking at Nick's delicious mouth, waiting to be tasted by his very own lips. "It's kinda frustrating that I can't kiss you right now Nicky."

"I'll owe you two." He smiled. "C'mon then we better get back, before Warrick solves the case himself or tampers with evidence, so he wins."

"Friends." Greg laughed walking back with Nick.

* * *

Upon entry to the lab, Nick returned to work with Warrick on their case. Greg watched his man from the distance, completely content as he saw the smile on Nick's face lighting up his whole life.

"Greg, you're staring." Sara smirked, placing her hands on his shoulders making him jump.

"Well I suppose you know why." He smiled looking round at her.

"No way, you and Nick?" Sara asked shocked.

Greg nodded. "I know he told you about us..."

"I haven't told anyone I swear." She promised. "I wouldn't do that to you . . . so yesterday . . . that's what you guys were doing?" Greg nodded again, starting to blush a light shade of red from his embarrassment. "Well I'm very happy for you guys, you deserve some happiness Greg, Nick too."

"I know . . . that's exactly how I feel now . . . happy." He felt his heart warm as he looked back at Nick. "I would've never of thought Nick and I would be together . . . not in a million years. Now I can't imagine my life without him."

"You're very lucky Greg . . . now come on, we found the owner of our car." She smiled linking arms with him as they walked off down the hall.

* * *

"Okay man what's wrong with you?" Warrick asked leaning on the table.

"Whaddya mean?" Nick asked confused.

"You're smiling, skip in your step and your being all happy about a murder investigation." Warrick explained, looking at his long time friend, who appeared to be hiding something from him. Warrick just didn't know what. Usually he was quite good at figuring him out as he's known him for so long, but lately he just seemed so distant and different.

"Let's just say I had a _great _sleep last night." Nick smiled, raising his eyebrows.

"No . . . you finally bedded this girl you're in love with?"

Nick looked at Warrick a moment. He wanted to tell him it wasn't a girl, but he didn't think his very heterosexual best friend would accept him if he found out.

So he decided to lie.

"Yep . . . I love em even more now, three weeks together and I'm hooked..."

"Dude you are so whipped." Warrick laughed.

"Yeah I am . . . there's nothin' wrong with bein' in a relationship with the one you love man."

"You saying I'm not?"

"Well your always bitchin' about Tina, you keep sayin' how much you regret marryin' her too . . . makes you wonder man."

"Hey I used to love Tina . . . going into a marriage destroyed our relationship. Now she's constantly nagging we don't spend enough time together, she's accusing me of sleeping around, when all I'm doing is working here constantly. I haven't had sex in over 4 month's man."

Nick laughed, knowing he used to only go days without it. "Maybe you guys weren't ready for marriage." Nick looked at the sadness in his friends eyes. "You can still work and have a successful relationship Warrick..."

"Easy for you to say . . . the other persons in love with you." He retaliated.

"Yeah they are." Nick smiled, thinking of Greg. "It also helps that we understand each other . . . see I've known them for years...as friends, now we're in a relationship we're so much stronger coz we already know everythin' about each other."

Warrick laughed at Nick shaking his head.

"What?" Nick asked.

"Whoopsshhh . . . you are so whipped." He laughed again.

"Yeah I am . . . and I love it." Nick grinned, walking out the room.

* * *

"Excuse me . . . do you know this man?" Greg asked one of the chop shop employees.

The man looked at Greg then the photo in his hands.

"So what if I do?" He sneered at him.

_Great. _Greg thought, thinking this was going to be the usual; suspect denies everything, thinking if he keeps quiet it will get him off on the charges, kind of case.

"It would be a really big help if you could tell us who he was." Sara told him. The man looked at Sara then Greg.

He huffed loudly. "His names Benny . . . I haven't seen him in months."

"Benny have a last name?" Greg asked curiously.

"Yeah Einstein." He sneered sarcastically. "Don't know it though."

"Do you know where he lives?" Sara asked.

The man shook his head still staring at Greg in a way that made him very uncomfortable. Sara nodded then turned away to look around the rest of the chop shop, leaving Greg with the man they were questioning.

"You have handcuffs?" He asked looking at Greg's figure.

"No, I'm a CSI not a cop." Greg gulped nervously then walked away to stand near Mitch to make him feel slightly safer.

A few hours later when they finally finished searching the chop shop, coming up with no new leads, they walked back outside to their cars. "Hey Greg, you wonna take this stuff back to the lab? I gotta make a pit stop."

"Seeing Grissom during working hours?" Greg smirked. "Isn't that against policy?"

"No . . . if you must know, it's that time of the month and I gotta make a pit stop." She over shared, climbing into her car.

"Way too much information Sidle." He laughed, watching her drive away. Greg packed up the last evidence box then climbed into the driver's seat, starting the car ready for the journey back to the lab.

* * *

In the CSI lab parking lot, Greg climbed out his car checking his messages on his phone. He smiled reading one from Nick saying '_I miss you already.'_ Greg started to text back, when he heard a rustling noise coming from between the cars.

Greg looked around nervously; he glanced ahead towards the elevator, knowing that was his only escape.

Greg starting to sped up his walking pace, hearing footsteps coming from behind him. He dare not look for the fear of looking into their eyes, before whoever it was attacked him.

Greg's heart rate rapidly increased with each step. He could feel a heavy lump in his throat each time he extended his foot, taking another step closer and closer towards the exit when suddenly something hit him.

Greg was forced down onto the concrete by a hard swing of something to the back of his head. His head felt like it was on fire from the excruciating pain vibrating through his skull.

Greg felt a second hard force to his ribs, causing him to roll onto his back. As he looked up through his blurred vision, he saw about three dark figures crowding around him.

The hard jabs to the ribs caused him to choke, feeling blood in the back of his throat and there it was again, that same fear he experienced before. The disorientation quickly arrived, blurring and obstructing all of his senses as the thick taste of copper slid down his throat.

Greg lay still, receiving continuous blows to the chest and stomach. Then right there, he was right back in that alley.

Helpless and alone.

* * *

"There he is." Sara pointed. Sara and Grissom ran through the corridors of the hospital towards Nick, who was sat with his head in his hands in the waiting room.

"Hey Nick, he okay?" Grissom asked, worried about his youngest CSI that was brutally attacked once again.

"I don't know, they won't let me see him yet." Nick said wiping the tears from his eyes as he stood up.

Sara hugged him tightly feeling his trembling body as she wrapped her arms around him. Grissom stood back watching them, worried about Greg. He couldn't believe this had happened again and in their very own parking lot.

Catherine had found Greg lying in a pool of his own blood when she returned from the field. They had no idea how long he had been there, or who did it, but they were going over the place with a fine tooth comb, while Archie reviewed their security tapes trying to get an ID of Greg's attackers.

Grissom and Sara sat with Nick, while they waited for a doctor to tell them how Greg was doing. A few minutes later the doctor finally came over to talk to them.

"Are you family members?" He asked the three of them. They all nodded, waiting for him to speak. "Are you sure?"

"I'm his boyfriend; please tell me what's goin' on?" Nick pleaded.

Grissom and the doctor both looked at Nick shocked. Grissom never would have thought they were actually going out from just that one kiss he saw and he hadn't picked up on any feelings from them at work.

"I'm sorry; we really need to speak with a family member..."

"He's all I got; please...just tell me if he's okay." Nick begged.

"Okay . . . we've treated Mr Sander's wounds. He has a fractured wrist, dislocated shoulder, three broken ribs and a few cuts and bruises, nothing that won't heal over time. We're going to take him to neurology next, make sure there's no permanent damage to his skull. He's lucky to be alive; we'd like to keep him in under observation." Nick nodded, just wanting to hold Greg in his arms again.

"Thank you Doctor." Grissom said for him.

The doctor nodded walking away.

Nick dropped heavily back onto a chair, dropping his head into his hands again.

"Can we get you anything Nick?" Sara asked, softly running her palms down his back trying to sooth him.

Nick just shook his head. "What am I gonna do?"

"Well you have to help Greg through this, we'll help you . . . and we'll get the scumbags that did this to him." Sara told him.

Nick ran his fingers through his hair trying to think. "Sorry Grissom." He suddenly apologised.

"What for?" Grissom asked confused.

"For lettin' you find out about us like this." Nick sheepishly replied. "I was gonna tell yah."

"No need Nick." He smiled, remembering back to the conference when he saw them kissing on the exit slip. "I kind of already knew." He said surprising Nick.

"Don't look at me I didn't tell him." Sara quickly confirmed for Nick.

"It's true she didn't and I didn't know that you knew either." He said looking at Sara. "I saw you and Greg after that conference we had. You were on the exit slip on the way back to Vegas. I saw you together as I drove past."

"Oh." Nick said remembering that kiss. "I'm still sorry. And this totally won't affect our work, it hasn't been."

"I get it, I won't tell Ecklie." Grissom smiled. "Now go in there and be strong for our Greg, he needs you more than ever now Nicky."

Nick nodded taking a deep breath of courage before he walked off towards Greg's room. Nick stopped at the door staring in at his bruised loved one. His heart broke seeing Greg like this again. His face didn't look as bad, there was a cut above his right eye and a large foot shaped bruise on the left side of his face. Most of the damage was taken by his chest and arms this time.

Nick took a second deep breath before he grabbed for the cold handle. He felt cold chills rushing up his spine remembering the last time he had to do this. Greg was a mess, but he was still strong. He kept asking about the kid he hit and wanted to know if the tourist was going to live.

Nick slowly stepped closer and closer towards Greg's bed seeing his eyes slowly opening. "Hey Greg." He whispered softly, now standing right beside the bed.

Greg reached out for Nick's hand with his bruised and bloody fingers. Nick carefully took hold of his hand then softly kissed Greg on the forehead away from any bruises so he didn't hurt him further.

"We're gonna get these assholes that did this to you Greg, I promise you." Nick's heart broke seeing a tear roll down the side of Greg's face, followed by some more. "It's okay baby, I'm here now. No one can hurt you." Nick tried to assure him.

"Don't go anywhere Nicky." He pleaded. Nick nodded pulling up a chair. "I was so scared." Greg cried, spilling more tears down his bruised face.

"I know baby, I'm here now. I'm so sorry this happened to you, I shoulda been there to protect you." Nick tried to bite back his tears to stay strong for Greg, but the tears persisted on rolling down his cheeks. "I love you Greg...this shouldn't have happened to you . . . not again."

"It's not your fault Nicky." Greg brushed his thumb across the top of Nick's hand looking into his glassy chocolate eyes. "You did save me . . . I thought I'd never see you again, I thought I was going to die right there and then . . . but now you're here and I know I'm alive . . . I love you so much Nicky, you have no idea how much you've saved me."

Nick smiled, kissing the back of Greg's hand. "I'm supposed to be strong for you not the other way around." He laughed, seeing a slight smile edge across Greg's lips.

"You being here is my strength Nicky."

Grissom and Sara stood outside the door watching the love and affection between the two guys. "Think we'll ever be that happy?" Sara asked her man stood beside her.

"We are that happy." Grissom looked at her then back in at the boys. "Behind closed doors that is . . . Nick and Greg deserve each other."

"I can't believe you knew."

"I can't believe you knew." He returned, looking at her shocked. "It seems a little weird that two of my employees are dating . . . especially coz they feel like my sons..."

"How do you think I feel knowing my brothers are getting intimate with one another?" Sara asked giving him a smile. "It does seem weird, but seeing them together . . . you can see their meant for each other . . . they deserve some happiness."

"I hope they find it."

* * *

**Please Review**

**Got some free time and managed to write two new chapters :D Hope you like them**


	20. Chapter 20: For Greg

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Twenty: For Greg**

"Have you found them yet?" Nick asked. Catherine and Grissom looked up from their work shaking their heads. "What's takin' so long? I thought we had security cameras down there?"

"We do Nick, they were wearing masks." Grissom explained.

"So we got nothin'?" He asked angrily.

"No, we got one . . . we found a DNA sample under Greg's fingernail . . . Brass is bringing him in now." Catherine told him.

"When? Where is he?"

"Nick, you have to be patient." Grissom tried to tell the hot head that was only getting more worked up by the second. "I thought I gave you the day off anyway."

"You did, Greg's parents are up the hospital with him. So I wanted to check on how the case is goin'."

"Well there's nothing you can do Nick. So go, give Greg our best." Grissom ordered him. "You interfere with this investigation, I'll have to suspend you Nick." He warned him.

"Nicky, we'll find these guys." Catherine tried to assure him. Nick nodded then walked off out of the layout room heading back down to the garage.

As he walked past the crime scene, seeing the stains of his lover's blood on the floor, he began to crack up inside again. Things were going so right, Greg was just starting to get better. Now he has to go through it all again.

Nick didn't know what he was going to do if he came face to face with the people that did this to Greg, he might even go as far as killing them, to defend Greg's honour.

* * *

"I'm sorry you guys have to be here again." Greg mumbled, holding his mother's hand in his own. "I should have just tried to defend myself..."

"It's not your fault sweetheart." Jean Sanders tried to assure him, brushing back her son's hair, which was surprisingly long without the gel in it. "If you did try and defend yourself, they might have finished you off. I don't know what I'd do without you sweetheart."

"Thanks mom."

"Any time sweetie. Now where's Nicky? I wanted to see him on this visit too."

"I think he went to the lab, he hasn't left my side since though mom." Greg assured her with a smile.

"I know, he's a good boy and he really loves you."

"I know." Greg grinned. "Are you okay dad? You've barely said two words."

"Sorry . . . I was just thinking." Dan climbed out of his seat, joining his wife at their badly beaten son's bed side once again. The last time he did this he was trying to stay strong for both Greg and his wife, he didn't know if he could do it again.

"Where's Jade?" Jean asked curiously.

"I don't know. She came in earlier . . . I think she had to go to work or something." Greg gently rubbed his bruised eye, beginning to feel sleepy again.

"You should get some sleep sweetheart." Jean told him.

Greg shook his head. "Not without Nicky here."

"I'll call him." Dan whipped out his phone heading into the hall, relieved for the escape for some air. He hated seeing his son like this when there was nothing he could do. He's had to sit by his son's bedside so many times, looking at his bruised and battered figure, unable to do anything to defend him.

* * *

"C'mon Sara." Nick pleaded. Sara shook her head, leaning back on her seat. "I'm not askin' you to give me all the details, just tell me the name of the place you went yesterday. Greg said that guy looked a little shifty..."

"Why aren't you asking Greg this then?" Sara asked curiously.

"Coz he won't tell me . . . he thinks I'll do somethin' stupid. Please Sara, just give me the address." He pleaded again.

"No Nick, if Greg won't tell you then I definitely won't. This is Catherine and Grissom's case Nick. Let them handle it."

"Don't you wonna find the guys that did this to Greg? again..." Nick tried to reason with her.

"I do . . . but this is their case Nick, they'll find them." She persisted. Nick huffed in defeat then stormed out the lab.

As he walked off he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Nick looked at the screen seeing it was Dan Sanders, but decided to put him through to voice mail as he had more pressing matters to deal with.

* * *

"Hey." Nick smiled, leaning against the car. Jade looked up at him seeing the look in his eyes.

"Whaddya want Nick?"

"How do you know I want somethin'?"

Jade rolled her eyes, setting down her tools. "Coz I know men . . . so what's up?"

"One of the cars from your garage was stolen and it has a GPS trackin' system, correct?" He asked her. Jade looked around at the other employees then glared at Nick. "C'mon Jade . . . this is for Greg."

Jade wiped her hands on a nearby cloth then grabbed the sheet from Nick's hands. "If I get fired, I'm so kicking your ass Stokes." She warned him, heading off towards the office.

Nick smiled following after her.

"Why don't you do this at the lab anyway? I'm sure you have so much more advanced equipment for finding these things."

"Coz if I interfere with the case, my boss will suspend me." He explained, leaning over her shoulder as she brought up the cars GPS system on her computer.

"I'm not going to jail for this am I?"

"No, I'll tell them somethin', don't worry." Nick watched as she navigated the screen. "There." He pointed. "Right there."

"I see it, Jeez . . . back seat surfer." She mumbled under breath.

Nick grabbed a pen writing down the address on his hand. "Thanks Jade..."

"Whoa, you're not going alone." She jumped up from her seat, blocking his path out of the office.

"You can't come..."

"I care about Greg too. Besides you're gonna need someone to drive for you, coz I can smell the scotch on your breath."

Nick rolled his eyes at her. "We run into trouble, you let me handle it." He sternly warned her.

"Done, now gimme yah car keys." She demanded. Nick rolled his eyes again then dropped them into her hand.

* * *

"Did you get through to Nick?" Jean asked.

Dan shook his head dropping back into his chair. "Voice mail, he must be busy or something."

"You can sleep with us here." Jean said, turning to her son. "We won't leave until Nick gets back."

"Thanks mom, but I can't sleep without Nicky." Greg pulled the cover up around him starting to feel cold.

"You know what; I'll drive over to the lab, see if I can track him down." Dan climbed to his feet, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek then his son a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be back soon." He winked, heading off out the door.

* * *

"You should really get your oil checked." Jade remarked, further along down the road.

"I have had it checked..."

"Your engine says otherwise."

"Just drive would you." He moaned her. Jade rolled her eyes, turning back to the road. "So why'd you get into cars the first place?"

"You making small talk or you really wonna know?"

"I really wonna know." He said watching a grin spread across her face. "What?"

"Nothing." She grinned. "Well if you really wonna know . . . my granddad worked at the pit stops on the race tracks. When my mom was tight for a babysitter, we used to sit on his car in the lot round the back . . . front seat row to the whole track..."

"Who's we?"

"Me and my brothers . . . the ones that weren't in jail." She smirked. "My parents were always arguing when I was little. Then my dad went to prison, brothers were soon to follow. Mother that curses her ass off and drinks like a fish . . . cars are my escape from life . . . you ever feel like that?" Nick nodded, realising how alike they truly were, only his family were more law abiding then hers. He was trying to escape the power and politics of the Stokes name, but she was trying to escape the criminal rep of screw ups, drowning themselves with drugs and booze.

"Sorry." He apologised for bringing it up.

"Don't be . . . there it is." Jade pulled up the car outside the chop shop. "And that's the stolen car." She pointed out. "How'd you know to find it here?"

"I found Greg's crime scene pictures." He grinned climbing out the car. "Hey you're not comin' inside." He said seeing her climbing out too.

"To hell I am. I know your temper Stokes, you're not going in there alone." Nick rolled his eyes as Jade took the lead.

"Greg said you were bossy." He mumbled, chasing after her.

"Which guy you think it is?" Jade asked as they stood in the entrance. Nick looked across the room seeing a tall man with a cracked lip and a cut on his knuckles as he was polishing the roof of a car. Jade grabbed Nick pushing him back. "Where are you going?"

"To go talk to him."

"Not with a crazy look in your eye you're not. I grew up with hot head brothers not emotional sisters." She reminded him, taking the lead.

"Nice car."

The man turned to look at Jade then saw Nick, the well built, hot head walking up behind her. "You two looking in buying?"

"No..." Jade pushed Nick back before he punched him. "How'd you get that cracked lip?" She asked bluntly.

"What's it to you? You guys cops?" He asked them.

Nick flashed his badge making the guy scamper for the nearest exit.

"Nice going Stokes." Jade remarked sarcastically.

Nick ran after him while Jade went out a side door.

Nick ran through the back of the chop shop, two steps behind the guy he was chasing, determined to catch up to him as he was one of the guys that hurt Greg. The guy pushed over a tool box obstructing Nick's path then ran out the back door, where he was flanked by Jade holding a crowbar.

One clean sweep to his legs and he was down on the dirt. Jade pulled the stolen handcuffs from her pocket, cuffing up his wrists behind his back then saw a stunned Nick running towards her.

"When did you take those off me?" He panted, checking his belt as the cuffs he stashed there were gone.

"You think I didn't learn a few things." She grinned, looking at the guy down on the dirt. "I have always wanted to do that." She laughed, raising her eyebrows at Nick.

Nick couldn't help, but smile, shaking his head at her. "Why didn't you become a cop instead of a mechanic then?" Nick asked pulling the guy to his feet.

"Cars are more interesting."

Nick rolled his eyes then turned back to the guy.

"You wonna be left alone? You two are clearly having a moment here." He said sarcastically as he winced from the pain in his legs.

"No we're good." Jade grinned. "Back to my previous question..."

"Hey I'm the one interrogating here." Nick interrupted her. Jade pretended to zip her lips shut, throwing the key over her shoulder. Nick rolled his eyes at her then looked at the guy. "Where'd you get that split lip?"

"Bar fight."

"Really." Nick examined the man's knuckles then saw some blood under his fingernail. "I bet you that blood matches Greg's..."

"Whoa Nick." Jade grabbed his arm before he delivered a punch to the man's face. "You beat this asshole up, we'll never get him for what he did to Greg."

"Hey I'm not an asshole and I have no idea who our talking about." The guy defended himself.

"Shut up." Jade and Nick both shouted at him.

"How'd you know that?" Nick asked her.

"I watch enough TV." She smirked. "You need a warrant and stuff. Otherwise he'll walk. Believe me I'd love to let you beat the holy crap outta him, but Greg needs Justice."

"Who's Greg?" The man asked.

"SHUT UP." Jade and Nick shouted again.

"Okay we'll do this right. I'll call Grissom and get him down here to test this blood under this assholes nail, but you can't be here."

"You can't be here _alone_ . . . your drunk Nick and you're gonna hit him as soon as I leave. How about I call in a tip and you get out of here." She suggested, snapping Nick's phone shut in his hand.

"I like that plan." The guy added, not wanting to be left alone with the hot head Texan in front of him.

"Fine." Nick huffed, pocketing his phone. "I'll go back to the hospital to check on Greg. Can I have my keys?"

"No coz you're still drunk."

"You really are bossy." Nick mumbled.

"I just look out for Greg's best interests." She smiled. "I'll pay for your cab, here." She handed over some money. "Take care of Greg, Nick."

Nick nodded walking off to hail a cab.

* * *

Nick stood outside Greg's room looking in at his bruised and battered boyfriend, softly snoozing in the hospital bed.

"He tried to stay up for you . . . but he was too tired." Jean's voice said from behind him. Nick turned to face her, revealing his tear stroked cheeks. "Goodness, what's wrong Nicky?"

Nick shook his head, but Jean already pulled him in for a warm embrace.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Jean asked after a few minutes silence.

"I can't believe I almost lost him again." Nick sobbed. "I can't protect him, I tried . . . but I can't."

"Of course you can Nicky. Before, when I called him every day he was so low and down on himself . . . now all he talks about is you . . . you've already saved him sweetheart . . . you've put life back in that boy." She told him as she softly smoothed her palms up and down his back. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to my son sweetheart . . . you can't give up now. Not when you're both doing so well with each other."

Nick nodded, wiping the tears from his face.

"Here." Jean fished out a packet of tissues from her purse handing them over to Nick. "Remember what we said Nicky, we're always here for you."

"Thank you." He smiled, drying his eyes then blowing his nose. He took a deep soothing breath then looked back into Greg's hospital room.

"Go on then Nicky . . . you both need to be with each other right now."

Nick smiled stuffing the tissues in his pocket then walked slowly into the room trying not to wake Greg, but as soon as Greg heard the door, he rolled over to see who it was.

"Nicky." He smiled, looking at him through his tired eyes.

"Hey G." Nick carefully sat on the edge of the bed, holding Greg's hand in his. "I love you Greg . . . you know that right?"

Greg nodded. "I know Nicky . . . I love you too."

Nick jumped hearing his phone ringing. He fished it out of his pocket seeing it was Grissom.

"Stokes." He answered, looking into Greg's eyes.

"_Nick we found one of the guys and he's willing to give up the rest of the attackers. We found him due to an anonymous tipper . . . you wouldn't know anything about that would you Nick?"_

"No." He poorly lied. "That's good that you got them . . . I'll let Greg and his family know."

"_Okay Nick." _Grissom snapped his phone shut, deciding to let this incident slide as Nick didn't technically go against his wishes.

"They found the guys that beat you up G, they can't get you anymore." Nick assured him with a kiss to the forehead. "You're okay now baby."

"I know Nicky . . . I felt safer the second you walked in the room." He smiled. "So how did you find him?"

Nick looked at Greg blankly.

"C'mon Nicky . . . you may be able to fool Grissom, but you can't fool me. And you stink like scotch." The curious CSI smelled his boyfriends breathe again. "Yep definitely scotch."

"I had a little help." Nick smiled. "I didn't beat him up though . . . as much as I wanted to..."

"Who helped you? Warrick?"

"Jade."

"Jade?" Greg asked surprised. "How did she help you?"

"She kept my temper in check . . . you shoulda seen her take down this guy." Nick laughed. "You're so lucky to have a best friend like her G."

"Tell me all about it." Greg shifted on the bed, making room for Nick to lay down beside him. Nick lay down beside Greg to face him then told him all about his day.

Greg felt even more protected hearing his boyfriend's heroic story of how he was trying to protect his beloved Greg.

* * *

**Please Review**


	21. Chapter 21: Incriminating

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Incriminating**

It's been a few months since Greg was beaten up again. He returned home shortly after the incident to Nick, who took care of him taking a week off from work to do so. Greg was only just starting to get over the first attack, now he had to start all over again without the use of alcohol this time around.

Greg woke up screaming during most nights, but this time he had Nick there to comfort him making him feel safer again. Greg's wounds began to heal on the outside, but deep inside they were still scratching at the surface of his mind, making him fear going anywhere dark and alone again.

Greg shook himself awake from another nightmare, feeling Nick's warm body pressed against his own made him feel instantly safer. Greg wrapped his arms around Nick holding him closer.

Nick awoke from the trembling body beneath him. He opened his eyes, looking up seeing Greg was awake and smiling at him.

"You dribbled on my chest again." Greg laughed.

"Sorry baby." Nick wiped the dribble from his mouth, looking up into Greg's eyes. "Why are you shaking?" Greg shrugged, running his fingers through Nick's hair. "Have another nightmare baby?"

"Yeah, but it was instantly forgotten when I woke up with you on top of me." He smiled sweetly. Nick smiled back kissing Greg on the forehead. "You think it will ever go away Nicky?"

"Well this is your first nightmare in two weeks. It's already startin' to get better." Nick wrapped his arms tighter around Greg, supporting his trembling body. "Just remember to wake me up whenever you need me." Nick closed his eyes resting his head on Greg's shoulder.

Greg softly kissed Nick on the forehead completely forgetting his nightmare as warm tingles of love spread throughout his body. "I love you Nicky." He whispered softly then closed his eyes again, falling back asleep.

* * *

Both men slowly awoke, several hours later in each other's arms. "Mornin' G."

"Morning Nicky." Greg smiled, looking up into his lovers eyes.

"You know G; we've been together four months exactly today."

"Really . . . that long. Feels like a lifetime with you Nicky." Greg smiled, initiating his first kiss of the day.

"Your mornin' breath still tastes like liquorish." Nick licked his lips, savouring the taste. "I love wakin' up to you G."

"I love waking up to you too Nicky." Greg cheekily grinned, slipping his hands under Nick's boxer's waistband.

Nick gasped from the brush of Greg's hand. "We have 10 minutes to get ready for your parents to arrive G..." Nick tried to explain, but Greg continued to massage Nick, consuming his mouth with a lusty kiss. "G I'm serious..." Nick laughed trying to push his horny lover away.

"It'll take less than five minutes Nicky, quick shower then we'll be ready." Greg compromised. Nick finally gave in, allowing his lover to strip him down and grind against him, while invading his mouth with a passionate kiss. Three minutes twenty seconds later they were in the shower cleaning off just in time for Jean and Dan's arrival.

"Feels like I'm meetin' the in laws again." Nick nervously confessed as the two of them walked for the door.

"Relax Nicky; you've already won them over." Greg assured him, giving him a kiss before he opened the door. "Hey mom, hey dad." Greg smiled widely.

"Hello sweetheart, hey Nicky." Jean threw her arms around her son hugging him tightly. She hadn't seen him in over four months since his second beating.

"Hi Nick." Dan shook Nick's hand giving him a warm smile, while his wife and son were fully embraced in a hug.

"Can't breathe." Greg panted with his mother's arms tightly wrapped around his neck.

"I'm sorry sweetheart." She took a step back kissing him on the cheek then looked up at Nick. "Thank you for taking care of my boy Nicky."

"My pleasure." Nick smiled at Greg.

Nick watched with green eyes of envy as Greg parents fussed over him with love and cuddles. Greg's parents loved him, whereas he hadn't seen his since the coffin incident and they rarely ever got in touch just to say hello to him.

Then Jean Sanders completely surprised him, throwing her arms around his neck to hug him tightly. Nick smiled leaning into the hug, since he fell in love with Greg he had been getting constant love and hugs, whereas back home they were big on the tough love and the conditional love approach. He rarely ever got hugs from his own mother and he never once hugged his own father.

Nick couldn't stop a tear of happiness from running down his cheek.

"Oh honey." Jean Sanders smiled wiping it away for him. "Don't you cry, you'll get me started." She smiled softly.

"Sorry." Nick wiped his eyes then smiled as Greg threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"It's okay Nicky." Greg smiled, smoothing his palms down his back.

"Oh, we don't mean to upset you sweetheart." Jean held her husband's arm as tears pooled in her own eyes.

"No it wasn't you . . . I was just thinkin' about my family." Nick sniffed back his tears holding Greg tightly.

"Well what's wrong with your family sweetheart?" Jean asked pulling a tissue from her sleeve to dry her eyes.

"Mom I told you, Nicky's family isn't as tight as ours." Greg explained. "He hasn't seen them in almost a year now."

"That's awful sweetheart." Jean dried her eyes then made her way down the hall to the bathroom. Dan walked off to the kitchen seeing the boys needed a moment.

"You okay Nicky?" Greg whispered, holding Nick in his arms.

"I'm okay G." Nick sniffed, drying his eyes with his hands. "Can't believe I cried like that."

"You have been really strong the past couple of months Nicky . . . maybe your emotions finally hit yah."

Nick nodded, giving Greg a half smile. "Sorry I made your mom cry."

"She's very emotional too Nicky." Greg softly kissed Nick on the cheek looking into his eyes. "I told you it's not good to bottle up all the time Nicky, your emotions creep up on you when you least expect it then."

"I know G. I feel better now." He grinned. "Let's takes them out to breakfast now."

"You sure?" Nick nodded snatching a kiss. "Okay." Greg smiled walking off down the hall to check on his mother.

Dan Sanders smiled proudly at his son's boyfriend.

After listening to his wife in the car for four hours worrying that Nick wasn't taking care of their boy, his mind was finally at ease seeing that they both look after each other.

_The perfect basis of a long lasting relationship._ He sighed happily.

* * *

"Breakfast with your parents was fun." Nick smiled collapsing onto the sofa.

"But?" Greg asked pulling off his coat to hang it up.

"But . . . I wish we could spend some more time with some of my family." Nick confessed in a low toned voice. "I know it's kinda my own fault, movin' out here . . . I know half of them wouldn't accept me if they found out I was gay . . . but I just want..." Nick stopped talking looking up at Greg.

"It's natural for you to want your family to love you Nicky." Greg dropped onto the coffee table reaching for Nick's hands. "You know they might not take it as bad as you think they would . . . most of them at least, might support you . . . if you wanted to tell them."

"It would be nice." Nick smiled. "C'mere." Nick pulled Greg onto his lap, circling his arms around him to cuddle him tightly. "I want them to know how happy I am . . . that I can be happy without the wife and kids running round the house, like they all insisted I needed."

"Did you want to tell them?" Greg asked, circling his fingers around Nick's arm.

"I don't know . . . after all we've been though . . . do you think we can handle a confrontation with the family that practically invented tough love?" Nick softly planted a kiss on Greg' cheek.

Greg smiled leaning back against Nick's chest.

"I love you Nicky . . . you'll always have the love and support of my family. If this thing does turn into a big blow out you'll still have us . . . you really are missing your family aren't you?"

"Yeah I am G." Nick closed his eyes relaxing with Greg in his arms.

"Maybe we should go up there and break it to them gently." Greg suggested, resting his head on the crock of Nick's neck. "They might not all accept you at first, but they should come around . . . I mean look at my mother. She hated the fact I was gay and you were coming over . . . but she came round to you..."

"Yeah, but your mother said whatever my boy loves I love too. My parents would never be sayin' that kinda thing to you. They like to manipulate your choices and things. If I told them I was gay and in love with you, they'd throw me out the door, probably even try to kill me if I went back."

"That's awful Nicky . . . how do you know they'd do that?"

"They've expressed enough of their opinions on homosexuals over the years, my brother even used to beat kids up at school just because they looked gay. I doubt they'd be very friendly on the subject if they found out I was one of them."

Greg could feel tears pooling in his eyes. He had always had the love and support from both parents and his grandparents. He never would have known that Nick came from such a tough love group.

At the hospital after the coffin incident, he met a few of them and they did seem genuinely sad that Nick had been made a victim of such an awful act. He'd have never of guessed how cold they truly were.

"I've always wanted to know G, what's your natural hair colour?" Nick asked trying to change the subject as he ran his fingers through Greg's now brown hair with shades of mousy blonde throughout.

"Don't laugh." Greg warned, turning to face his boyfriend on the sofa.

"I'd never laugh at you baby." Nick smiled ever so innocently.

"Red."

"Seriously? You." Nick asked, slightly surprised as he's always had a secret fetish for red hair.

"You're not gonna dump me now are you?"

"No way baby, if anythin' I love you just that little bit more." Nick laughed slightly.

"You said you wouldn't laugh." Greg scowled, turning on Nick's lap to straddle his thighs. "If this is what your promises are worth..."

"I'm sorry baby, I love red hair . . . that's why I'm laughing." Nick assured him, still running his fingers through Greg's silky smooth hair.

"How can you love red hair? No one loves red hair. My mom used to say I had Gingeritus. She's the one that started dying my hair when I was just a kid."

"Baby, ginger hairs nothing to be ashamed off." Nick assured him running his fingers smoothly through Greg's hair. "Are we talking Rupert Grint or Bree Van De Kamp red?"

"Who's Rupert Grint?" Greg asked confused.

"C'mon G." Nick said rolling his eyes. "He's Harry's friend..."

"Harry who?"

"Harry Potter, c'mon you must have seen the movies. You're readin' the books all the time."

"Nope never seen the movies." Greg grinned then burst into a goofy laugh. "Hey you're finally a bigger geek then me at something." Greg smirked, kissing his Texan lover.

"Hey you never answered my question." Nick said pulling back from the kiss.

"Well since I don't know who this other guy is and I'm guessing by Bree Van De Kamp you mean Bree Hodge as she's now called." Greg grinned, getting playfully punched in the arm. "I'd say it was more Bree's colour when her hair got that really dark shade of red." Nick stared seductively into Greg's eyes trying to picture it. "You don't want me to revert back do you?"

"No baby, I love your hair however you have it." Nick smiled, running his fingers through Greg's hair once again as he initiated a kiss.

"On the subject of desperate housewives which one's your favourite?" Greg asked, curiously as they broke apart.

Nick looked at Greg trying to think. "Favourite in which way G? Coz I kinda like Mike..."

"Nooo Nicky." Greg laughed.

"He's got the chiselled jaw look." Nick grinned.

"Now I know why you watch Desperate Housewives." Greg laughed again. "No more Mike for you Nicky or I'm cutting you off in the bedroom."

"Oh G, that's not fair. I let you watch that Supernatural program with those two hot guys. I never cut you off from it."

"You'll have to pry the remote from my cold dead fingers." Greg warned him with a goofy giggle. "I'd never give up Jensen and Jared . . . or Gilmore girls." Greg added.

"Well you'll have to do the same for me. I'm not givin' up on desperate housewives." Nick licked Greg's lip pulling him in for another kiss. "Anyway G, which one's your favourite?"

"I reckon that Andrew could be my twinky." Greg giggled raising his eyebrows.

"No way G, now you've put that image in my head I'm gonna have to punish you." Nick ordered, rolling Greg off his lap onto the sofa beside him. Greg laughed excitedly as Nick whipped Greg's shirt off, tracing his abs with his tongue. "No one gets to touch you, but me Greg." Nick rasped, invading Greg's mouth with his tongue, while he stripped his younger lover of his clothing.

"You're a little over dressed aren't you cowboy?" Greg whispered, running his palms under Nick's shirt.

"I'm not the one in trouble G." Nick chuckled.

"So you don't think I have an image of you and Mike in bed together?" Greg asked with a devious grin spread across his face. "I think you deserve to be punished just as much Nicky." He teased.

"You first . . . then I'll do anythin' you want." Nick rasped in a sexy seductive voice making the hairs on the back of Greg's neck stand on end.

Nick softly kissed Greg's forehead, kissing his way down the side of his boyfriends face to his neck. Greg closed his eyes relaxing back on the sofa as Nick's tongue glided across chest, stopping at one of his nipples, softly sucking and marking it before he moved onto his other. Nick scoured his tongue down the centre of Greg's chest reaching his groin.

Greg gasped as slow tender kisses were placed down his manhood, until Nick's mouth reached the end taking him whole. Greg whimpered with pleasure feeling Nick's mouth completely enveloping him, while he entwined his fingers in his hair as he gave out soft desperate moans.

Nick knew exactly how to push Greg's buttons, to make him squirm in the most pleasurable ways. Greg lasted a mere matter of seconds before he exploded. Electrical charges running deep through his body as he shook with pleasure.

Nick kissed his way back up to Greg's mouth, kissing him deeply then rested gently on top of him watching his young lover panting.

"God I love you Nicky." Greg reopened his eyes, joining his lips with Nick's. "You know as far as punishments go . . . that's the best I ever had." Greg grinned.

"Just to let you know your mine." Nick smiled back, resting his hand on Greg's chest as he softly breathed in and out. "I love you Greg. I have to confess somethin' to yah." Nick sat up on Greg's hips looking down into his lover's eyes.

"Oh god, you're really a woman aren't you?" Greg teased.

"No smart ass." Nick laughed, shaking his head. "Am I built like a woman?"

"Definitely not." Greg grinned, smoothing his hands around Nick's very masculine figure. "So what is it Nicky?"

"Before I kissed you Greg . . . I was too afraid to love anythin', I thought what's the point, if what I love is just going to die, but that all changed, after I got scared I was gonna lose you forever. When I finally kissed you . . . but I'm still worried I'm gonna lose you. I'm not afraid to love you, but I'm afraid..."

"Nicky, I'm not planning on going anywhere." Greg tried to reassure him, pulling Nick back into a tight embrace against his bare chest. "You're not gonna lose me Nicky, I plan on living at least another 40 years."

"40 years?" Nick asked in shock. "That's not long enough G."

"Nicky, I'll be in my seventies by then..."

"Don't you wonna grow old together though G? I don't wonna be the 75 year old bachelor with a dead boyfriend..."

"Nicky you won't be. I meant 40 years minimum. Maximum goes way up to about 100 years." Greg grinned, trying to make his cowboy feel better.

"How did we get from my parents not lovin' me to your hair, to sex then to when we're gonna die?" Nick asked confused.

"Well Nicky, when two people are in a relationship diagnosed with ADD and ADHD things tend to be a bit random." Greg giggled.

"Hey I was never diagnosed with ADD, that was just your professional opinion." Nick corrected sarcastically.

"But you are a control freak." Greg teased.

"Do you want me to punish you properly Sanders?" Nick asked, looking into his boyfriends cheeky eyes.

"Hey it's my turn." Greg protested.

"I'm sorry, how may I serve you Master G?"

"Master G?" Greg laughed, shaking his head. "I'm hungry."

"What can I make for you baby?"

"Scrambled eggs please."

"You had scrambled eggs yesterday." Nick remarked.

"Are you backing out of your punishment?" Greg asked, running his fingers softly across Nick's jaw line. Nick quickly shook his head kissing Greg passionately on the lips then dashed off to the kitchen to make him some food.

"Hey G." Greg glanced up looking at Nick stood against the kitchen door frame. "I love you." He winked.

"Love you too Nicky."

"Thanks for the family pep talk . . . I think we should tell them, but I think we should tell the guys at work first."

"Me too." Greg agreed.

Nick smiled then continued to the fridge to make Greg some food.

"Nicky, where's my boxers?" Greg asked looking around the room. Greg found his t-shirt pulling it down over his head.

"I tossed them over the sofa." He called back.

"Where? I can't find them." Greg shouted, crawling around on his hands and knees trying to look for them. Nick rolled his eyes, grabbing them from the lamp shade handing them back to his half naked partner. "What would I do without you?" Greg grinned, pulling them on.

"I'd hate to think." Nick chuckled, pointing to Greg's inside out t-shirt.

"Oops." Greg laughed, pulling it off his head to turn it around.

"Greg it's inside out, you have to flip it." Nick rolled his eyes, laughing as he pulled the shirt off Greg turning it round the right way for him. "I swear you'd lose your head if I wasn't around." He chuckled, kissing Greg again then quickly rushing back to the kitchen to finish making his boyfriend some lunch.

Nick jumped hearing a knock at his front door. He looked at Greg slowly walking towards the door to see who it was through the spy hole. "Damn it, its Warrick." Greg whispered. "When I said yeah, I meant much later. We can't tell him now."

"Okay G." Greg grabbed some of his things then ran down the hall to the spare bedroom closing the door behind him.

Nick cleared his throat then opened the door for Warrick. "Hey man, what's up?"

"Hey Nick, you busy?" Warrick asked, holding up some beers in his hands. Nick desperately wanted to say 'yes' but Warrick looked so down and he was supposed to be his best friend.

"No course not, Greg's . . . in his room, I was makin' him some lunch...he made me some the other day...we take turns." Nick nervously rambled. A trait he also picked up from his boyfriend.

Warrick nodded giving Nick a funny look then walked over to the sofa.

Nick quickly inspected the house making sure they hadn't left anything incriminating out. After a quick satisfied inspection he returned to the kitchen dishing out Greg's lunch. "I'll be right back." Nick said to Warrick.

Nick ran down the hall knocking on the spare bedroom door then walked in presenting his boyfriend with his lunch. "I'm sorry G, he looks really down. I couldn't turn him away."

"That's okay Nicky, thank you." Greg smiled, taking the knife and fork in his hands. Nick could tell Greg was upset though by his expression.

"G, I'll try and get rid of him as soon as I can." Nick kissed Greg, while some scrambled egg coated in ketchup just passed his lips. Nick could taste it inside his boyfriend's mouth. "I love you G."

"I love you." Greg whispered, watching Nick walk back out.

Greg hated this spare room. The walls weren't painted and it was hard wood floors that always hurt his feet. Not to mention the fact it didn't smell like Nick and the bed was so uncomfortable.

Nick returned to the sofa taking a beer as it was offered to him. "So what's up man?"

"Nick, you got ketchup on your mouth." Warrick pointed. Nick quickly wiped it away, realising he must have got it when he kissed Greg. "You okay man?"

"I'm fine." Nick nervously nodded, trying not to blush because it would be a dead give away. "So what's up with you?"

"Tina and I had a big fight."

"Oh really . . . again." Nick nodded, trying to feel sympathy, but it was what the ninth fight in less than a month. "Maybe it's for the best man."

"What kind of best friend advice is that?" Warrick snapped at him.

"I'm sorry, but 'rick you gotta admit . . . you two don't exactly seem right for each other. You're always fightin'..."

"So you're saying what? I should just give up?"

"Givin' up would be a good start. Think about it man is your relationship really worth salvagin'?"

"You can talk; you've never been in a romantic relationship, until now with some mystery girl, but how do I even know she exists? You won't tell me her name or let me meet her." Nick wanted to retort to that, but he couldn't risk outing himself to Warrick with his insecure lover in the next room. "Face it Nick you're the worst kinda guy to be giving out advice." Hearing his best friend say that cut deep inside him. "I'm sorry man." Warrick said seeing the look on his friends face.

"No its okay man . . . you're right. What do I know?"

"I think I should go..."

"I'll walk you to your car." Nick helped Warrick off the sofa seeing how tipsy he was already. "On second thoughts, I'll drive you home." Nick pulled Warrick's arm over his shoulder, supporting his weight as they head out the door. "Good afternoon, Mrs Chase." Nick smiled to his neighbour. She gave him a funny look heading back inside with her mail.

"That was cold." Warrick remarked. "Maybe Greg's been playing his music too loud."

"Yeah." Nick laughed, helping Warrick into the passenger seat. Nick pulled Warrick's keys out of his pocket walking round to the other side of the car.

"Another one? How many guys are you doing?" A voice shouted across the street, startling Nick. He slowly turned round seeing an old woman in her night gown and slippers, looking as though she just rolled out of bed.

"Excuse me?" He asked her.

"I said how many guys yah doing you friggin' queer, there's kids on this street. We don't need your homo activity around them." Nick looked at her shocked. He had never kissed or touched Greg outside of the house, let alone announced to anyone that he's gay.

"I don't understand what you mean."

"Course you don't homo." She spat at him, waddling back up her garden path into her house.

Nick rolled his eyes then climbed into the driver's seat driving Warrick off home. Luckily when he married Tina, he kept his old apartment and they never moved in together, so Warrick still had a place to crash whenever they argued.

Which was a great portion of the time.

* * *

**Please Review. I hope your enjoying the story :D**


	22. Chapter 22: Secret Places

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Secret Places**

"This is crazy Nicky, we never get to see each other and when we do we can't be intimate." Greg complained. Nick pushed Greg up against the parking lot pillar checking no one was around.

"Would you rather tell them now? Then we wouldn't have to hide anymore."

"We would Nicky; we'd have to hide from the cops that are against homosexuals."

"Well I don't know what I can do baby. You know there's plenty of secret places in this lab for us to hide." He grinned, licking his boyfriend's lips, gently teasing them open for a kiss.

Greg giggled once they broke apart. "You've been checking?"

"Yep, there's one spot in the AV lab that's perfect, the coroner's office now there's a kinky place..."

"Also gross coz all the people down there are dead." Greg laughed.

"There are tons of supply closets too G; we'll just have to arrange to meet in one of them every few hours." Nick excitedly grinned checking the elevator doors ahead of them. "That is until we're _both_ ready to come out."

"I'm sorry Nicky...I know we talked about this the other day and I was okay about it...but now I'm not so sure. After hearing Warrick snap at you about not telling him the name of the girl you're dating...I think he's gonna be even more hurt after he finds out it's not a girl."

"Don't be sorry Greg, I'm with you. I kinda like havin' a secret relationship anyways . . . makes it more excitin'." He grinned then checked his watch. "I gotta get to this crime scene before the DB gets up and leaves."

"Okay." Greg joined their lips for a slow tender kiss goodbye. Nick slowly backed away going to leave, but decided to kiss Greg again. "You should go Nicky." Greg laughed trying to push him away.

"I can't leave you yet, you're lips desperately want me to taste them." Nick grinned, pushing Greg back up against the pillar to deepen his kiss. Nick took a step back still joined with Greg's mouth trying to leave before he got a call from Grissom about being late.

"Go on Nicky." Greg laughed, pushing him back again. "You should really go." Nick smiled taking a step back. "I love you Nicky."

"Love you too G." Nick walked towards his car looking back at Greg. He smiled climbing into his car then finally drove off towards the crime scene he was expected to be at over half an hour ago.

Greg smiled excitedly then walked off towards the elevators to get back to work. The more intimate he and Nick got the more he hated saying goodbye to him. If he could, he would spend all day with Nick. He loved being around him.

"Hey Romeo." Cath shouted startling Greg. "You gonna help me out on this case or what?" She smirked, seeing his lips were a bright heated red. She assumed he must have been kissing his boyfriend for a long time to make them that red.

"Sure . . . I was just getting some fresh air." He grinned joining her in the lab.

"I'll bet . . . so that's what the young people are calling it nowadays." She snickered making him blush. "You know people are gonna start to notice something if you and Nick keep taking your breaks at the same time, then come back with a dreamy gaze plastered across your face."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Greg grinned, playing clueless as he got back to work.

* * *

A few hours later Nick and Grissom returned to the lab with some evidence from their crime scene. Once they handed out the evidence to the right departments, Nick went looking for his loved one.

"Cath you seen Greg?" Nick asked leaning into the layout room.

"No sorry Nicky, Hey Nick." She called before he left. Nick stuck his head back round the door looking at her. "How's it going with you two? You never told me if you did get together."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Nick grinned raising his eyebrows at her. "Don't tease Greg about it or tell anyone." He warned her.

"As long as you tell me a few minor details you've got yourself a deal." She grinned deviously. Nick rolled his eyes then walked in the room leaning on the table beside her. "So Nicky..."

"Don't ask about the sex..."

"So you have." Her smile widened. "And?"

"I'm not tellin' you all the intimate details Cath." He said feeling embarrassed.

"Just give me, I dunno a blurry water colour. Was it better then you imagined?"

"Yes." Nick shyly said, avoiding eye contact with her as he blushed.

"So who's the top?"

"Cath." Nick moaned rolling his eyes. "I don't really feel comfortable discussin' this all with you."

"I'm sorry Nicky." She apologised patting his hand softly. "It's you though right?" Nick nodded nervously. "Well I'm very happy for you Nicky, you and Greg deserve to be happy."

"Thanks Cath, can I trust you not to tell anyone?" Nick asked, heading for the door again.

"You can, only on one more condition though." She shouted before he left. Nick turned to face her rolling his eyes. "You have to look after Greg."

"Done." He smiled. "See yah Cath." She waved with a big smile watching Nick awkwardly walking away.

* * *

Nick walked into the garage seeing Greg lying on his back under a car swabbing something. Nick checked no one was around then walked in softly tapping Greg's leg to get his attention. Greg wheeled himself out looking up at his boyfriends face. "Hello gorgeous."

"Hey yourself Stud." Greg grinned, climbing to his feet. "So is it time to cash in one of my owed kisses?" He asked pulling off his rubber gloves with a loud snap, making Nick's heart skip a beat.

"Definitely G, there's a closet on the fourth floor, just down the hall from the elevator." He winked heading out the door. "Don't keep me waitin'." Greg smiled, loving the view of his stud walking away.

Greg quickly changed out of his overalls heading for the elevator. He rode down to the fourth floor excitedly, when the doors suddenly opened revealing Ecklie. "Sanders you done processing that car yet?"

"Um... yeah . . . almost, I'm on my way to get DNA results." Ecklie nodded, stepping into the elevator beside him. Greg couldn't step out now as this wasn't a lab floor. He rode back up to the tenth floor with Ecklie making his way through the lab to the stairs at the other side.

"Oh Greg." Cath shouted as he pulled the stairs door open. Greg rolled his eyes looking round at her. "Did you know Nick's looking for you?"

"Yeah, I was just on my way to find him." He anxiously smiled wanting to go and meet his boyfriend.

"Okay, one more thing. Can you do me a favour and run this to Judy; I need our victim's address." Greg nodded taking the file from her hands.

Cath winked at him walking away.

Greg ran back through the lab towards Judy's desk, but out of nowhere there was suddenly a crowd of people all around her desk of people desperately wanting things.

Greg stood behind them all desperately trying to get through. He looked at the time starting to get anxious then pushed his way to the front leaning over Judy's desk.

"Judy can you find this vic's address for us?"

"Sure thing hun." She winked, putting it on her large 'to do' pile. Greg smiled at her then went to turn around, accidentally elbowing a much shorter woman in the face as he turned.

"Ow." She yelled holding her nose as it started gushing blood.

"Oh my God!!! I'm so sorry, are you okay?" Greg panicked, seeing all the blood.

"You fucking broke my nose, do I look okay?" She yelled at him.

Greg shook his head, helping her over to a chair. Greg grabbed some tissues off Judy's desk handing them to the woman.

"I'm so sorry; I really didn't see you there."

"Don't sweat it." She smiled. "This is the least of my troubles today. Hey do you know Greg Sanders by any chance? I'm supposed to talk to him about my dead sister."

"Oh yeah . . . that would be me." He sheepishly said.

"Really? Wow, I thought by your voice on the phone you'd be cute." She looked at him with a wide grin. "Looks like I was right." Greg awkwardly smiled to her. "So what did you need to see me about?"

"Oh we needed you to positively identify your sister's body . . . as we couldn't get a hold of your parents..."

"You wouldn't." She said shaking her head. "They died a few years back . . . we only have each other now."

"I'm very sorry for your loss." Greg said sitting down on the chair beside her.

"So . . . you need me to identify her?"

"Hey Sanders." Warrick shouted walking over.

"Hey Rick this is our victim's sister." Greg said jumping out of his chair.

"Hi I'm CSI Brown." He smiled to her shaking her hand. "Greg can you finish processing the car while I take her down." Greg nodded watching them walk away. He looked at his watch again rolling his eyes annoyed as he was really late for his secret rendezvous with Nick now.

Greg ran back through the lab, then down the stairs as quick as he could to the fourth floor. He breathlessly pulled the door open walking round the halls finally finding the closet Nick meant, only to find Wendy and Hodges stood outside talking intimately.

Greg rolled his eyes slamming his arms down at his sides in frustration.

Greg went to pull out his phone to call Nick, but jumped as it already started to ring. Greg looked at the caller ID seeing it was Warrick. "Sanders." He answered frustrated.

"_Greg where are you? I told you to finish processing the car while I checked with the coroner."_

"I needed . . . the bathroom." Greg awkwardly answered. "I'll be right there." Greg snapped his phone shut looking ahead at the closet.

Wendy and Hodges were still blocking his entry. He decided to try something a little better. Greg stepped round the corner beeping Hodges that Ecklie wanted to see him. He watched carefully as Hodges answered his beeper then walked away, knowing that he was a kiss ass and would never miss an opportunity to talk to Ecklie.

Greg sighed in relief as they were both now gone then quickly ran for the closet throwing open the door only to see an empty room. "What the?" He asked himself.

Greg closed the door looking back at the elevator then saw another closet door at the opposite end of the hall. Greg rolled his eyes laughing slightly running for the other closet as he sped off Grissom stepped out of the elevator.

Greg collided head on with him sending them both flying to the ground.

"Ouch." Grissom moaned climbing to his feet. "What the hell are you doing Greg?" He snapped.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking . . . concentrating on a case." Greg smiled, dusting off his jeans as he climbed to his feet. Greg picked up a little plastic container off the floor that Grissom was carrying.

"Where's Manny?" Grissom asked shocked. Greg looked at the empty container then raised his elbow revealing the crushed cockroach.

"Opps." Grissom looked in horror at Greg's elbow.

"Nooo." He moaned, clutching his head.

"I'm sorry Griss." Greg nervously apologised. Grissom pulled a hanky out of his pocket carefully peeling Manny off Greg's elbow. Grissom gave Greg an evil look then marched away with his dead cockroach in his hands.

_Jeez, it's just a cockroach. _Greg thought to himself.

Greg finally set off for the closet again throwing open the door to see Nick leant against the back wall with his arms folded across his chest.

"Sorry." Greg apologised closing the door. "You wouldn't believe what happened to me." He laughed.

"I told you not to keep me waitin'." Nick grumpily replied, rolling his eyes.

"C'mon Nicky, I'm really sorry."

"What took you so long?" Nick asked wanting an explanation.

"You wouldn't believe me if I did tell you." Greg chuckled.

"Try me."

"Okay, I got stuck in the elevator with Ecklie, stopped by Catherine for a favour, stuck at reception by a swarm of people, elbowed my victims sister in the face, had to take the stairs down here, then got stuck by Hodges and Wendy outside the closet, called by Warrick to finish processing the car, I then realised it was the wrong closet, killed Manny..."

"You killed someone?" Nick asked shocked.

Greg shook his head. "No, Grissom's cockroach Manny." Greg smiled. "Then I finally made it to you."

"You expect me to believe all that G?" Nick chuckled.

"Hey you're a CSI man, figure it yourself." Nick looked at Greg seeing blood on his shirt. It looked like blood spray. Greg was also breathless and sweating so that proved he ran down the stairs.

"Okay Greg." He laughed. "I believe you. I can't believe you killed Manny though."

"It was an accident."

"I believe you." Nick smiled, brushing his thumb across Greg's cheek.

"Do I get my kiss now?" Greg asked, looking at Nick's lips.

"Of course you can baby." After a slow tender kiss, Nick slowly pulled apart looking up into Greg's eyes. "You'd really move heaven and earth just to get a kiss wouldn't yah G?" He chuckled.

"If I have to Nicky, I'm crazy about you. Surely you know that by now." He grinned.

"I do Greg; I'm crazy about you too baby." As they were about to indulge in another kiss, Greg's phone interrupted the moment, pulling them apart.

"Sanders." He answered annoyed.

"_Greg, it doesn't take that long to go to the bathroom..."_ Warrick's voice boomed down the phone.

"Right, there was a line . . . I'll be right there." Greg snapped his phone shut looking into his boyfriends eyes. "Sorry gotta go." Before Greg could leave, Nick grabbed his wrist pulling him back into his arms for a deep passionate kiss.

"I love you baby." He whispered. "You should go." Nick kissed Greg once more then let him go.

As Nick watched Greg leaving he knew Warrick was right.

He was totally whipped.

* * *

Greg tapped on Grissom's office door nervously. Grissom looked up at the CSI who killed Manny then nodded for him to come in. "What is it Greg?"

"I have something for you." Greg set down a clear plastic box onto Grissom's desk. Grissom looked at the box seeing two cockroaches staggering around inside it.

"Where'd you find them?"

"At my crime scene. That's Ricki and that one's Robbie." Greg pointed to them each. "See Ricki has a white speck on his left side." Grissom nodded looking in at the cockroaches. "They helped out with my investigation . . . so do you wonna keep em? Catherine wanted to kill them."

Grissom looked up at Greg shocked. "Sure . . . I'm sure I can find a place for them." Grissom smiled looking at them. "Thanks Greg."

"You're welcome." Greg smiled then turned to walk away.

"Hey Greg." Greg spun round to look back at Grissom. "That week you wanted off, I didn't really tear up the form just because you killed..." Grissom couldn't even say his name. "You can still have that week off."

"Thanks Grissom." Greg smiled pulling the door shut as he walked away.

"Hey Greg." The victim's sister smiled. Before he could reply she threw her arms around him hugging him tightly. "I just wanted to thank you for everything."

"You're thanking me for breaking your nose?" Greg smirked.

"No." She smiled pulling back. "I meant thanks for bringing my sisters killer to justice."

"Oh no problem." Greg smiled, happy someone finally said thank you for the hard work he did.

"So could I give you a call sometime?" Greg looked at her wide eyed.

"About the case?" He asked confused.

"No actually I'm hitting on you." She laughed.

"Oh." Greg was completely clueless, but looking back on all the interactions he had with her during the day he could clearly see she was flirting with him every opportunity she got. "Well actually I'm taken." He proudly smiled.

"Course you are." She forced a smile, slightly disappointed.

"Hey I don't even know your name."

"April." She smiled, shaking his hand. "Well if you ever find yourself single again." She handed over a card then walked away swinging her hips.

"Hey G." Nick said startling Greg. "Who was that?" He asked enviously as he had been watching the whole time.

"Um... April, my victims sister." Greg showed Nick the card as evidence. "Just in case I had any more questions for her. She was really close with her sister."

Nick nodded thinking there was a little more too it, but he trusted Greg.

"I got a little bit more work to do, since you killed Manny I've been workin' alone on this case..."

"Jeez I'm sorry." Greg apologised again. "It was an accident, what's he doing carrying cockroaches round the building anyway?"

"I wasn't gonna bust yah for that." Nick laughed. "I was gonna say I might be workin' a double so I'll see you later at home."

"Okay, but if you don't mind I was gonna catch some sleep. I'm kinda beat." He yawned, heading into the locker room with Nick behind him.

"Keep the bed warm for me." Nick smiled, checking they were alone then engaged in a passionate kiss. "See you later baby." He waved walking off out the locker room. Greg smiled then pulled his coat out of his locker.

"Oh my god." A voice said from behind him.

Greg spun round seeing Sara stood round the other side of the lockers. "You guys really are together." She almost squealed with excitement.

"Sara." Greg blushed in annoyance. "You can't tell anyone."

"Why would I?" She smiled to him. "That was so sweet . . . Grissom never says anything like that to me. He even calls you baby." She sighed happily looking at Greg. "I'm so happy for you Greg, you're very lucky. I can tell Nick loves you very much." Greg nodded in agreement.

"Grissom loves you too . . . he totally had eye sex with you in that meeting today." Greg laughed making Sara blush.

"Shut up Sanders . . . well thanks to you I won't be seeing any action tonight, since you killed Manny..."

"Jeez is a man not innocent until proven guilty? You people won't let this go."

"You are guilty." She laughed, poking him in the ribs. "I'll see yah later then you heading out?"

"Yep as of now." Greg smiled, checking his watch. "On time for the first time in a long time."

"Bye." Sara smiled as he walked out the locker room. Greg walked through the labs spotting Nick and Warrick talking in one of the labs. He smiled to himself walking past reception towards the elevators.

"Bye Greg." Judy waved.

"Bye." He smiled as the lift doors closed. _Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to let people know about us. _Greg thought to himself, watching the numbers counting down. _Nick's right it's not like much will change_, _we'll just be able to be more intimate with each other, not having to hide all the time, worrying someone's gonna find out._

* * *

**Please Review**


	23. Chapter 23: Jealousy

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Jealousy**

Nick crawled on the bed beside his snoozing boyfriend, finding a magazine stuffed between the covers. The curious CSI in him inspected the magazine, noticing it was of half naked women in a wide selection of lingerie. Nick had already been feeling down about their relationship for the past few hours, this just cut a little deeper. Today he had realised he was in a relationship with a guy who still found the opposite sex appealing. Nick had never gotten off looking at a woman's figure, but Greg still clearly had a secret lust for them.

"What are you thinking about Nicky?" Greg interrupted his thoughts as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Nick shook his head, but his facial expression was a dead give away. Greg looked at Nick seeing he was holding the magazine in his hands.

"I wasn't looking at them." Greg fretfully shot up in bed, realising why Nick was so quiet. "I swear Nicky, I wasn't..."

"It's okay if you were G; I know you're not like me..."

"No Nicky, I swear I wasn't." Greg flipped through the pages showing Nick a love compatibility quiz printed half way through with Greg's answers written under all the questions. "I got bored waiting for you so I took a love compatibility test, trying to keep myself awake. It clearly didn't work, but we're 88 percent compatible." He proudly announced.

"Only 88 percent? What's the other 12 percent?"

"Religion and in-laws. We lost points on those rounds." Greg pointed out the questions on the page. "It's nothing to worry about Nicky, your family doesn't know about us yet and my mother never even made me pray or say grace as a kid, but I can if you wanted me to..."

"No . . . I don't want you to change a thing." Nick smiled, initiating a tender kiss.

"Hold up." Greg pulled back. "What did you mean I'm not like you?"

"Well you know G . . . I'm gay, but your bi."

"You think I'm gonna leave you for curves and boobs?" Greg asked surprised. "Nicky this relationship I have with you is the _best _I have ever had. I'm not gonna turn that down for PMS and estrogen." He laughed.

"Well unlike me you do like women G..."

"I'm not gonna leave you Nicky." Greg placed his hands either side of Nick's strong broad shoulders, looking directly into his eyes. "I love your figure Nicky . . . I like to be dominated and possessed." He rasped, pulling Nick's body on top of his. "I love your strong biceps." He grinned, gently squeezing Nick's arms as he circled his fingers around them. "I love being underneath you. It's so much more appealing than being on top of a woman Nicky." He assured him, initiating a slow moist kiss. Then looked into Nick's eyes once again. "But most of all . . . I love Nick junior." He winked, slipping his hand down the front of Nick's jeans. "I love you more than any big chesty woman Nicky." He assured him with a passionate kiss. Nick smiled sinking deeper into the kiss wondering what he was so worried about in the first place.

"Thanks G." Nick softly whispered, brushing his thumb across Greg's jaw.

"For what?"

"Usually it's me puttin' your mind at ease." He laughed. "It's good to know it works both ways." He grinned, looking into Greg's gorgeous eyes.

"You do trust me doncha Nicky?" Nick nodded, moving his palms under Greg's shirt as he initiated another lusty kiss.

"I trust you with my life G." He whispered, softly nibbling at Greg's neck.

"You're a little over dressed for bed, Nicky." Greg licked his lips running his hands under Nick's shirt. Nick sat back on Greg's hips, removing his shirt then rolled on the bed beside Greg to remove his jeans.

Nick flung his jeans across the room then climbed back on top of Greg, joining their lips for a sweet passionate kiss. "Greg why'd you wear these ones?" Nick asked regarding his pyjamas. "You know I don't like em, they take too long to get you outta them." He smirked, fiddling with the buttons.

"Patients cowboy." Greg laughed, helping Nick with the hundreds of buttons down his pyjama shirt. "They're the warmest ones I have, since I didn't have my cowboy here to keep me warm." Nick smiled pulling Greg's pyjama buttons off, waiting for Greg to finish off the last few buttons. Greg laughed as Nick rolled his eyes patiently waiting.

"You won't be findin' these tomorrow yah know."

"Hey you can't get rid of them. I like them." Greg giggled, finishing off the last few buttons. The impatient cowboy whipped it off his body then blanketed his body with his own to warm him up.

"Warm enough baby?" He asked as he assaulted Greg's neck in moist kisses.

"Any warmer and I'll melt." Greg laughed pulling Nick's masculine body closer to his own. "I've been dying to dive under the covers with you all day Nicky."

"Well you finally got your wish baby. Tomorrow we're buyin' you Velcro pyjamas." Nick laughed.

"All good things are worth waiting for." Greg giggled as Nick assaulted his neck with his mouth.

"Hey, I couldn't even wait for Christmas mornin' to open my presents, I shouldn't have to wait for you baby, you're good enough to eat." Nick rasped, marking Greg's neck then working his way down his body, gently nipping at Greg's skin towards his navel. "Have I told you how much I love you today G?"

"Nope, not since this morning." He smiled as the Texan reappeared from under the covers to kiss his mouth.

"I love you Greg . . . so much." He smiled caressing the side of Greg's face, admiring those gorgeous eyes that looked at him in such a loving way.

"So you believe me about the quiz?" Greg asked. Nick glanced back over at the magazine then back into Greg's eyes.

"I believe you . . . but you know Greg . . . it is okay if you wonna look at the pictures."

"Call me needy, but I prefer to touch and be touched . . . rather than just looking." Greg guided Nick's hand down his side to grip his hip. "I love the feel of your hands on me."

"You think any of those busty girls could do this?" Nick began to stroke the length of Greg's hardened member, watching his eyes rolling back into his head.

"Never." Greg gasped. "Nicky, I want you to know I love you. This isn't just some experimentation Nicky. When I say I love you, I mean it. I trust you more than anyone in the world. I even let you pop my cherry, so don't be worried I'm gonna leave you, okay?" Nick nodded looking into Greg's eyes.

Nick reached out for Greg's hand, looking into his lover's eyes. "I trust you G . . . I guess I'm just feelin' a little insecure coz we're gonna break the news to my parents in a week. Ever since we booked our flights, I couldn't shake this feelin' inside of me . . . and G, like you said, we are only 88 percent compatible."

Greg laughed looking at Nick wide eyed. "These things are just dumb questioners Nicky, look at this question. If your surname starts with the same letter you get a lower rating then others. How can the first letter of your surname determine whether you're in love?" Greg asked him.

Nick smiled, trailing his fingertips down Greg's chest. "But Greg . . . what about the family and religion stuff?"

"The family stuff we'll work out . . . the religion, if you want me to pray to God then I will. Nicky 12 percent of doubt is nothing. I have a higher percentage than that for dying after eating a cheese sandwich or getting hit by a bus on my way to work."

"Don't say that G."

"Hypothetically speaking Nicky, I'm not gonna die eating a cheese sandwich."

"Your analogies suck G." Nick laughed. "But I guess I see your point." He smiled, brushing his thumb across Greg's cheek. "I'm just really worked up about tellin' my parents, that and it's got my emotions all over the place."

"Coz you think they'll reject you?" Greg asked.

Nick nodded, placing a hand on Greg's chest. "I just want my parents and my family to love me still. The way yours do . . . I don't know what I'd do if they rejected me . . . tellin' me never to come back to my childhood home."

"Don't worry Nicky." Greg cuddled up in Nick's arms, swirling his fingertips across his broad chest. "It'll all work out, you'll see." The warmth of Greg's body against his own was enough to put Nick's mind at ease.

"I hope your right baby." Nick kissed Greg's forehead then pulled the covers up around them. "Night G."

"Good night Nicky." Greg buried his head in the crock of Nick's neck, watching his chest rising and falling as he breathed in and out. "You'll see . . . everything will work out Nicky."

* * *

As Greg walked through the halls of the lab, Grissom grabbed him in the hallway. "Greg good your here, I need you to process some dancers from my scene. They're all being held down in lockup . . . one of them killed my vic." Greg nodded taking the case file from Grissom's hands. "DNA, fingernail scrapings the works."

"Got it."

"And behave yourself." Grissom warned him.

Greg gave him an innocent smile then walked off through the hall feeling as though he was being watched. As he looked round he saw Wendy and Mandy quickly scrambling away from the lab window.

He looked at them confused then walked in. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

"Um... nothing." Mandy blushed looking at Wendy trying to stifle her laugh. "We were just wondering . . . well I was actually . . . if you were seeing anyone, you know since the incident?" Mandy asked curiously.

Greg bit his lip looking between the two women. "Um... well... no... not exactly." He muttered as he couldn't tell them who he was really dating.

"Great." Mandy excitedly yelled. "I'm so taking you out for a night on the town..."

"Oh, Mandy that's..."

"I'm not taking no for an answer Sanders." She warned him. "I'll pick you up at eight." She grinned walking off.

Greg rolled his eyes then looked at Wendy.

"It's not like you're seeing anybody." She smiled, tapping him on the shoulder. "Plus Mandy really likes you."

_That's what I was afraid of. _Greg thought as he walked off to process some pole dancers.

Greg approached the door of the interrogation room seeing twelve stunningly beautiful pole dancers, barely wearing any clothes. "Oh if only I was straight." He sighed walking in. "Okay ladies . . . I'm CSI Sanders . . . I need to take DNA samples and fingerprints."

The girls bit their lips looking at Greg in a seductive way, a way that made him very nervous.

"You can do me first." A girl in a nurse outfit grinned stepping closer to him.

Greg gulped as she bent over revealing her entire double D chest.

_I'm gay, I'm gay, I love Nick, men and cock's . . . please stay down. _He willed his body.

* * *

Nick walked through the halls of the lab, stopping dead in his tracks as he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Nick turned towards the layout room seeing Greg holding up a lace bra against his chest making Sara laugh.

"You're going out with Greg Sanders?" Henry shouted at Mandy, causing Nick to turn and face them wide eyed. "Since when?"

"Shh, tomorrow's our first date; I don't want it to be spread around the lab." Mandy excitedly told him.

Nick watched them walking away then turned back to Greg feeling hurt. He stormed into the layout room startling both Sara and Greg.

"Sara can I talk to Greg alone a sec?" Nick requested in an angry tone. Sara looked at the fuming look on Nick's face then walked off out the door.

"What's up Nicky?" Greg nervously asked, seeing the irritated look in his boyfriend's eyes.

"You have a date with Mandy?" Nick accused him.

"She's telling people?" Greg gasped shocked.

"G what the hell's goin' on? You said I could trust you..."

"Hey, hey . . . why are you yelling at me? She asked me and she wouldn't take no for an answer. I'll have to tell her I'm not feeling so good or something." Greg tried to defend himself.

"So you don't wonna go on this date?"

"Of course I don't." Greg practically shouted at him. "I can't believe you still don't trust me, after everything we talked about last night."

"Well what am I supposed to think G? You're in here foolin' around with Sara..."

"Whoa, whoa . . . now you're spying on me?" Greg shouted. "Do you really not trust me Nicky? Have I ever given you any reason not to?"

"Why didn't you tell Mandy you were seein' somebody?"

"Coz we agreed to tell them when we're both ready. I'm not gonna out myself to protect your feelings and I'm not going out with Mandy."

"Guys, I can hear you out in the hall." Catherine said poking her head through the door.

"What did you hear?" Nick asked worried.

"Something about trust and going out with Mandy." She walked in further, looking at both men. "What are you two fighting about?"

"Nothing." Greg muttered, grabbing some files off the table. "I gotta get back to work." He mumbled, stepping past them to leave. As Greg went to leave Nick noticed some lip gloss on his shirt collar.

"Really G?" Nick pulled Greg closer to look at the mark. "Who the hells been kissin' you on the neck then?" He practically shouted.

"Okay guys, what's going on?" Catherine asked them both. Greg looked up at Nick's angry expression then shook his head.

"I gotta get back to work." Catherine watched Greg storm out then turned to Nick.

"Okay Nicky, what's going on?"

"Cath it's nothin'..."

"It's not nothing Nicky. What's going on with you two?" She persisted stubbornly.

"Greg's got a date with Mandy." He mumbled, dropping into a chair. "He's got lipstick on his collar and he's looking at porn."

Catherine looked at him wide eyed. "Well he's a grown man..."

"What? No . . . I mean female porn." Nick angrily shouted at her. "He still gets off on women and he's got a date with Mandy." He added again.

"How do you know that and why would he go out with Mandy when he's got you?"

"She asked him . . . apparently she wouldn't take no for an answer."

Catherine sat on the chair opposite Nick. "Do you believe him?"

"I don't know . . . I want to, but it's tough for me to see his side of it. This will always be a problem between us. Greg's bisexual, but I'm gay."

"Bisexual and gay relationships can work Nicky. You know some even add that extra spice..."

"What like threesomes?" He asked then saw her nod. "I hope he's not into that." Nick dropped his chin to his chest trying to think.

"Talk it through with Greg. I'm sure you're freaking out about nothing Nicky." She tried to assure him.

"We did already talk . . . he told me I had nothin' to worry about . . . 3 seconds later he's got lip gloss on his neck and he's datin' Mandy." He shouted angrily.

"Okay, why are you yelling at me?" She asked.

"Sorry . . . I'm just so stressed. I can't go through with this weekend." He groaned, holding his head in his hands.

"What happens this weekend?"

"I'm comin' out to my parents." He explained, without looking up at her. "Ever since we booked the flights . . . I keep freakin' out over the tiniest little things." Nick looked at the door, realising he should have gone after Greg. "I should go talk to him."

"Make sure you talk, losing your temper again isn't going to help. You're pretty scary when you shout Nick." She cautioned him as he headed off towards the door.

Nick nodded giving her a half smile then walked off to go and find Greg. As he approached the break room he saw Greg sat alone on the sofa. Nick took a deep breath then walked in towards him. When Greg didn't look up he felt even more worried.

"Hey." Nick softly said. Greg didn't answer so he dropped onto the sofa beside him, watching his attempt at ignoring him. "Greg I'm sorry . . . you wouldn't like it if I suddenly told you I was goin' out with Sara."

"Yeah, but your Gay, I don't have to worry." Greg chuckled, meeting his boyfriends gaze. "Nicky you made it sound as though you don't trust me _still_ . . . we already discussed this." Greg checked they were alone in the break room. "I love you Nicky."

"I know . . . I suppose it's just like any other relationship, worryin' about your girlfriend or boyfriend flirtin' with other people." Nick smiled, looking up at Greg.

"I swear I don't even flirt with her." Greg defended himself.

"You flirt with everyone." Nick laughed recalling all the times he's flirted with him. "Then how do you explain the lip gloss?"

Greg gulped, remembering his time in the interrogation room. "Well . . . Grissom sorta made me process a dozen pole dancers . . . and they were..." Greg gulped again. "They were teasing and tormenting me . . . I've never been so scared in my life." Nick laughed at the expression on Greg's face. "It's not funny."

"You're the only guy I know who finds bein' in a room with half naked chicks, scary." Nick laughed. "You're adorable G."

"You're not mad?"

Nick thought about it a moment then shook his head. "They always try that . . . they do it to try and get out of trouble." Nick half smiled.

"I didn't flirt with them though, I swear Nicky."

"You don't have to G, you're gorgeous, and everythin' that comes out of your mouth is adorable . . . you don't even have to try, all the girls think you're cute."

"Seriously?" Greg asked surprised.

Nick nodded. "Don't let it go to your head there Einstein." He laughed.

"I'm sorry Nicky; I'll try to be less cute." Greg said flashing his adorable grin.

"You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that." Nick laughed.

"Well I feel the same way whenever I see you talking with the ladies. I know you'd never be with them . . . even though half of them you have, but it still makes me jealous seeing you flirting with them Nicky, you're just too good looking." He teased.

"Thanks Greg." He blushed.

"Don't worry cowboy. You're the only one that gets to kiss and touch me." Greg assured him then climbed to his feet quickly as Warrick was coming their way. Greg gave Nick a cheeky wink heading out the door.

"Hey man." Warrick smiled. "Hear you got to process the pole dancers."

"You're gonna give me a hard time now?" Greg laughed. "Nick's already jealous." He added to keep Nick's ladies man rep up.

"Hey, I'm a married man." Warrick laughed.

"Since when has that stopped you?" Greg grinned, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah okay, whatever Sanders. When's the last time you saw some action?"

"About an hour before I got to work." He winked over at Nick then walked off down the lab hall. Nick rolled his eyes, dropping his head into his hands.

"Sanders is getting action between the sheets?" Warrick asked.

"Apparently." Nick awkwardly answered, climbing to his feet to dash out the room. "He's not the kiss and tell type." He added, heading after Greg to the locker room.

"Knew you couldn't stay away." Greg laughed seeing his man at the door.

"See I was right, you flirt with everybody G."

"Who have I flirted with?"

"Warrick just now." Nick laughed. "You gave him your adorable grin and the irresistible eyebrow raisin'." Nick smiled, closing the locker room door.

"I didn't mean to."

"I'm not worried about you gettin' with Warrick." Nick smirked, pressing Greg's body up against the lockers. "He's the straightest guy I know."

"Until a few months ago, I'd have said the same thing about you." Greg grinned, licking his lips.

"Maybe you didn't know me that well?" Nick checked they were alone then initiated a kiss onto Greg's moist lips. Nick slowly retreated his tongue, looking into Greg's eyes. "If you wonna keep us a secret . . . I suppose I could allow you to go on this date with Mandy."

"You sure? I won't kiss or anything."

"I know you won't, but I guess if you can't get out of it . . . I suppose I can fly with it."

"I really don't want to . . . I'll be thinking of you the whole time."

Nick smiled kissing Greg again. "I know you will . . . but if it keeps us hidden . . . I suppose it's got to be done."

"I'll feel really guilty the whole time though."

"Then tell her you're not feelin' too good, so you can crawl into bed with me." Nick rasped, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Okay I'll try . . . right now I'm heading out into the field. I was supposed to meet Sara like twenty minutes ago." Greg laughed.

"You better go then." Nick pressed his lips to Greg's again, pushing his tongue deep into Greg's mouth. "I love you baby."

"Love you too Nicky." Nick took a step back watching as Greg retrieved his kit and vest from his locker, heading out into the field. "Be thinking of you." Greg winked stepping out the door.

"You flirting with Nick now?" Warrick asked stood behind him.

Greg blushed looking back at Nick. "I'll think about you to if you want." Greg laughed making Nick roll his eyes. "Bye Warrick." He sexily winked at Warrick, making him uncomfortable.

"I've always been worried about that boy." Warrick told Nick as he stepped up to his locker.

"He's harmless." Nick laughed awkwardly.

* * *

A few hours later Nick walked back through the lab catching sight of Greg laughing and joking around with Mandy. He knew after their conversation today that he shouldn't be jealous, but he couldn't help it. Watching them together was like a dagger had been forced into his heart and every time Greg made someone else smile with his adorable grin, the dagger twirled around in his heart causing him even more pain.

Nick decided to just let it slide, even though it hurt so much. He couldn't sweep the rug from under Greg's feet yet again, just because of his insecurities.

Then he watched as Mandy planted a kiss right on Greg's cheek making him blush.

That was the final straw.

Nick waited for Greg in the locker room as he knew he'd be heading home any minute now. As Greg walked into the locker room. Nick pushed the door shut, taking Greg to one side.

"What's going on Nicky?" Greg asked as he was backed up against the wall.

"Okay Greg, it bothers me. You can't go on this date tonight with Mandy."

Greg rolled his eyes. "I told you I'm gonna call her and tell her I'm not feeling too good so we don't have to go..."

"Are you gonna tell her that every time though G? Sooner or later you're gonna have to come clean to her on why you won't go out with her..."

"Yeah, how about I go do that now?" Greg was about to make a break for the door, but Nick firmly held him in place against the wall. "See I have to lie to her to protect you."

"I saw her kiss you G..."

"You're spying on me again? You really don't trust me do you?"

"I want to..."

"No you either do or you don't." Greg demanded, watching Nick's reaction, he could tell that he still didn't. "Nick I don't want anybody else, but you . . . you're driving me crazy with this." Greg forced Nick away from him grabbing his coat and car keys. "If you can't trust me to be loyal then maybe there's no point in us being together." Greg said then stormed out of the locker room leaving Nick to his thoughts.

_Crap. _Nick dropped onto the bench trying to think. Suddenly he realised how Greg felt when they first got together. He couldn't help but freak out over every little thing that came between them.

* * *

Nick walked into the house hearing loud music blaring through it. As he walked off towards the bedroom he saw Greg with a large trash bag throwing things out. "G, what are you doin'?" Nick shouted over the deafeningly loud music.

Greg looked round then hit pause on his CD player. "I'm getting rid of everything that makes me straight." Greg explained, dumping some magazines into the bag.

"Why?" Nick asked seeing some clothes in the bag.

"Coz you seem to think I'm gonna leave you, coz I'm at least half straight . . . so if I make myself more gay . . . then you'll love me more and stop ripping the rug out from under my feet." Greg shouted, emotion seeping into his voice.

Nick felt really guilty seeing a tear roll down Greg's cheek. He grabbed Greg's arms stopping him from throwing things into the bag then pulled him into his arms.

"I'm sorry." He softly whispered, holding Greg tightly as he smoothed his palms up and down his back. "I don't want you to change a thing about you."

"Then why do you keep making me feel like this? I'd never betray you Nicky."

"I'm sorry." Nick whispered again. "I guess it's just with the family thing comin' up..."

"You can't blame it all on that though Nicky . . . have I done something that makes me less trust worthy? I'm still the same Greg that trusted you with his life out in the field. We used to be best friends, now we're lovers. Nothings really changed except the sexual stuff . . . it shouldn't make you trust me any less." Greg explained, backing out of Nick's arms.

"I'm sorry G . . . I don't trust you any less. I think it's just coz I've had so many failed relationships over the years . . . I'm worried this one's gonna fail too and I'm subconsciously tryin' to bring out the flaws to save myself the heart ache . . . but I don't want it to . . . I wonna be with you forever G."

"Really?" Greg asked with a wide smile on his face.

"Really G . . . forever and ever." He nodded. "Do you wonna be with me?"

"I do . . . forever . . . and you don't have to worry about Mandy."

"Why?"

"I told her I was gay." Greg smiled. Nick looked at him surprised. "I didn't tell her about us . . . I just told her I was gay, she was actually really cool about it."

"Seriously?" Nick laughed. "You're not worried about her spreadin' it about?"

"Nope." He shook his head. "She was actually really sweet about it . . . I told her I was heavily closeted and she completely understood . . . if you gave me a second to explain that..."

"Sorry." Nick apologised again, hanging his head in shame. "Now I just have to worry about you hittin' on Warrick." He smirked.

"You have nothing to worry about Nicky." Greg smiled, holding his mans hips. "Today I realised I'm a lot more gay then I ever realised before. In that room of half naked babes . . . the only thing I could think about was you. Girls are scary." He said making Nick laugh.

"You're adorable G."

"And you're my one and only Nicky." He smiled looking into Nick's eyes. "So am I forgiven?"

"You have nothin' to be sorry for . . . I do. I'm really sorry I freaked out . . . again. Am I forgiven?"

"Well..." Greg wiggled his eyebrows looking over at the bed. "I might need some convincing." He grinned.

"In that case." Nick pulled Greg's t-shirt up over his head. "You won't be needin' any of this clothin'." Nick stripped the rest of his boyfriends clothes then reached for the night stand. "On your belly Sanders. I'm gonna make you squirm."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Greg excitedly giggled, diving onto the mattress, ready to have all the days tension drained from his body.

* * *

**A few big chapters coming up. I hope you liked Greg's adorableness in this chapter.**

**Please Review if you want more :D**


	24. Chapter 24: Wild Cat

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Wild Cat**

Nick laughed as Greg dove for the bedside table, grabbing the supplies they needed. "Someone's eager." Nick grinned joining their lips for a lusty kiss.

"I haven't seen you in 10 hours Nicky." Greg grinned, pulling open his Texan's shirt. "I had a really crappy day, but I couldn't see you coz you were working with Warrick all day."

"I'm sorry baby; I'll make your day end much better I swear." Nick pulled Greg's trousers off carefully lowering him to the mattress as their tongues danced around each other in one another's mouths.

"It's a shame we can't kiss while we do it." Greg panted pulling open Nick's jeans.

"We can G; I just didn't think you were ready for that." Nick lifted Greg's shirt up over his head grinding against his younger lover. "You wonna try somethin' new?"

"Four months later and you still have things to show me." Greg excitedly grinned. "I'm always ready to learn from the master." He eagerly rasped. Nick slipped Greg's boxers off his legs along with his own, slicking up his fingers with some lube. Greg lay flat on his back on the bed looking up at Nick.

"Okay baby, you just gotta do this." Nick parted Greg's legs putting them either side of his waist. "If your uncomfortable let me know."

"I'm good." Greg smiled; excited to try out this new position, so he could kiss Nick easier while they had sex. Nick slipped his lube coated fingers inside of Greg as he kissed him hungrily. Greg was like a candy bar you never wanted to finish. So sweet with each bite making you desperately hungry for more, but you constantly try to pace yourself so it lasts that little bit longer.

Greg broke the kiss moaning in delight as Nick added a third finger. He arched his chest up running his palms down Nick's back to cup the globes of his ass. Nick slowly withdrew his fingers slicking himself up once the condom was in place.

"You ready baby?"

"I'm... ready... Nicky." Greg panted heavily.

Nick moved between Greg's parted legs, entering his tight hole. Greg gave out a loud primal moan as he felt Nick enter him. He wrapped his legs around Nick's back as he began thrusting into him. This time they were able to kiss, without bending their bodies into pretzels. Greg deepened his kiss as Nick deepened his thrusting. Greg gripped Nick's back, slightly digging his nails into him as he started to lose control.

Nick rested his hands either side of Greg's head feeling as though he was about to collapse seeing stars for the bliss that was already surging through his body. They slowly broke their moaning kiss as they threw their heads back, with their sweaty bodies grinding against each other.

Greg gave out another moan then pulled Nick closer to him for another lusty kiss. Nick loved this new position; he could look right into his boyfriends eyes for a change, seeing the love and lust in them as he slid in and out of him, hitting his sweet spot every time.

"Oh my god . . . Nickkkyyyy!!!" Greg moaned as he came between their grinding bodies. Greg raked his nails across Nick's back as the pleasure swept over him.

Nick groaned in pure bliss as the pain from the raked nails stimulated his pleasure. He emptied his impending release inside of Greg then blacked out collapsing onto Greg's chest. They both panted heavily, breathlessly kissing one another before they collapsed again. Greg closed his eyes feeling the need to sleep suddenly over whelming him.

"I love you Greg." He murmured. Nick looked up seeing Greg was already asleep. He smiled softly, pulling the covers up over their bodies. "Love you so much baby." He whispered, kissing Greg on the forehead then falling asleep himself.

* * *

Nick opened his eyes feeling the sweaty warm body beneath him. He looked up seeing Greg was still fast asleep, purring like a cat as he slept. Nick smiled then looked at the time noticing they only had 20 minutes to get to work.

"Greg baby . . . Greg wake up." He shouted shaking him. Greg rubbed his eyes looking up at Nick. "Mornin' G, we gotta get ready for work, we forgot to set the alarm."

"Damn it." Greg grumbled. Nick climbed off the bed grabbing some clothes to wear after their quick shower. "Oh my God Nicky." Greg gasped seeing the blood scratches across Nick's back.

"What?" Nick asked. Greg climbed off the bed to inspect the wounds he inflicted on his boyfriend's back.

"Oh my God, did I do that?" He asked in shock.

"Relax G, I kinda liked it." Nick grinned, pulling his boyfriend off to the bathroom.

"How can you say that Nick? I hurt you."

"No you didn't G, I loved the way you lost complete control last night." Nick smiled kissing Greg passionately. "It doesn't even hurt baby, so don't worry about it." Nick turned the shower knobs on pulling Greg under the shower spray for a lusty kiss. "You're my little wild cat baby." He smiled then quickly showered them both down so they wouldn't smell for work.

As Nick kissed Greg he could feel his younger lover self consciously running his fingers across the cut's that he inflicted. Nick pulled Greg's hands away from his back to look in his eyes. "Hey G, seriously . . . it doesn't hurt . . . you can stop worryin' about it." He tried to assure him.

"How can you like it? I hurt you." He pouted.

"You made me lose complete control of my body; I never experienced anythin' like that before baby. You have nothin' to worry about."

"Maybe we shouldn't do it that way round again." Greg suggested.

"You didn't like it?"

Greg looked at his nails then up into Nick's eyes. "I loved it . . . maybe I should file my nails right down." Nick laughed shaking his head at him.

"Baby." Nick held Greg's face in his hands. "Stop worryin', I loved that I made you lose control like that. It's a compliment . . . trust me." He smiled, initiating another kiss. "Now c'mon, we don't wonna be late." He pulled Greg out of the shower drying him off with a warm towel.

"No time for breakfast?"

Nick checked the clock on the wall behind him. "We can stop at the drive in, you can't have pancakes again." He warned him then watched his pouting lip return. "You've had them every day this week G..."

"Think of the carbs." Greg mocked him. Nick laughed, playfully ruffling his hair. "C'mon Nicky, live a little." He giggled.

The health conscious freak looked at his boyfriends grin, knowing he was about to give into his charm yet again. "Fine . . . you can have pancakes." He laughed. "But tomorrow you're eatin' healthy."

"Sir yes sir." Greg laughed heading back to the bedroom for his clothes. Nick tackled him to the mattress staring down into his goofy grin. "We don't have time to fool around Nicky."

"I always have time for you baby." Nick raised Greg's arms above his head, pinning them to the mattress as he sank his tongue into Greg's warm wet mouth.

"You're gonna make my hair all messed." Greg giggled against Nick's lips.

"I love it messed." Nick rasped, weaving his fingers through it. "I love you baby."

"We really won't have time for breakfast at this rate." Greg giggled.

"I'll have to be quick then." Nick slid off the bed, pulling Greg closer to the edge.

"Nicky." Greg gasped as Nick's warm mouth perfectly enveloped his body. Greg gripped his fingers into the mattress as he began to lose control of his body.

"Think I beat my record time." Nick laughed licking his lips as he returned to Greg's mouth. "Get dressed if you want some breakfast baby." Nick climbed to his feet, grabbing his clothes off the back of the chair. Greg looked over at Nick's back, looking at all the scratches again. Nick caught Greg staring. "What G?"

"You sure it doesn't hurt?"

"Baby, it doesn't hurt, would you get off this subject already?" He smiled pulling Greg to his feet. "You're just a little wild cat and I love that about you, get dressed. We're really runnin' out of time now." Nick playfully smacked his lovers ass as he walked off to his wardrobe.

* * *

Nick ran back to his truck in the pouring rain, quickly climbing back in to get out of the cold. He pulled his dripping wet cap off then handed Greg his coffee and pancakes.

"You took a long time."

"You're welcome." Nick smirked sarcastically. "I got a call from Griss; he wants me and Warrick to process a scene first thing." Nick started the car heading off towards the lab.

"You can drop me off here, I'll walk."

"You'll walk in the freezin' rain and catch a cold." Nick told him. "I'm not havin' you sick a week before we head over to my parents house."

"You're just like my mother." Greg laughed, eating his pancakes. "She would never drop me off a block from the movies or the mall."

"Do you wonna catch a cold?" Nick asked him. Greg laughed shaking his head. "Good stop moanin' then sweetheart." He laughed back.

"You know you're birthday's two days before we go." Greg grinned at him.

"You got anythin' planned?" Nick asked curiously. Greg tapped his nose eating his breakfast. Nick pulled up outside the lab. "I'll see you later baby." He smiled, leaning over the gear shaft to kiss him goodbye. "Mmm... you taste like pancakes." He grinned licking his lips.

"You taste like bubblegum." Greg licked the inside of Nick's lips then smiled looking into his eyes. "I love you Nicky . . . be careful, you don't wonna catch a cold." He said as he climbed out the truck into the shelter of the parking lot from the rain.

"I love you too." Nick waved. "Hey . . . I'll call you later." He winked. Greg smiled pushing the door shut with his elbow then waved watching him driving away, before he walked off towards the lab, finishing his breakfast in the elevator.

"Greg." Grissom looked at the pancakes box in his hands with a frown. "You hungry?"

"Oh I was, not anymore." He licked his lips tasting Nick again then tossed the box into the trash.

"Wash your hands; I need you to help Catherine process a car from a hit and run."

"Okay." Greg stepped past Grissom who looked at him suspiciously. "What?"

"You smell like Nick."

Greg's eyes widened as he sniffed himself. "No I don't."

Grissom sniffed him again. "Pretty sure you do Greg."

"Maybe we both use the same aftershave." Greg suggested, quickly walking away. Grissom watched him curiously as Greg blushed bright red heading for the locker room.

"Huh." He thought to himself. _If I didn't know any better I'd think they were sleeping with each other._

* * *

"Man I hate these serious decomp cases." Warrick moaned stepping out of the elevator. A trainee CSI for day shift cringed as she stepped past the two smelly men. "Seriously hate them." He told Nick, who laughed.

"I know what you mean man." Nick sniffed himself, still smelling the disgusting stages of decomp attached to him. They walked through the lab heading off towards the locker room. Nick looked around the lab seeing Greg and Catherine in the layout room, with their evidence scattered across the table. He smiled to himself then walked into the locker room behind Warrick.

Warrick pulled his locker open, grabbing his bag of lemons he left there earlier. "So you still seeing that girl?" He asked curiously.

Nick nodded as he pulled his own locker open, seeing a bag of lemons and a note left by Greg. He had texted Greg earlier about the case he was working on and Greg bought him some lemons, ready and waiting for him.

"So when do I get to meet her? We'll have to plan a double date sometime."

"What with you and Tina?" Nick asked surprised.

"What's wrong with Tina?"

"Nothin'." Nick half smiled. "I'm not sure . . . I'll think about it."

"Suit yourself man." Warrick pulled his clothes off heading for the showers. Nick pulled his shirt off to take a shower, but as he lifted his shirt off he winced from the claw marks in his back sticking to his shirt. He smiled remembering the amazing time he had last night with Greg, but then realised he couldn't let Warrick see them coz he'd start asking questions.

Too Late...

Warrick walked out the showers with a towel wrapped around his waist as he left his bag of lemons on the bench. He looked at Nick's back noticing all the fingernail claw marks.

"Wow." Warrick laughed. "Thought you never bagged wild cats."

"Oh yeah." Nick smiled nervously.

"So this is from your girlfriend?" Warrick laughed.

"Yeah, it's weird I never liked girls that raked their nails through your skin . . . but this one, as they did it, it was actually really stimulatin' and more pleasurable." Nick smiled.

"Tell me about it man." He laughed. "So was it a love em and leave em?"

"Nope, love em and stay with em." Nick smiled, hiding the note from Greg in his locker.

"Aww is Nicky in love." He chuckled, punching his buddy in the arm. "Whoopsshhh, you are totally whipped man." Warrick laughed heading back for the showers.

Nick nodded dropping onto the bench. He really was in love for the first time in his entire life and he loved the feeling.

* * *

"See I think the dad did it. He has all the motive and his prints are on the steering wheel." Catherine explained then looked up at Greg seeing he was a million miles away. "Greg? What's with you? You've barely said three words today."

"Actually I said 'Morning Cath, want some coffee?' when I first saw you, that's more than three words." He corrected. "Then back when we were in the lab..."

"It's an expression." She laughed at him. "So what's with you? You're never this quiet. Something happen between you and your lover..."

"No." Greg snapped cutting her off.

"Just thought I'd ask." She defensively stated then returned to looking at the evidence on the table.

"Okay, I'm sorry Cath . . . can I ask you something?" He leant on one elbow, looking up at her.

"As long as it's not a threesome, I'm down with it."

"Here I was thinking you enjoyed threesome's with guys." He laughed, cheekily wiggling his eyebrows.

"Not with co-workers . . . is this what you wanted to ask me?"

"No . . . but you might wonna re-consider my offer after I tell you this story..."

"Greg." She shouted at him annoyed. "Focus boy, what were you gonna ask me?"

"Sorry." He cheekily laughed. "Do you think of pain as pleasure, during sex?" He asked, looking up at her.

"What kind of pain we talking here?" She sat down beside him, waiting for his answer.

"Like . . . nails raked across your back?"

"Me personally? No. But... some of the guys I've been with have liked my wild cat scratches . . . why is Nicky a scratcher?" She asked intrigued to hear more.

Greg smiled shaking his head. "No."

"Did he ask you to scratch him?"

"No . . . last night . . . I kinda scratched him and he was cool with it, he said he liked it."

"Some people do like pain in a heated very sensual moment." She grinned. "I know I like to be tied down..."

"God you're worse than my mother." Greg laughed as he cringed.

"So you're a little wild cat in bed huh?" She laughed gently nudging him. "He must have made you squirm to do that." She grinned trying to picture it.

"Okay, I'm done talking now." Greg smiled, climbing to his feet to walk round the other side of the table.

"Hey we were just getting to the good stuff." She laughed, making him even more nervous. "You were the one that suggested the threesome too."

"I was kidding . . . we're a very devoted couple."

"I bet you are." She winked. "So Greggy's a little wild cat in the sac huh? Don't worry about it. I'm sure Nick would tell you if he didn't like it." She tried to assure him. Greg half smiled to her then looked up as he saw Warrick in the hallway.

"Hey Cath." Warrick smiled walking into the room. "You hear about Nick?"

"No... what?" She asked, watching Greg averting his eyes from Warrick.

"He bagged a wild cat." Warrick grinned proudly.

"Wow really?" Catherine asked, pretending to sound surprised as she saw the embarrassment all over Greg's face.

"Yep, you shoulda seen his back, he's covered in scratches." Warrick laughed. Greg quickly inched out the room before Warrick saw his bright red face, rushing away. "What's his problem?" Warrick asked Catherine.

"Oh . . . his last girlfriend was a wild cat . . . you just reminded him of her. So how many scratches we talking?" She pried.

* * *

"Sorry no match in CODIS." Wendy informed Nick.

Nick nodded, tilting his head to the side. "Okay thanks Wendy." He half smiled then walked off through the lab.

"Nicky." Greg whispered. Nick stopped in his tracks looking round at Greg alone in the AV lab. He looked around making sure no one was around then walked into the lab, closing the door behind him.

"What's up G?"

"Why's Warrick telling everyone you bagged a wildcat last night?" Greg asked embarrassed.

"Oh, he saw the fingernail marks; I had to tell him somethin' G."

"It's okay Nicky, as long as it is me. I was starting to get jealous hearing them all talking about it. Grissom's been giving me dirty looks all morning and Cath can't stop congratulating me . . . I've never felt so embarrassed before."

"Don't be G." Nick chuckled, stepping slightly closer. "You're my one and only wild cat, they can talk all they like . . . coz really yah know they're just jealous." Nick looked outside the lab doors to make sure no one was around then gave Greg a quick kiss to last him until the next time they saw each other. "I got a ton of work left to do and I still smell like decomp, so I'll see yah later?" Greg nodded, checking no one was looking then kissed Nick back, unknown to them that Wendy was standing right outside. "See yah gorgeous." Nick rasped.

"Bye." Greg smiled watching Nick discreetly slipping out the AV lab getting back to work.

"Hey Wendy." Nick smiled walking past her. Wendy forced a smile looking at him wide eyed. Nick walked off down the hall to find Warrick, leaving Wendy to stare at Greg.

"Wendy, did you get anything?" Catherine asked. Wendy turned to look at her wide eyed. "Something wrong?"

"Did you know Nick's gay?" Catherine looked in the AV lab seeing Greg working away on the computer. "You know?" Wendy gasped.

"You know? How did you find out?" Catherine asked her back.

"I just saw them kissing." She pointed. Catherine rolled her eyes, pulling Wendy into the empty DNA lab.

"You can't tell anyone..."

"Why not? This is major gossip; I'll finally get one over on Judy since that story about Nick getting the records girl pregnant."

"Nick got the records girl pregnant?"

"No it turns out she wasn't pregnant, she had a stomach ulcer, but she did sleep with Nick."

Catherine rolled her eyes. "And you wonna ruin two peoples lives to get one over on Judy? That's a lame story. Please Wendy, just keep this quiet. They don't want anybody to know just yet."

Wendy folded her arms across her chest then looked across the hall at Greg. "Okay." She huffed. "But I'm doing it for Greg, not you . . . and if Nick tries to hit on me again, it's not my fault if I bring it up."

"Okay." Catherine smiled.

"So Greg and Nick? Seriously, those are the last two people I would have ever paired together."

"Well you are new." Catherine laughed. "If you were here from the start, you would have seen the chemistry between them from the start." Catherine winked, heading towards the door. "Greg flirts with everybody, but Nick was the only one who ever flirted back."

Wendy looked back at Greg seeing him flashing his adorable grin. _Why are the good ones always gay?_

* * *

Later that day Greg stepped into the break room to grab a coffee, seeing Catherine, Warrick and Nick sat on the sofa talking together. As Greg poured himself a coffee, he ease dropped on their conversation. "So Nick, how come you won't let us meet this wild cat girlfriend of yours? You ashamed of her?" Warrick asked eating the Chinese food sat on his lap.

"No not at all." Nick smiled looking over at Greg. "I love them more then anythin' in the world . . . I just kinda like havin' them all to myself, without anybody knowin' about it." Greg glanced over his shoulder giving Nick a sweet smile as he stirred his coffee.

"Whipped. So whipped." Warrick laughed patting Nick on the back.

"Hey there's nothing wrong with being in love." Catherine smiled, putting her coffee mug to her lips.

"Exactly, thanks Cath." Nick grinned. "There's nothin' wrong with being completely in love, so in love you can't see straight."

"Really you love them that much?" Greg asked, butting into their conversation.

Nick smiled at Greg. "Definitely."

"So when you seeing her again?" Warrick asked curiously.

"After shift."

"That soon." Catherine smiled, looking up at Greg. "So Nicky are you top or bottom?" Greg suddenly choked on his coffee, patting his chest trying to breathe.

"You okay Greggo?" Warrick asked. Greg nodded giving him the thumbs up as he continued to pat his chest from the hot coffee in his lungs. "So tell Nicky?" Warrick smiled waiting for an answer.

"Aren't some things supposed to be private?" Greg asked in a scratchy voice.

"What's the matter Greggo? You jealous? Not seeing enough action?" Warrick laughed. "When's the last time you got some action between the sheets? With a real person . . . not a blow up doll."

"I see plenty of action thank you very much." He grinned looking at Nick. "I just don't feel the need to brag about it." He explained.

"Oh yeah?" Warrick looked up at the younger CSI not believing him. "Name the last girl you had sex with." He smirked, folding his arms across his chest. Greg looked at Nick seeing him shaking his head, telling him not to answer that question.

"I'd rather not disclose their name." Greg simply said grabbing his coffee.

"Hey man if you can't do it." Warrick laughed.

"And who said it was girl?" Greg asked. Catherine bit her lip watching Nick turn a brighter shade of red.

"Was your left hand huh?" He teased him. "Sooner or later you're gonna have to grow up and face the world Greggo, where Saturday nights consist of sex and passion, instead of porn and the good ol' left hand." He said harshly.

Greg stood perfectly still thinking of his comeback. _I slept with Nicky and it was good, I even gave him those scratches your all so proud of and made his toes curl in ways you couldn't possibly imagine. _He thought to himself. _Maybe not._

"Well actually Warrick, my entire weekends consist of sex and passion, we barely even leave the bedroom . . . unless we hafta pee." He grinned then walked off seeing Catherine grin widely and Nick blushing a brighter shade of red, trying to cover his face with his hands.

"Poor Greggo." Warrick laughed.

"You don't believe him?" Catherine asked.

"Who's gonna go out with a talkative geek like that? He probably talks all the way through sex."

_You have no idea. _Nick thought to himself.

"Nick . . . your vic's husband is here." Judy announced, poking her head round the door.

"I've dated geeks." Nick told Warrick as he climbed to his feet, grabbing his coffee. "They're actually really wild in the bedroom." He grinned, heading out the room with Judy.

Warrick looked at him confused then turned to Catherine. "What is with those two lately? They're so secretive."

"Yeah . . . strange." She smiled to herself.

* * *

"Mr Garrison, I'm Nick Stokes from the crime lab . . . we need you to identify your wife's body." The man nodded, slowly following Nick into the elevator.

"Are you sure it's her?" He asked.

"We're not sure . . . we couldn't identify her by her fingerprints . . . that's why we called you in." The husband nodded, watching the numbers go by at the top of the elevator. "How long were you married?" Nick asked curiously.

"Only two years . . . but we worked together as friends for eight years." He said turning to look at Nick. "You married?"

Nick shook his head. "This job doesn't leave you much time for social lives."

"It's not good to be alone." He told him, stepping out of the elevator heading towards the coroner's office. Nick led him through the room to where David was standing. Nick nodded to David then watched the husband's reaction as the sheet was swept back off his wife's body. He stared down at the corpse of his wife, bringing tears to his eyes. "Yeah..." He sniffled. "That's her."

"Mr Garrison, I'm very sorry for your loss . . . do you have any idea of who could have done this to your wife?"

He shook his head as the tears rolled down his face. "What am I gonna do without her? I love her so much . . . we've been best friends for years . . . I can't have lost her now. Why would someone wonna kill her? She was the sweetest person I ever met." He looked back up at Nick. "I can't live without her." He broke down into tears looking at his wife. "What am I supposed to do now?" Watching the husband in tears, brought tears to Nick's eyes.

* * *

"Nicky what is it?" Nick led Greg into an empty interrogation room. "What's up Nicky?" Nick closed the door and blinds stepping behind them with Greg so they couldn't be seen by anyone in the hall.

"Do I need a reason to kiss you?" Nick asked sinking their lips together. Nick held Greg's hips as he deepened his kiss, swirling his tongue around the mouth he loved so much.

"Not really, I just wanted to..." Nick put his finger to Greg's lips silencing him.

"I had to watch a husband cryin' over his dead wife and Warrick takin' the piss out of you for bein' a dateless loser . . . but you still held it together . . . I've cried twice today and I'm not ashamed to admit it to you honey." Nick kissed Greg again holding his body closer to him. "You're my strength Greg . . . you could have totally told Warrick right there and then about us to save your rep, but you didn't."

"You're proud of me coz of that?" Greg grinned. "I shouldn't defend myself more often." He joked.

"I'm serious G, you're my strength. I think we should tell them . . . I don't like seein' you bein' hurt like that, when there's nothin' I can do for yah." Nick brought their lips together again, running his fingers through Greg's hair. "I love you baby."

"I love you too Nicky . . . so this husband? How was that relevant?"

"Oh right." Nick laughed as he had completely forgotten his point. "He was a total wreck; it made me think of what I'd be like without you in my life Greg." Nick kissed Greg again, holding his face in his hands. "We had to call security coz he had a total mental breakdown seeing his wife's body on the slab. I never wonna have to go through that G. His wife was his life . . . now he has to continue without her . . . I never wonna be that lonely baby."

"It's okay Nicky; I'm not going anywhere . . . as far as I know anyway." He smiled, making Nick laugh slightly. "I'll never leave you Nicky, I love you too much."

"Good to know G." Nick cupped Greg's face in his hands kissing him passionately. They both closed their eyes sinking deeper into the kiss.

Suddenly the door to the interrogation room flung open and Brass walked in, immediately seeing Nick and Greg in a very heated lip lock. Nick and Greg broke apart in shock, looking at the wide eyed expression on Brass's face.

"Oh My God." Brass gasped.

* * *

**Please Review if you want more :D**

**Thanks for your reviews on the last chapter, i hope you enjoyed this one and love the cliffe ending :D**

**~ Holly**


	25. Chapter 25: Busted

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Busted**

Nick quickly lunged for the door stopping Brass from running out. He pushed the door shut closing all the blinds. "Look Jim..."

"No it's okay Nick, you don't have to explain anything." He said looking at them both worried, after all they were CSI's and they do know how to cover up a murder so no one would ever find out.

"Jim please, please, don't tell anyone." Greg begged. Even though Greg knew out of everyone in the CSI building, Jim was the biggest blabber mouth, after Judy of course.

"Jim please let us explain." Nick begged him.

"You two? Seriously?" He asked looking at them very confused. "Why? You're the straightest guys in the building."

"Thanks . . . but we hide it well. Please Jim, just please don't tell anyone about us." Nick asked him again, hoping to appeal to his good side, if such a being existed.

"But you guys?" He looked at them confused again, feeling as though he was stuck in a bad dream in an alternate universe. "Why Nick? Why Greg?" He asked them both puzzled.

"We love each other, but we don't want anyone to know about us. So please Jim, just don't tell anyone. We want to tell them by ourselves." Greg tried to reason with him.

"Oh." He looked at each of them. "Okay." He mumbled. "But why'd you have to go and do it in here? You must have known us cops use these rooms all the time."

"Sorry Brass." They both apologised like naughty children.

"Seriously you two?" He asked shocked again.

"Yes us two Jim." Nick nodded. "Just please don't tell anyone or report us, you know how some of the guys are around here with homosexuals." Jim nodded feeling sorry for them.

"Okay I won't tell anyone I swear. Just please don't do it in my interrogation rooms anymore . . . or anywhere else in the building." Nick and Greg both nodded to each other. "Okay." Jim leant back against the table trying to understand what was going on. "Hold on." He said looking at Greg. "You said you love each other?" Nick and Greg looked at each other, both nodded again. "How long have you been?"

"Few months." Greg said in a low whisper.

"You do realise you're in a building of CSI's and cops, they can pick up on these sorts of things pretty quickly." Brass informed them, wondering how he didn't catch on as he was the first to know about Sara and Grissom.

"Like Grissom?" Nick asked with a smile on his face.

"You know?" Brass asked jumping off the table.

"You know?" Greg shouted back at him.

"Yeah I know, I saw them together." Brass said looking at them both. "How'd you find out?"

"Nick found out from Sara."

"Oh my God." Brass dropped back onto the table with his head in his hands.

"Are you okay Brass?" Nick asked curiously.

"I'm fine, just when will you CSI's actually start sharing your relationships? You guys spend so much time around dead bodies and people that lie; you forget to experience the good things in life, like PDA's with your loved ones, even the occasional kiss here and there. Why are you hiding it? I suppose you get that from the people that lie to you all the time."

"Isn't it obvious Jim? For one we'd probably be fired or split up onto different shifts. Or even hated by half our team." Nick explained to him. "We just fell in love, it's not our fault . . . but we're crazy about each other. So please, please don't tell anyone . . . we're going to tell them. We just want to make sure it comes from us and not rumours."

"Okay I see your point . . . I see your point." He said twice. "Okay I won't tell anyone I swear."

"Thanks Jim." Greg smiled, slightly relieved.

"Hey what are friends for." He grinned. "Just don't tell me about it." He asked nicely. Nick and Greg both nodded then walked out the interrogation room heading in separate directions. "Grissom owes me 2o bucks." Brass snickered to himself, pulling out his cell phone.

* * *

"Hey Nicky." Catherine smiled walking into the AV lab. "What's up?"

"Oh nothin' . . . okay somethin', not sure if I should tell you though." He spun round on his chair to look at her.

"Nick you already told me your gay and in love with Greg . . . I don't think it's even possible for you to have a more embarrassing secret..."

"Hey I'm not embarrassed to be gay or in love with Greg." He corrected her. "I'm nervous how everyone would take it . . . and I'm totally in love with Greg."

She laughed sitting down beside him. "You're mad you know that."

"Takes one to know one." He retorted with a smile. "Besides you don't know how sweet Greg can be."

"Aww . . . I never thought the day would come that you Nick Stokes would ever be all lovey dovey."

"Well it happened." He grinned happily. "And I wouldn't change it for the world."

"Okay." She smiled. "So what's this new secret?"

"Brass kinda walked in on me and Greg . . . kissin' . . . and I'm worried he's gonna tell everyone."

"Let me handle him." She winked.

"Thanks . . . but that's not all. We're gonna tell everyone about us . . . so we don't have to hide or worry about bein' seen anymore."

"Really?" She smiled happily. "That's great Nicky, but how are you gonna tell them? Especially Warrick?"

"I haven't thought of that yet." He confessed. "But I'd rather they heard it from either me or Greg . . . rather than through rumours."

"Of course Nicky." She agreed. "I'll talk to Brass, don't worry about it. I'm sure Warrick will be okay with it. He is your best friend after all." She winked walking off.

* * *

Nick walked into the locker room after he finally finished his tough case; he just had to tell the victim's husband that his wife killed herself. Nick's heart broke for the man as he broke down into tears again. It's hard enough to lose someone, but to find out they killed them self is even worse.

Nick looked at Greg's locker seeing it was open and a shirt was hanging off the handle. He looked round hearing water running from the showers. He stepped round the corner walking through the shower stalls until he saw the one with the curtain pulled across and his lover's legs just visible underneath. Nick slightly pulled the curtain open seeing Greg with his back to him facing the shower knobs. He hadn't seen Greg for a few hours now, so he risked it.

Nick slowly stepped up behind Greg, still fully clothed; delicately running his fingertips down Greg's scars on his back. Greg gave out a soft moan under the touch then turned to face Nick, giving him a cheeky smile. Nick smiled back pulling his boyfriend into his arms, soaking his clothes even more as they joined their lips for a lusty kiss under the warm spray of the shower.

"What if someone catches us Nicky?" Greg whispered.

"I don't care . . . I missed you baby." Nick gently pushed Greg up against the wall, devouring his neck with his mouth while he ran his palms slowly down Greg's naked back.

"Aren't you a little over dressed Nicky?" Greg laughed, sliding his hands under Nick's soaked shirt that clung to his skin.

"Greg . . . you in here?" Warrick's voice echoed through the locker room. Greg bit his lip trying to stifle a laugh, while looking at Nick.

"Yeah, what's up man?" He said trying not to moan as Nick continued to suck his neck, gripping Greg's hips as he ground against him.

"I think I got a lead in your case, I'll meet yah in the lab when you're done."

"Okay." Greg bit his lip again trying not to laugh as Nick's untamed tongue glided down his abs.

"See yah man." Warrick said walking off. Greg finally gave out the laugh he was holding in looking down at Nick.

"We just completed one of my locker room fantasies." He grinned.

"Mine too G, I love you Greg." Nick smiled back, joining their lips for a hungry kiss. Greg ran his hands through Nick's wet hair enjoying the excitement rushing through his body. "This has been one of my fantasies for years Greg." He admitted, grinding his hips against Greg's.

"Doing me in the showers or just a geek?" Greg's goofy laughter, echoed through the room.

"Doin' you G." He licked Greg's lips, looking deep into his eyes.

"Now this geek is all yours to do with as you please Nicky Stokes." He grinned. Nick sucked Greg's tongue into his mouth, continuing to grind against him.

"You're all mine." Nick rasped possessively, unknown to them that Warrick was still in the locker room, listening to the whole thing. When Warrick heard Nick's voice and the moans coming from the shower he had frozen on the spot, listening to the two of them sweet talking each other through their moans. "I love you baby." Nick rasped, making Greg moan louder. Warrick quickly ran from the room covering his ears from the shock.

"Warrick, you okay?" Catherine asked. He looked so pale as if he had seen a ghost. Warrick could only nod as he was in so much shock. Catherine watched him inch out the locker room then rolled her eyes going through her locker. She closed her locker door hearing a soft moan coming from the showers, smiling to herself as she walked out the locker room getting back to work. She knew someone was getting it on the showers, just like she had done with so many of the deputies.

"Nicky we could get in trouble for this." Greg giggled.

"Doesn't that make it more exciting?" Nick rasped, holding the body he adored in his arms while he hungrily kissed him again. "I love you baby." Nick moaned into another kiss, groping Greg in all the right places to make him squirm.

"God I love you too Nicky." Greg gasped as Nick got him really worked up. He thought he was going to lose it within a matter of seconds from the intensity of Nick's warm kisses all over his chest and neck. "Nicky don't leave a mark." He laughed. "I still have to face Grissom."

"Yeah we might get fired for that." Nick laughed, joining his lips with Greg's once again.

"Do you have spare clothes?" Greg asked trying to fight for control over his body.

"Yeah, just let go baby." Nick whispered into Greg's ear. Greg held onto Nick's broad shoulders to keep himself from falling over as he became weak in the knees. Watching Greg cum for him made Nick feel weak in the knees too. He joined their lips for a deep kiss as he came in his own pants, clutching Greg's body closer.

They both panted heavily, slowly coming down from their high. Greg pulled Nick closer to him as he started to shiver. The hot water had run out, now spraying freezing water down over their heated flesh. Nick reached for the knobs to turn the water off then wrapped a towel around Greg holding his body close to warm him up.

"You better get dressed; Warrick and Griss will be lookin' for yah." Nick smiled.

"Right." Greg grinned looking into Nick's eyes. "We better leave separately though." He winked giving his boyfriend one last kiss before he padded off back to the locker room for his clothes.

Nick removed his wet clothes grabbing for a towel so he could go back to his locker and change into his spare set.

* * *

"Hey Warrick." Warrick looked up at Greg wide eyed. "You okay man?"

"Oh I'm good." He smiled awkwardly.

"Wendy told me to say the father did it."

"Huh?"

"I don't know something to do with your results. She told me to say exactly that. The father did it." Greg repeated then saw the glum look on his friends face. "So what did the father do exactly?"

"Ate a burrito then hacked his daughter to bits."

"Don't sugar coat it then." Greg half smiled, leaning on the table to look at the crime scene pictures. "You okay Warrick?"

"No man . . . you think he had a good reason?"

"To eat the burrito I can think of one, but the other part . . . no one has a good enough reason to do that." Greg said making Warrick smile. "What?" Greg asked curiously.

"Nothing Greg." He still felt weird, overhearing Nick and Greg in the shower together, but just because they were gay it really didn't change who they were.

"I thought you were working with Nick on that wife that committed suicide." Greg asked, looking around the table.

"I was Grissom split us up . . . we've got tons of cases tonight, they're calling in day shift early to help out." Warrick looked at Greg watching his eyes scan over the photos. "Hey man, I'm sorry about teasing yah earlier."

"Forget about it." Greg smiled. "So you said you had a break through on my case?"

"Right." He laughed reaching for the file. "The blood on the radiator was a mixture of your vic's and animal blood, specifically a deer. The blood you found on the steering wheel wasn't your killers." He flipped through the pages showing Greg the hospital report. "Paula was driving the car the night she hit the deer, she got a concussion from it . . . the blood must have been left over, because she was in Miami last night."

"Meaning the husband did it." Greg smiled, taking the file in his hands. "Thanks Warrick."

"Welcome." He smiled. "You off home now?"

"Yeah, just got done. That's why I stink of lemons . . . just had to help Sara with bucket man."

"Rough gig." Warrick laughed. "Why is it we always get the decomp cases while day shift get the easy ones?"

"Coz the bad guys only come out at night." Greg smirked. "See yah tomorrow Warrick."

"Bye Greggo." Warrick smiled watching him walk off down the hall. _So what if he's gay, he's still Greg and Nick's still the same. He's just doing Greg instead of all those hotties he used to brag about. It all makes sense now . . . why Nick would never tell me the girls name and he always used 'them' or 'they' to talk about his date._

Warrick smiled thinking how stupid he had been for not seeing it earlier. _Now I just have to make him trust me . . . I can't believe he doesn't. _He suddenly fumed.

* * *

Catherine walked through the hall waving to Greg as he went towards the elevator then walked off to find Nick. She stopped outside the layout room seeing he was hard at work. "Hey Nick . . . sorry." She apologised as she made him jump.

"No its okay." He smiled. "What's up?"

"I talked to Brass, he won't tell anyone . . . and I think you should tell Warrick privately."

"Why's that?"

"Well Nicky, you've been lying to him about this girl you've been in love with . . . he's going to be feeling pretty pissed if you tell everyone together." She explained. Nick nodded then looked round hearing a knock on the window. "Now might be good." She winked, seeing Warrick outside.

"Hey Cath." Warrick smiled as she stepped past.

"Hi." She grinned giving Nick another sly wink. Warrick closed the door once Catherine was gone walking over to Nick.

"Hey man." Nick smiled awkwardly.

"Hi." Warrick smiled, even more awkwardly. Hearing his supposedly straight best friend talking to Greg like that in the shower really did creep him out. Now he was face to face with him, he felt even more awkward.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Nick finally spoke up. "Listen Warrick . . . I gotta talk to you."

Warrick gulped hard, giving Nick a slight nod. "Yeah . . . I gotta talk to you too man."

"Okay . . . you go first." Nick stopped what he was doing looking over at Warrick.

Warrick gulped again, not really wanting to go first. "Okay . . . Nick I-I . . . I know..." Warrick rubbed the back of his neck looking down at his feet.

"You know what?" Nick asked confused.

Warrick huffed loudly, looking up at Nick. The conversation he planned in his head went differently to this and it seemed easier to think then to say.

"Nick is there anything you wonna tell me . . . involving secret fetishes?" Warrick asked avoiding eye contact.

"Secret fetishes?" Nick asked confused again.

Warrick looked up at his friends puzzled expression. "Doing geeks in the shower for instance?" Warrick asked then saw Nick blush a bright red. "I know that's not the best way I coulda said it."

"What did you hear?" Nick asked nervously. He felt as though he was going to throw up.

"Well . . . apparently you love Greggo, doing geeks in showers has always been one of your fantasies and Sanders ass is yours . . . I miss anything out?" He asked feeling hurt and sick at the same time.

"Listen Warrick..."

"No Nick." Warrick cut him off. "I can't believe you . . . why didn't you trust me with this? I'm supposed to be your best friend . . . so is this how our friendship works? I tell you everything but you lie to me about everything..."

"I didn't lie about..."

"Save it." Warrick snapped then stormed out the room. Nick dropped his head heavily onto the table giving out a heavy sigh. He suddenly jumped up deciding not to give up just yet. If he couldn't make his best friend Warrick understand his relationship with Greg then it was no point in flying out to Texas to make his family understand him.

Nick eventually caught up to Warrick in the parking lot. "Warrick." He shouted getting his attention.

"Go away Nick." He shouted, walking towards his car.

"Look 'rick, just let me explain." Nick pleaded, not wanting to lose a friend, just because he loved someone a little different. "We've only been together a little while..."

"So it's not just sex in the showers, you're in a relationship with him too?"

"Yes." Warrick finally stopped walking to hear Nick out. "Look man . . . I don't expect you to understand . . . yes I lied to you, but I did it to protect myself . . . and Greg. We really love each other Warrick . . . I didn't lie to you about the person I loved . . . I just never told you their name or sex."

"How long?"

"What?" Nick asked not sure he heard the question right.

"I said how long? How long you two been screwing around behind my back."

"We've only been together four months..."

"Since you went away on the conference?" Warrick thought back to his conversation with Greg about the girls he hooked up with then gave out a laugh. "I can't believe you two. How could you lie to me like this Nick? I tell you everything, do you even know what loyalty is man?"

"Yeah I do, but Warrick you don't understand." Nick pleaded, trying to get his friend to listen.

"Save it Nick, I don't wonna hear more of your lies." Warrick tried to step back, but Nick stopped him still trying to talk to him. "Get out of my way."

"Warrick I don't wonna lose you as a friend coz of this."

"Too bad . . . see I thought I had a friend, but you're not my friend. You lie and sneak around behind my back. That time I went to your place after I had an argument with Tina . . . were you with him then?" Nick awkwardly nodded. "Why didn't you just tell me Nick? You really thought I wouldn't understand? Think I'm a homophobe or something? Have I ever given you any reason not to trust me or to think I was anti-gay or something? Half my bloody friends are gay Nick, I don't look at them any differently, but you . . . you were supposed to be my best friend, my brother even . . . how can you not trust me? I thought you knew me Nick . . . you're a liar, I hope you burn in hell." He shouted angrily at Nick. "Now get out of my way." Nick looked at his friend then stepped aside, trying to bite back his tears as Warrick stormed off to his car then sped out like the place was on fire.

"Damn it." Nick shouted, slamming his fists down to his sides.

* * *

**A/N: From the last chapter when Grissom could smell Nick on Greg then he thought to himself **'_If I didn't know any better, I'd think they were sleeping together'_ **That wasn't a mistake. I purposely did that because Grissom's character is in denial, even about his own relationship with Sara. Even though he saw Nick and Greg kissing after the conference and heard from Nick's mouth that they're going out, he still doesn't quite believe in their relationship still. The CSI in him needs hard proof and evidence. That's why I did that in case anyone else was confused :D**

**Please Review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter**

**~ Holly**


	26. Chapter 26: Tough Day

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Tough Day**

Nick pulled up into his street, heading home after the toughest shift ever. He had cried four times, watched a man have a mental break down over his wife, been caught kissing Greg by Brass then the biggest argument ever with his best friend Warrick.

As he pulled into his driveway he saw a crowd of his neighbours gathered on the path. He gulped nervously as he climbed out the truck, looking at the angry glares on the mob's faces.

"That's one of them." The old woman pointed an accusing finger towards Nick.

"Excuse me, is there a reason you're standin' on my lawn?" Nick asked, trying to keep his cool.

"Yeah we're here to drive you out you freaking queer." A large bald man answered. Nick looked at them nervously. He feared he was about to be the victim of some gay bashers.

"I'm not a queer." Nick simply told them in a convincing lie. "You've seen my roommate Greg Sanders? He's not a queer either; we're housemates as we both work the night shift at the CSI lab."

"Yeah right." His neighbour Mrs Chase sneered, looking at him disgusted. "The last thing we need is a bunch of homo pillow bitters on our street."

"We are not homosexuals." He told them again in a calm voice.

"Who was the other one then? You sick queers into threesomes?" The old woman asked.

"That's Warrick; he works at the CSI lab with us. No offence, but none of you know what it's like to scrape up dead bodies off of sidewalks for a livin', tryin' to give the victim and their family some justice. So yeah we're pretty close, but we're not queers. Warrick's married if you must know . . . and...I-I have a girlfriend..."

"What's her name?" Mrs Chase asked, still not convinced.

Nick said the first name that popped into his head. "Jade."

"How come we've never seen this supposed girlfriend?" The old woman asked.

"Well the fact that you're all spyin' on me is very troublin' to me. I don't like people's noses in my business..."

"See he's a fag." The old woman yelled, stepping in front of the gathered crowd.

"I'm not." He said again calmly. "If you're not off my lawn in ten minutes, I'm callin' the cops." He warned them. "I can get you on hate crimes, possibly even stalkin'." They all looked at Nick then slowly began to part ways, walking back towards their houses.

Nick rolled his eyes heading towards his front door. He dropped his keys on the side, sleepily rubbing eyes. After a tough shift trying to solve the murders then the huge argument he had with Warrick, Nick just wanted to relax. He didn't need to come home to an angry mob too.

Nick grabbed a beer from the fridge then glanced down at the floor seeing a rose petal. Nick clicked the light on seeing a trail of rose petals leading to the bedroom. He smiled following the trail towards the bedroom, wondering what Greg had planned for today. Nick slowly pushed the bedroom door open seeing Greg fast asleep on the bed completely naked. Nick pulled his shoes and coat off crawling onto the bed beside his snoozing boyfriend. He softly kissed Greg on the forehead, eyelids then on his lips.

"Nicky." Greg softly murmured, opening his eyes.

"Hey baby. So what's with all the rose petals G?" Greg rubbed his eyes flicking one from his chest.

"It's your birthday in..." Greg looked round at the clock. "Six hours, since we'll be working then I wanted to surprise you . . . but I fell asleep." He giggled.

"That's okay baby." Nick placed his beer down on the side, joining their lips for a moist slow kiss, smoothing his palm from Greg's shoulders, down his chest to grip his thigh. Greg gasped under the touch pulling Nick on top of him. "You know I actually asked Griss if we could both have my birthday off." Nick grinned, gliding his hands across Greg's body.

"Even better." Greg smiled.

"What's this G?" Nick asked finding an envelope on the bed beside him.

"It's for you Nicky." Greg smiled. Nick sat on Greg's hips opening the envelope. He pulled out a little card with a key dangling from it.

"Nicky, When all seems lost and lonely for you. And you don't really know what to do. Look inside your heart and see." Nick opened the card, continuing to read. "There is a special place . . . I will be." Nick smiled looking down at Greg. "That's sweet G . . . and here I thought I was the romantic one." He rasped kissing Greg's lips again. "So what's the key for baby?" Nick smiled looking down at Greg.

"The key to my heart, it's actually a spare key to something. I can't remember what..."

"You're adorable G." Nick smiled, blanketing his lover's body again.

"You mean adorkable?" Greg grinned, playfully biting Nick's lip, pulling him in for another kiss.

"Yep, your my adorkable boyfriend . . . I love you so much Greg." Nick kissed Greg again with a fiery passion. Greg stripped open Nick's shirt running his hands across his boyfriend's body towards his belt. Nick helped him with his belt pulling his jeans off his legs. "You're the best birthday gift I ever got Greg."

"Coz you didn't have to unwrap me?" Greg teased, raising his eyebrows.

"That too yeah." Nick grinned. "Thanks for this Greg." Nick sat back on Greg's hips reading through the note again.

"Nicky what's wrong?"

"Nothin' G, just I love you so much . . . even after the shittiest day ever, you manage to make me feel so special."

"What happened Nicky?" Greg pulled Nick into his arms. Nick rested his head against Greg's chest enjoying the palms being smoothed up and down his bare back.

"I don't really wonna talk about it G."

"No, no, no Nicky. That's the old you. We agreed it's not healthy for you to bottle these things up." Greg kissed Nick's forehead looking into his eyes. "What's the matter Nicky? You can tell me anything."

"You're right G." Nick smiled, softly kissing the body he adored. "I just didn't wonna upset you really."

"About what?"

"Have you noticed our neighbours have been less friendly lately?"

"No, I just always thought that's the way they were." Greg chuckled. Nick smiled shaking his head. "Why did they say something to you? Is it about us? Are they going to kill us?"

"G relax baby." Nick tried to calm him. "No one's gonna hurt you baby, I promise you." Nick joined their lips for a slow passionate kiss, looking deep into his boyfriend's eyes. "I do think they know we're gay though, I tried to assure them otherwise, but they didn't believe me."

"We should move."

"G, I'm not gonna let them chase me outta my own house."

"But what if they have themselves a little gay bashing parade or even..."

"Greg baby, you have to relax." Nick said again, trying to calm him as he felt his body trembling beneath him. As of victim of not one, but two beatings, Nick knew Greg would still have a fear about this. Not that Nick could see the old woman or the mother of three beating Greg up though, but he knew he had to calm Greg down before he got himself into a panic attack. "I'm not gonna let anybody hurt you baby . . . not again."

"I know you won't." Greg wrapped his arms around Nick again, holding him close as Nick admired the key in his hands. "Is that all that's bothering you?" Greg nervously bit his lip, looking towards the open bedroom door.

"Yeah." He lied seeing the fear still in Greg's eyes. "Did you wonna get a place of our own?"

"You wonna buy a place _together_?" Greg smiled, excitedly.

"Eventually . . . don't you?"

"Course I do Nicky, I just gave you a non-returnable key to my heart."

"Good." Nick smiled, kissing Greg's soft lips once again. "I love you Greg." He brushed over his lips.

"I love you too Nicky." Nick rested his head back on Greg's chest, listening to his heart beating. "You're not telling me something though Nicky . . . I can always tell."

"You know me too well."

"That's right." Greg ran his fingers through Nick's hair, waiting for him to speak.

"By the way." Nick reached for the beer on the bed side table looking at Greg. "When did we get these?"

"Warrick left them over . . . I didn't have any I swear and why do you keep changing the subject?"

"I knew you wouldn't G." Nick smiled then rolled onto the bed beside Greg, staring up at the ceiling.

"Now I know something's wrong." Greg propped himself up on his elbow. "I'm completely naked and you wonna lay down and drink your beer?" Nick looked over at Greg and smiled. "Nicky, what aren't you telling me? Have I done something?"

"No . . . I just had a fallin' out with someone."

"Who?"

"Greg . . . I don't really wonna talk about it." He placed his beer back on the side looking over at Greg. "I'm just really tired."

"Don't you wonna..."

"I'm not really in the mood G." Nick interrupted, knowing what Greg was after. "Sorry baby, I had a really shitty day."

"All the better to end it better." Greg smiled, rolling on top of Nick kissing him again. "I'll do anything you want Nicky." He sexily rasped, smoothing his hands down the masculine body he adored.

"You're not gonna take no for an answer are yah?" Nick smirked, holding Greg's thigh's as they straddled his hips.

"You'll have to tie me down to stop me from touching you." Greg whispered nibbling on Nick's earlobe. "And you should know by now you can't shut me up." He giggled.

"I know one way to shut you up." Nick held Greg's face in his hands, kissing him deeply for as long as he could hold his breath. "Unfortunately . . . it doesn't last that long though." He smirked while he panted.

"I know a way that lasts slightly longer." Greg rasped, slipping a hand beneath the waist band of Nick's boxers.

"Then by all means, go ahead." Nick decided to give in, lying back on the bed allowing his lover to kiss and mark his entire body. Greg slipped his mans boxers off his legs then took him whole, making his toes curl into the covers as he gripped his fists into balls at his sides. A few minutes later Nick moaned Greg's name with pure bliss as he came into his lover's throat.

Greg crawled back up Nick's body, joining their lips for a deep kiss. "That work for yah?"

"Well it kept you quiet a little while." Nick laughed. Greg lay flat on top of Nick's body, circling his fingers on his chest.

"You know you can tell me anything." Greg whispered seeing a tear in his boyfriend's eye. "Anything at all Nicky. I know you're keeping something from me." Greg opened Nick's fist seeing the key he had given him still in his palm. "This is the key to my heart . . . I hope you trust me with the key to yours."

"Course I trust you baby." Nick wrapped his hands around Greg's body, smoothing his palms up and down his back. "I told Warrick." Nick finally confessed, while he huffed a deep breath through his nose.

"How'd he take it?" Greg looked up to meet his boyfriend's eyes.

"Oh you know . . . how I feared, sayin' I'm not his friend and I believe he told me to burn in hell at one point."

"What? Why?" Greg sat up shocked as it didn't sound like something Warrick would ever say.

"I don't know . . . might have been coz he already knew before I told him..."

"Did Brass..."

"No, he er . . . he overheard us in the shower together." Nick cut him off. "I've never seen him so hurt . . . and angry before."

"He'll come around Nicky."

"You didn't see him G, or hear the things he was sayin' to me." Nick closed his eyes finally allowing the tears to spill down his cheeks that he had been holding in since the big blow out with Warrick. "I think I'm more of the girl in the relationship today . . . I've cried five times today."

"Men can cry..."

"No we can't." Nick laughed. "It's against our genetic code."

"Well you're a gay man . . . by all means cry." Greg joked.

"God I love comin' home to you . . . sorry I'm such a grouch . . . how do you put up with me?"

"I put up with your personality coz I adore your body." Greg teased, smoothing his hands across Nick's chest.

"Well I better stay in shape or you'll leave me huh?" Nick laughed.

"No, I'd never leave you . . . I love everything about you . . . and I put up with your grouchiness coz I know exactly how to push your buttons to get my own way." He smiled resting against Nick's chest.

Nick smiled admiring the key in his hands once again. "Thanks for this Greg . . . I love you."

"Love you too grouchy." Greg laughed. Greg softly kissed Nick's eyelids, wiping his tears away with his thumb. "You are allowed to cry Nicky, everyone cries."

"You ready for this weekend G?"

"Yep, I'm gonna be right there holding your hand." Greg held Nick's hand in his, weaving their fingers together. "You're stuck with me for life Stokes."

"Good to know." Nick kissed Greg on the forehead then pulled the covers up over their bodies. "Goodnight baby."

"Night grouchy." Greg grinned again. Nick smiled rolling his eyes then rested back against the pillows with his boyfriend in his arms. Greg eventually dozed off, getting ready to face another day.

* * *

Nick opened his eyes smelling something sweet wafting through the house. He reached over for Greg's side of the bed, finding himself alone. "Greg?" He called out, sitting up in bed. Greg quickly shuffled through the hall appearing at the door.

"Nick, you're supposed to be sleeping." Greg climbed onto the bed into his lover's arms, engaging in their morning kiss.

"Sorry did I screw up your plan?" Nick smiled, holding Greg's warm body tightly in his arms.

"No . . . I just didn't want you to wake up alone. I'm making you breakfast, but I kept running back every few seconds to make sure you were still asleep."

"I don't mind G, at least your here now." He smiled kissing him again. "Good mornin' G."

"Morning Nicky, I'll be right back." Greg smiled, scrambling off the bed.

"What you makin' out there Einstein?" Nick shouted after him.

"You'll see." He shouted back, rushing to the kitchen before it burnt.

Greg soon returned with two coffees and a plate of homemade waffles draped in maple syrup each. Nick smiled as Greg climbed back onto the bed, handing him his breakfast.

"God I love you baby." Nick grinned, initiating another kiss before he ate his lovingly prepared breakfast. Greg had ingeniously cut the waffles into heart shapes, especially for Nick.

"Happy Birthday Nicky." Greg smiled, licking his lips.

"Thanks G." He took his first bite from the waffle then smiled to Greg, giving him the thumbs up. "That is delicious."

"Nana Olaf's recipe."

"Thank God for your Nana Olaf." He grinned, licking his lips.

After they finished their breakfast, Nick pulled Greg into his arms, kissing him passionately. "This is the best birthday ever G." Nick held Greg tightly in his arms, softly running his fingers through his hair. "So what's on the agenda today G?"

"I made a list." Greg smiled, grabbing it off the side. "First off we start with breakfast and cuddling, then sex..." Greg grinned looking up at his boyfriend. "Then I bought some back massaging oils for you followed by shower or bath, your choice..."

"Give it here Einstein." Nick chuckled taking his hand written list from him. "You wrote out a whole list of things to do?" He laughed, kissing Greg on the forehead. "You're adorable G."

"I just planned ahead, since we both have the day off together."

"Okay then . . . well since we already had breakfast and cuddlin' G, mind if we skip to the next one?"

"Absolutely not." Greg grinned, reaching for the supplies. Nick swung his leg over Greg so he was straddling his naked lover's hips. "Oh and I got you a present." Greg reached over for the nightstand draw presenting a jewellery box.

"Another one?" Nick asked surprised. "You already gave me the key to your heart."

"That was just the warm up present . . . this is the real one." Nick smiled then took the box in his hands, slowly opening it. Nick's jaw dropped open as he looked inside seeing the shiny new watch. "Look underneath." Greg egged on excitedly.

Nick flipped the watch to read the engraving. "A love to last until the end of time." Nick read with a smile on his face.

"Don't cry Nicky." Greg pulled Nick against his chest, clutching him close. "It wasn't meant to make you cry."

"I'm sorry." Nick smiled, still admiring the watch. "Who'd of thought that you're quite the romantic at heart?" Nick laughed.

"I spent ages trying to think of that." Greg admitted. "Do you like it?"

"No . . . I love it and I love you." Nick fastened the watch onto his wrist then kissed his romantic boyfriend, with all his heart. "I think you just made an eternal commitment to me there Greggo."

"Too late to take it back?" He joked getting tickled.

"No way your mine forever now." Nick laughed, watching him squirm.

"Don't worry I'm still me, look I got you something else." Greg reached over for the bed side cabinet for a sticker stuck to the side. Greg ripped it off then stuck it to his chest.

Nick looked at it reading. "Hello my name is... Nick's Bitch." Greg nodded giving him a goofy grin. "You're crazy G."

"If I'm crazy then you must be crazy for loving me." He giggled.

"Damn straight." Nick indulged his lover's body in sloppy kisses, getting them both really worked up and in the mood again.

* * *

A few hours later the boy's finally pried themselves from the bedroom, to watch TV in each other's arms on the sofa. "What time will your parents be here G?" Nick asked checking the time.

"About . . . 2 hours, why you excited?" Greg laughed. "Back in California, I thought you couldn't wait to be away from them."

"It's just nice to have lovin' people around." Nick confessed. "Some of the girls I dated, whenever it was time to meet their parents they always hated me from the moment they saw me. They'd try anythin' to split us up."

"Well my parents would kill you if you split with me." Greg laughed.

"I'd never split with you G, you're mine forever now."

"Seriously?" Greg asked excitedly, the goofy geek in him still couldn't believe someone actually loved him and wanted to spend the rest of their life with him.

Nick nodded delivering a kiss to his lover's cheek. "Forever and ever Greg." He whispered softly.

Both men jumped hearing a knock at the door.

"That can't be my parents." Greg said rechecking the time. "They'd still be driving unless the traffic was really light." Nick pushed Greg forwards slightly as he climbed to his feet to go see who is was. He looked through the spy hole then bit his lip looking round at Greg.

"It's Warrick." He whispered then pulled a sweatshirt over his head to answer the door. He flattened his hair then pulled the door slowly towards him, meeting Warrick's gaze.

Warrick and Nick stood in silence just looking at each other a moment.

"Hi man." Warrick finally muttered.

"Hey."

"Something you wonna tell me?" Warrick pointed to the door. Nick looked at the door seeing 'Quer' written in white paint on his dark blue front door.

"Yeah, whoever did it can't spell." Nick smirked making Warrick laugh.

"I got you a little something for your birthday." Warrick presented a card and a present.

"Thanks man, you wonna come in?" Nick opened the door slightly wider. Warrick looked through the house seeing Greg sat on the sofa.

"No it's okay man . . . some other time." Warrick shoved his hands in his pockets looking down at the ground. "Listen Nick . . . I'm sorry about some of the things I said to you yesterday."

"No it's okay, you were right. I have been lyin' to yah. If it's any consolation, I've been lyin' to myself and my family a lot longer."

Warrick half smiled. "I'm still sorry, I didn't mean to say those things I said . . . I'm happy for you Nick." Warrick turned to walk away almost immediately. Nick held the card and present in his hands watching Warrick walking away.

"I'll be right back G." Nick dropped the card and present on the side table, pulling on some shoes and running down the path catching up to Warrick. "Hey man, listen . . . I really wanted to tell you, I really did . . . but every time you started askin' about this girl I was datin' it felt harder to tell you..."

"It's okay Nick . . . so all that stuff you told me, that's all about Greg?" Nick nodded. "You really love him?"

"Yeah I do. How do you feel about that?" Nick asked nervously.

Warrick smiled looking into Nick's eyes. "I think you need to get your head checked." They both shared a laugh. "Seriously though . . . I'm happy for you Nick."

"Thanks man, I really appreciate you comin' down here..."

"That's them." A woman shouted from behind them, startling them both. Nick and Warrick looked round at the angry mob coming towards them. "That's the queers." She snarled.

"Everybody just turn round and go back to your homes." Warrick said calmly, defending his friend.

"We don't want these frigging queers on our street." A bald man snapped, looking at Nick like he was going to kill him.

Warrick pulled his CSI badge from his pocket. "Everybody backup now, I'm warning you."

"We're not going anywhere." A large man shouted. "Not until we get these queers away from our children."

Just then the Sanders car pulled up in the driveway, seeing the angry mob around Nick and Warrick. "What's going on?" Jean Sanders shouted over the top of their shouting voices. As soon as she looked at the front door seeing 'Quer' she knew exactly what was going on, which was her biggest fear.

"Everybody just turn around and go back to your homes." Warrick ordered again, in a slightly more aggressive tone.

The larger man shoved Warrick aside so he could get to Nick. He was about to deliver a heavy swing at Nick when Jean Sanders swung her purse into his head.

"Don't you dare hurt him!!!" She yelled, defending Nick. Warrick climbed to his feet, pushing back the man, away from Greg's mother.

"This is your last warning! If you don't turn around and go back to your homes, I'm calling the cops to arrest all of you for hate crime." Warrick shouted.

"We haven't done nothing yet." The bald man shouted.

"It's anything young man . . . learn your grammar." Jean shouted at him, making Nick laugh slightly. "You hurt Nick and I'll certainly do something to yah." Jean Sanders shouted. Nick looked at her impressed. She wasn't overly tall or well built, but she wasn't even a tiny bit scared of the crowd of angry neighbours around them. "Go on, get back." She ordered, swinging her purse around as if it was a weapon.

"You supporting these frigging queers?" The bald man asked her.

"They're my family. Now get back, my bites worse than my bark." The angry crowd slowly started to turn away, walking back to their houses. Warrick waited until they were all gone, until he turned round to look at Nick.

"Nice neighbours." He said sarcastically.

"And Queer has two E's." Jean Sanders shouted after them, making the three of them laugh. "Are you all right Nick? Where's Greg?"

"I'm fine, he's in the house. You're here early." He said checking his brand new watch.

"Oh we left a little earlier to surprise, oh is that the new watch Greggy bought you." She said suddenly changing the subject. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." Nick smiled, watching Warrick admiring the watch. "So everyone wonna come in?"

"Sure." They all nodded, Warrick included.

As they walked through the front door, Jean ran her fingers over the paint on the door. "You know you can easily paint over that Nicky..."

"Think it would be easier to move." Nick looked at the empty sofa, wondering where Greg had gone. "Greg?" He shouted through the house. Nick walked down the hall towards the bedroom, but the door was locked. "Greg? You in there?" He knocked. Nick leant against the door hearing whispering from the other side. He looked round at Warrick, Dan and Jean giving them a concerned look as he pounded on the door. "Greg open up!"

"I want Sara." His scared voice shouted towards the door.

"Sara's not here, Greg open the door." Nick shouted again. He listened carefully hearing panic breathing coming from inside.

"He okay?" Warrick asked.

"I think he's havin' a panic attack." Nick walked down the hall grabbing the master key from its secret spot in the flower pot by the window. Jean Sanders nervously bit her nails as Nick unlocked the door. Once the door was open they all looked inside seeing Greg crouched down in the corner, rocking backwards and forwards. Nick rushed over to his aid, pulling him into his arms.

"Greg your okay baby, your okay." Nick whispered, clutching his trembling body. "You're safe baby."

"I can taste the blood." Greg whispered.

"Greg it's just your memories baby. You're not bleedin' . . . they didn't get you . . . your safe."

Jean, Dan and Warrick watched from the hallway as Nick softly soothed Greg out of his panic. The act alone made Warrick realise there's more to their relationship then just sex and made Jean and Dan realise how much Nick truly loved their son. Putting everyone's minds at ease.

* * *

**Warrick's still Nick's best friend, no matter what :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter**

**Please Review if you want more**


	27. Chapter 27: Birthday Wishes

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Birthday Wishes**

"C'mon G, you were all for it in the car." Nick smiled to him, placing his hands on his lover's hips as they were in the privacy of the men's bathroom at the CSI lab.

"But it's not like they don't all already know." Greg anxiously replied. "And this is seriously what your birthday wish is?"

"Yep . . . this, and to be with you all day. Besides now we can tell them all together. So they all know."

"I don't know Nicky, what if they tell other people?" Nick softly brushed a kiss over his boyfriend's lips.

"Stop worryin' baby, it'll be fine." Greg finally nodded, trusting Nick.

"You always know just what to say doncha?" He smiled.

"I know you too well G." He winked. "Anyway this way we can all have my birthday dinner together. And Warrick's totally fine with us, Sara and Cath already know. So it's not like they'd be completely shocked if half of them already know."

"Okay Nicky . . . let's do this." Nick smiled, giving Greg one last kiss before they finally emerged from the men's room, heading to the break room, where Warrick had gathered their closest friends for them.

As they approached the door, Greg felt more and more nervous. He looked around from the left side of the room from Sara, Grissom, Catherine, Doc, Super Dave and Brass to Warrick at the right side of the room. All of them were ready and waiting to hear the news.

Nick gave him one last reassuring smile as they entered the room.

"Finally." Brass huffed, checking his watch. "How long does it take to go to the bathroom?"

"Sorry." Nick apologised. "Okay we'd like to tell you all somethin'." Nick smiled to Greg then looked around at all his friend's faces. "Greg and I . . . are together."

The room suddenly fell silent.

"I'm sorry . . . when you say together?" Doc curiously queried. Nick reached out for Greg's hand, holding it in his own. "Oh." He realised. Grissom's eyes widened at the gesture.

"We wanted you all to know since we're serious now." Nick explained. Catherine smiled, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Yesss." She cheered then threw her arms around both Nick and Greg, hugging them tightly. "I'm so happy for you, and so glad you finally told them..."

"What? She knew?" Warrick shouted at them.

"You knew?" Catherine asked, looking back at him.

"Nick just told me."

"I knew." Brass proudly exclaimed.

"What?" Warrick shouted completely shocked.

"We knew." Sara smiled, looking at Grissom. "See . . . there's your smoking gun." She grinned at him. Grissom looked at the two of them then smiled.

"This is a total Friend's moment." Greg whispered to Nick. He half smiled at him, watching their friend's reactions.

"We just wanted you all to know..."

"Was I the last to know?" Warrick asked a stunned Nick.

"No."

"I didn't know." David added. "No one ever tells me anything." He grumbled.

"Nick, I can't believe you. You told all of them before you told me?" Warrick stormed off out the break room.

"I'll talk to him." Catherine said, going for the door.

"I got it, thanks Cath." Nick ran down the hall after Warrick, leaving Greg alone with the others.

"I told you this could get ugly Sanders." Brass grinned. "So who's the top?"He chuckled.

"Leave him alone." Sara scowled at him. "I'm happy for you Greg, Warrick will come around, don't worry." She smiled, pulling him into a hug.

"Is that all you were gonna tell us?" Doc asked disappointed. "I thought there was gonna be cake." He looked around the empty break room then rolled his eyes at Grissom. "You pulled me out of my office to tell me you were gay?" He asked turning back to Greg.

"Oh and my parents have invited you all out to dinner, for Nick's birthday." Greg smiled, finally speaking up.

"Love to." Doc smiled.

"You'd do anything for a free meal."David laughed at him. The Doc gave him an evil scowl. "I'm in."

"I'm in." Brass smiled. "Be nice to meet your parents Sanders. See what kind of people you come from . . . like studying cave men." Grissom and Doc laughed.

"So you two are really together?" Grissom asked. "When Nick said you were his boyfriend . . . I didn't know you were that romantic..."

"You saw us kissing and you didn't think we were romantically involved?" Greg laughed.

"He saw you kissing too?" Brass asked surprised. "You two are terrible at keeping your relationship a secret." He laughed. Greg nervously gulped, looking at the smug smile on Brass and Grissom's faces. "I don't know how Nick puts up with you." He laughed again.

"They say opposites attract." Sara defended him.

"No one's more opposite then Nick and Greg." Grissom laughed. He looked at Sara realising the same applied. "Relationships work just like magnets." He defended for Greg. "Nick's like you in a lot of other ways too." Catherine and Brass looked round at him waiting for his explanation. "Well they've both had life threatening situations, suffer from post traumatic stress disorder . . . and..." Grissom bit his lip trying to think. "They both failed their first proficiency test." He added then brought his coffee to his lips.

"How did you find out Nick failed his first proficiency test?" Greg asked curiously as he didn't even know that.

"I check all of my CSI's backgrounds." He grinned looking over at Catherine.

"Hey, I was up front about mine."

"Literally." Brass smirked.

"You look at my chest one more time mister." She warned him.

"Can I go now?" Doc asked.

Greg nodded stepping aside from the door. He wondered if it would be this easy to tell Nick's family.

* * *

"Warrick . . . slow down would yah." Nick shouted chasing him down the street. "I didn't even mean to tell them..."

"Yeah like I'm gonna believe that . . . why'd you tell them and not me Nick?" He shouted, continuing to walk on. He suddenly stopped to look round at Nick. "Have I ever given you any reason not to trust me Nick?"

"I thought we were past this." Nick huffed, glad Warrick finally stopped walking. "I first told Sara and Cath after Greg took off. He said he wasn't comin' back, so I needed someone to talk to."

"But you talked to me that day. I even asked you up front if there was anything going on between you guys..."

"I know . . . I'm sorry."

"How many more times are you gonna apologise Nick?" Nick sighed heavily feeling even more guilty. "What about Grissom? Why'd you tell him?"

"Grissom found out in the hospital after Greg was beaten up again."

"What about Brass?" Warrick asked, angrily folding his arms across his chest.

"He walked in on Greg and me; I think that was the same day you found out . . . I wanted to tell you Warrick, I didn't know how you'd react. I thought you'd hate me or reject me as your friend..."

"I don't reject people Nick!" Warrick snapped, defending himself. "That's you Nick, not me." Warrick turned to walk again, but Nick stopped him.

"Okay yes, I'm sorry . . . I don't know what else to say Warrick, I'm sorry they found out before you..."

"I can't believe after all these years of friendship you think I'm that naive."

"I'm sorry."

Warrick shoved his hands into his pockets looking at his long time friend. "You better be man."

"I really am."

Warrick half smiled then rolled his eyes. "We really must be brothers." He laughed.

"Why's that?"

"Coz I can't _ever_ stay mad at you, but we fight all the time." Nick joined him in a laugh.

"I wish I could go back and tell you right from the beginnin' how I felt about Greg man. I was even in denial myself..."

"I get that man." Warrick sighed heavily again. "So Catherine knew when I was telling her you bagged a wild cat?" Warrick queried. Nick nodded slowly, feeling even more guilty by the second. "No wonder she had an odd look on her face." Warrick chuckled. "So Greg's the wild cat in the sac huh?" He laughed again.

Nick finally smiled giving him a nod. They both stood in silence a moment, watching the traffic whizzing by.

"Is there anything else you're not telling me?"

"Can't think of anythin'. I'm really sorry Warrick. I promise to tell you everythin' from now on."

"I wouldn't wonna betray your trust . . . besides I kinda didn't tell you something."

"What?" Nick asked curiously.

Warrick rubbed his neck giving out a loud sigh. "Tina's divorcing me."

"Wow . . . I'm really sorry man..."

"We weren't meant to be." He half smiled. "The way you calmed Greg down from his panic attack . . . I can tell you guys are meant to be. There's something there."

"Thanks man and I'm still really sorry."

Warrick smiled, placing one hand on Nick's shoulder. "It's okay . . . you're forgiven . . . sorry I snapped at you . . . again."

"You had a good reason to."

Warrick laughed, walking back to the lab with Nick. "I don't know how you put up with Greggo man." He laughed. "I thought you had a low tolerance for hyper chicks."

"I did." Nick laughed. "But Greg's cute when he's hyper."

Warrick smiled seeing Nick's eyes light up as he talked about him. "I'm happy for you man, you need your head checked." He laughed. "But I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks man."

* * *

Nick walked back through the lab finding Greg sat alone in the break room. "Hey . . . you wonna go home now?" Nick asked, poking his head round the door. Greg nodded climbing to his feet. "They didn't give you shit did they?"

Greg thought about it a moment then shook his head.

"Good, I don't want anybody upsettin' yah." Greg smiled following Nick down to the car. "Okay this is the quietest you've ever been." Nick turned to look at Greg. "You sure they didn't upset you." Nick took Greg's hands in his, looking into his eyes. "You tired baby?"

"A little."

"Well usually you'd be just gettin' off shift." Nick checked his watch. "Wonna go home and crawl under the covers?"

"With you? Definitely." He grinned.

"Good, then you'll be nice and rested for my birthday dinner. Did you tell them about it?" Greg nodded. "And... they all comin'?"

"Yep . . . Brass is coming to study the people I came from like cavemen."

Nick smiled. "Well every time I'm with em I see parts of you in em." He chuckled.

"Are you anything like your parents?" Nick thought about it a moment then shrugged.

"I probably get that from my dad." He laughed. "He never talks about personal stuff. Just grunts or shrugs." Nick pulled the passenger side door open for Greg, watching a grin spread across his boyfriend's face. "What?" He asked through a smile.

"Perfect gentlemen." Greg grinned, climbing into the car.

"Believe it now?" Sara whispered to her significant other from their hiding spot. Grissom looked over at her rolling his eyes. They didn't even mean to be spying; they were just heading home and saw Nick and Greg by his truck.

"I guess." He muttered. "I don't hold the car door open for you."

Sara laughed. "That's because Nick's a gentleman." She teased heading over to her car. "So should we show up to this dinner together or separately?"

"Everybody already knows." Brass huffed, stepping past them to his car. Sara's face flushed bright red, she grinned watching the blood drain from Grissom's face. "Please you two are old news." Brass chuckled. "Nick and Greg, that's new news." He laughed, climbing into his car. "If you're that worried about being seen together, I could carpool the both of you?"

"No thanks . . . I'll pass." Sara nervously climbed into her car, following Nick and Greg out the lot.

* * *

"Hello Nicky, I'm making lunch if you want some?" Jean smiled as the boys entered the door.

"Did you clean up in here?" Nick asked looking round. Even the paint off the door was gone.

"Leave her alone for 5 minutes and she changes everything." Greg whispered to him.

"I heard that Gregory." She stepped out of the kitchen, giving both boys a kiss and cuddle. "You two hungry?"

"Yes please Jean." Nick smiled, but Greg shook his head.

"When was the last time you ate?" Jean asked her son.

"He had pancakes this mornin' . . . he's kinda tired." Nick filled in for him.

"Okay then, fajitas for one. Daniel's gone out to book a hotel room for you two for after your birthday dinner..."

"Oh no, you don't have to do that."

"It's no trouble." Jean smiled. "I want you two to be able to relax before you leave for Dallas and I'd feel safer if you were both away from these gay basher neighbours of yours."

"Thank you Mrs Sanders."

"My goodness your quiet Gregory." She suddenly thought then pressed the back of her hand to his head. "You're not sick are you?"

"No . . . I'm tired." He moaned, pushing her hand away from his forehead. She even treated him like a baby in front of his boyfriend.

Jean stepped aside, allowing the boys to proceed towards the bedroom.

"I'll tell you when lunch is ready Nicky." She waved, heading back to the kitchen.

Nick smiled to her then closed the bedroom door, watching his sleepy lover collapse straight onto the bed. Nick pulled Greg's shoes and socks off, readjusting his body to much comfier position on the bed.

"Would you lay with me?" Greg asked, looking up at Nick.

"Course I will G." Nick pulled his own shoes and socks off then climbed onto the bed. Greg cuddled up in his arms, draping his arm over Nick's chest. "You okay baby . . . your never this quiet."

"It's getting closer to telling your parents about us. Today I saw a man who always gave me a warm smile try to punch you. How are your family gonna react?"

"They're not gonna hurt yah G." Nick pulled Greg closer to his body, kissing his forehead. "You don't have to be afraid. I won't let anybody hurt you."

"I trust you . . . but I can't help worrying."

"I know." Nick softly ran his fingertips across Greg's arms, trying to think of something to say to cheer him up. "Are you really that tired G?"

"Can't resist me huh?" Greg giggled. "Is it okay if I just lie here though?" Nick laughed rolling their bodies so Greg was underneath him.

"Make me do all the work again huh?" He smiled rolling Greg's t-shirt off his body.

"Well it is your birthday . . . you can have me anyway you want me . . . as long as there's no work required on my part."

"Your seriously adorkable G." Nick grinned joining their lips.

"You never told me how it went with Warrick?" Greg remembered as Nick planted warm kisses across Greg's bare chest.

"Totally fine." Nick smiled. "He can't believe I can put up with your hyper personality, but he accepts us for who we are."

"Seriously?" Nick nodded, pulling his own shirt off.

"I should have told him earlier . . . but I think he'll forgive me for that." Greg ran his fingers through Nick's hair looking into his eyes. "What are you thinkin' about G?"

"Everything." Greg bit his lip, trying to find his words. "You know Grissom said something that really got me thinking."

"About what?" Nick asked worried.

"He said our personalities are completely opposite . . . but we're so alike because of the life threatening things that have happened to us..." Greg paused a moment. "Do you think if that never happened to us . . . we'd have never got together?"

"Why are you so worried about this?"

"I'm not worried . . . I'm just thinking . . . the thing that killed me . . . may actually be responsible for my happiness. It made me think back to something Jade said a while back. She said everything happens for a reason. Maybe there's a higher power at work here, pushing us in the right direction so we'd get together." Nick looked at him wide eyed a moment.

"I think maybe your right . . . but I'm also gonna say you think too much G." Nick laughed. "So you think its God or somethin'? Pushin' us in the right directions?"

"Possibly." Greg smiled. "I never believed in God before..."

"Uh oh, someone's havin' a spiritual crisis." Nick teased.

"I thought I'm the one that makes jokes about everything?"

"You're a bad influence on me." Nick rasped, kissing Greg's lips. "I think the coffin, explosion, beating and my conference call may have all been God's subtle little hints at gettin' us together, but if that's true . . . that means we've been destined to be together since we were born."

Greg laughed looking up at Nick.

"What?"

"Nothing." He giggled. "So explain your theory."

"Well Einstein." Nick leant on his elbow, looking into Greg's eyes. "If he pushed us through those incidents that caused us to get together . . . that means he made me decide to move away from my family to Vegas, pick forensics as my major in college and give you a massively intelligent brain so you could become a scientist at the lab . . . coz I loved you from the very first moment I saw you."

"That means he's responsible for your family driving you away and my incredibly meddlesome mother. If it wasn't for her, I'd have probably got a job in LA."

"Exactly . . . see." Nick grinned. "We've always been destined to be together."

"We've gotta be the only gay couple in sin city to crawl into bed half naked to talk about God." Greg laughed.

"Nicky, fajitas!" Jean shouted down the hall.

"Okay!" Nick called back. "You sure you're not hungry baby?"

"Nope, by all means . . . go." Greg rubbed his eyes, resting back against the pillows.

"Love you baby." Nick kissed Greg's forehead then scrambled off the bed for his shirt.

"You love fajitas more than me." Greg laughed at how quickly his boyfriend got dressed.

"I could never love anythin' more then you." Nick leant across the bed, engaging in a sweet kiss. "But you know how much I love food."

"You don't wonna keep Jean waiting then." Greg pulled the covers over his body, getting comfy against the pillows. "Promise you'll come back."

"Course I will." Nick smiled heading for the door. "Sweet dreams G."

"I will." He grinned. Nick smiled back walking off towards the dining room.

"Hi Dan." He smiled warmly.

"Nick." Dan presented the keys to a hotel room. "Master suite, all fully paid for."

"Oh, are you sure? I can always..."

Dan cut him off with a hand to his shoulder. "It's the least I could do Nick. Order anything you like off the room service too, all on me." He smiled taking his seat.

"Thank you." Nick felt warm tingles in the pit of his stomach. He always felt so loved and appreciated around the Sanders tribe, something he wasn't used to.

"Thank you Jean." Nick smiled widely taking a seat.

"You're welcome Nicky." The proud mother smiled. "I remembered how much you loved them back in Cali, so I brought the supplies over with me."

"Thanks so much . . . and for defendin' me earlier."

"You're welcome sweetheart. It's the least I could do after all you've done for our son. We love him so much, now we realise that you do too."

"I really do." Nick smiled looking into Greg's parents eyes.

"I think I'm gonna cry." Jean wept, pulling a tissue from her sleeve. "Excuse me." She rushed off to the bathroom to wash her face.

Dan half smiled looking at Nick. "I wish things could be easier for you Nick, I know it's going to be hard to come out to your family . . . just remember you always have us to support you."

"Thanks Dan . . . I really appreciate that." Nick looked up towards the hallway seeing Greg. "Couldn't resist the fajitas after all?" He joked.

"My tummy was all growly." Greg rubbed his eyes heading over to a spare seat beside Nick.

"Luckily your mother knows how to cook for a football team." Dan laughed, setting his son up with a plate. Nick smiled watching Greg barely able to keep his eyes open, resting his head on his hand with his elbow on the table.

"Sure you're not too tired G?" He whispered softly. Greg shook his head giving Nick a smile.

"I was just telling Nick he'd always have our support. If you need us while you're out in Dallas don't hesitate to call."

"Mom would say I _have_ to call." Greg laughed.

"He's right Nicky, you'll always have the nutty Sanders clan and I heard that Gregory." His mother who reemerged from the bathroom, ruffling her son's hair. "We'll always love and support you two."

"That's right." Dan added as he returned to his seat. "We'll only abandon you if you break my boy's heart."

"I thought you were the unconditional love sort." Greg chuckled.

"I am . . . just on that one minor condition though." Dan assured him. Jean rolled her eyes pouring everyone some drinks before she returned to her seat.

"I'd never break his heart . . . I love him." Nick tried to assure the worried father.

"All I need to know." The father smiled. "I hope things work out for you and your family Nick, just remember we're always here for you. Whatever you need... money, house, even a car..."

"Oh can I get a..."

"Don't push your luck." Dan smirked at his son.

"No fair." Greg laughed. "You give my boyfriend anything he wants, but not me?" The spoiled only child asked his father.

"We spoiled you too much." Jean laughed. "We're very sorry Nicky, it's mostly my fault. I spoiled this little boy rotten after I lost my first four to miscarriages and still born. Honestly I don't know how you put up with him." She teased, playfully ruffling her boy's hair again.

"Thanks mom." Greg said sarcastically, ducking away from her hand. "I'm really feeling the love today." He smirked rolling his eyes.

"At least your family are talkin' to you G, I'm really dreadin' goin' over there to tell mine."

"We can come along for support." Jean suggested, returning to her seat.

"No thanks, I think it would be best if I did it alone . . . with Greg at my side of course."

"I'm not backing out. I'm with you every step of the way." Greg smiled, assuring his worried boyfriend.

"Thanks G." Jean and Dan watched as the boys gazed lovingly into one another's eyes, holding each other's hands.

"I am too." Jean added. "I know I was cold at first . . . but I'm so happy now Nicky. Don't hesitate to call anytime..."

"Do I still have to call you every day?" Greg queried.

"YES!" Both his parents practically shouted in his direction, making Nick laugh. Greg rolled his eyes leaning back in his seat.

"I'll make sure he does." Nick smiled, patting his boyfriend on the shoulder.

"Mother, I'm 31 . . . I think it's time to cut the umbilical cord." He pleaded.

"No... not yet... not until marriage. Even then I still have the right to interfere in your life, especially after the 9 months I spent carrying you then the 17 hours in labour and the..."

"Okay, okay . . . guilt trip over." Greg tried to silence her.

"And the eighteen years I spent looking after you..."

"I don't think you stopped after eighteen." Greg chuckled. "You haven't stopped and I'm 31."

"Can you blame me? I only got one child. One spoiled rotten child." She laughed poking him in the side. "Seriously Nicky, it's not too late to change your mind. You're looking at a good half a century of a whiny little boy always getting his own way."

"Nope, I'd never change my mind." Nick gazed dreamily into Greg's eyes. "I love all of his quirks, that's what made me fall in love with him."

"See my boyfriends the best." Greg smiled to his parents. Jean and Dan looked at each other happily. "Can you at least back off the tiniest bit?" He asked his mother.

"I backed off far enough when you moved out here." She laughed. "You still have to call every day. You're lucky I cut it down to one phone call a day. I used to make him call me after every 4 hours when he left for college." Greg rolled his eyes remembering the embarrassment he went through.

"You're so lucky G." Nick said jealously. "My parents are the conditional love type; they stopped carin' as soon as I left for college."

"Yeah see." Jean smirked. "You should be lucky, I spoiled you too much." Jean laughed, hugging her son. "Don't worry Nicky, now we're gonna spoil you rotten too." She smiled, hugging the newest member of her family.

"Thank you Mrs Sanders." Nick smiled, enjoying the warm hug from loving parents.

"You won't be when she starts buying you underwear and asking if it holds your package right in the middle of a public place." Greg smirked then quickly ducked as his mother went to slap him upside the head.

"Little cheek." She laughed heading back to her seat. Nick laughed shaking his head. He only wished his family were so loving and warm towards each other.

* * *

**Please Review**

**Thanks so much for all your reviews so far. I'm really glad your enjoying the story, because i love writing it :D**

**Dinner with the Sanders family and the night shift crew up next, how will it pan out !?**


	28. Chapter 28: True Family

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: True Family**

"G, which shirt are you gonna wear?" Nick shouted into the bathroom.

"Whichever." He replied from the shower. Nick rolled his eyes grabbing a shirt he liked then placed it on the bed, ready for him to put on.

Greg finally emerged from the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Why are you so nervous anyway Nicky?" He asked running a hand through his tousled wet hair. Nick looked round at Greg's dripping wet body licking his lips.

"It's all our friends, the first dinner since we came out to them all." Nick admitted, untying the towel from Greg's hips, exploring his partners flesh with his hands. "That and we're in a public place with your mother." He laughed.

"She promised to behave herself." Greg grinned. "You're gonna crumple your shirt, Mr Perfect." He giggled, running his fingers down Nick's chest.

"I can change it." Nick joined their lips for a kiss while his palms glided down Greg's dripping wet back.

"Oh boys." Jean's voice called through the door.

"Not now mother." Greg shouted back, breaking the kiss from his Texan.

"You'll have time to fool around with Nicky in your hotel room after dinner." She tapped her watch. "We're going to be late at this rate because you fell asleep again!"

"Okay, give us ten minutes." Greg shouted as his towel was completely dropped to his ankles.

"We're gonna be in the car in five, if you're not ready by then I'm coming in whether your decent or not." She warned them.

"She means it you know." Greg laughed looking at Nick. "We need another seven minutes mother." Greg shouted.

"You've got your whole lives to have sex boys; surely you can pry yourselves away from each other for a couple of hours." She shouted back. Nick blushed bright red; he still wasn't used to how open Greg's mother was about sex and how she said it so casually. "You now have four minutes and your hairs still wet." She reported.

"How did you know?" Greg asked checking she didn't have a spy camera under the door or something.

"Because you just got out the shower and I haven't heard the hair dryer go yet."

"Jeez mother, can I please have some privacy." Greg laughed. "I'm surprised you don't know what colour underwear I'm wearing." Nick rolled his eyes sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I'd guess blue." She shouted back.

"That's eerie." Greg cringed as he pulled his blue boxers on. "Now go away before my Texan makes me pop, trust me you don't wonna listen to that." Greg giggled.

Nick covered his face with his hands, dropping back on the bed.

"Going." She shouted heading off to the kitchen where her husband was looking at her wide eyed. "What?"

"You gotta let go one day dear." He laughed.

"Not until he's married then I'll have grandchildren to care for." She grinned, cleaning up the kitchen.

"I can't believe you said that to your mother G." Greg laughed at his embarrassed lover. "What happened to the shy virgin I was datin'?" He asked looking over at him. Greg grinned dropping onto the bed beside Nick.

"I can't believe you still get embarrassed around her." He snickered. "You should know by now, she knows no bounds."

"Maybe we shouldn't go through with this dinner?" Nick suggested, thinking of the embarrassment ahead of him.

"No turning back now." Greg pulled Nick closer by his belt loops, initiating a kiss. "I won't get into a banter with her at the restaurant . . . I promise."

"Good." Nick sighed in relief. "You better get dressed then G."

"Okay." Greg kissed Nick then sprung off the bed to grab his clothing. He pulled his trousers up loving the glazed look in his boyfriend's eyes as he watched him dress. "You know you're supposed to enjoy me undressing more than dressing." He teased.

"I love watchin' you no matter what you're doin'." He smiled at him. "You want me to dry your hair?" He queried.

"Don't I get enough of the nurturing from my mother?" Greg laughed. Nick rolled his eyes, leaning back on the bed. "I was kidding . . . by all means, knock yourself out." He grinned.

Nick grabbed Greg's wrist pulling him down on top of him. "I wanted to dry your hair coz it gives me a reason to touch you, smart ass." He laughed, looking into his lovers eyes. "And you know you love to be nurtured really."

"By you especially." He grinned.

"I still don't hear the hair dryer." Jean shouted through the door.

"It's a silent one, environmentally friendly." Greg called back to her.

"Gregory they haven't made a silent one and even if they have I know for a fact you don't have one."

Nick covered the smart ass's mouth with his before he said something else to her, reaching for the hair dryer to turn it on.

Greg laughed as they broke apart then felt the warm air and Nick's fingers brushing gently through his tousled hair. Greg rejoined their lips, closing his eyes as the sensual tongue from his lovers mouth got him really worked up.

"Ow, you're burning my ear." Greg laughed pulling back from the heat.

"Sorry." Nick smiled, adjusting Greg's body on top of him so he could get a better position of the hair dryer, continuing to dry his hair. "That better?"

"Just make sure you do the other side too." Greg grinned. Nick stopped kissing Greg a moment so he could finish drying his hair properly, without burning his ears this time.

"Boys . . . less than a minute now." Jean reported tapping her watch again.

"Okay." They both shouted together.

Greg hustled into the bathroom for his hair gel while Nick changed his shirt as it was crumpled from their heated make out session.

"Well?" Greg asked re-emerging from the bathroom. "How do I look?"

"Gorgeous." Nick pulled his shirt on, just as Greg approached him to button it up. "Thank you G." He smiled watching Greg's fingers fiddling with his shirt buttons.

"For what?"

"Everythin' . . . this is the best birthday I ever had."

"Plenty more still to come."

"We better go before your mother breaks down the door." He indulged Greg's lips in a kiss before they made their way to the door.

"Thank God, I'm surprised your tonsils aren't swollen." Jean remarked checking her watch. "We were gonna leave without you at this rate."

"Sor-ry." Greg said sarcastically as he wasn't really sorry, he loved being indulged with kisses from Nick. "Men can take their time in getting ready to mother."

"You might wonna button the flies Nicky." She pointed out. Nick blushed bright red, pulling up his zipper. Jean smiled to herself then caught sight of an angry scowl from her son. "What? You want him to walk in the restaurant with his flies down?"

"No, it's just the way you do it mother." Greg pulled his coat on, handing the Texan his. "You better behave in the restaurant." He warned her.

"I always behave." She moaned. "I'll do my best to keep my mouth shut then. For you sweetie." She smiled innocently, kissing him on the cheek. "I call shotgun." She called out, heading for the car.

"Good coz I wonna sit next to Nicky." Greg smiled lacing his hand with Nick's as he locked the front door.

Nick turned to watch Jean running for the car then looked at Greg.

"You're definitely more like your mother then you are your father." He laughed.

"I hope that's a compliment." Greg smirked. Nick nodded leading him to the car.

"Dibs on radio." Greg leaned through the seats adjusting the radio to his favourite station. Jean and Dan looked at each other rolling their eyes as their spoilt child got his own way again.

"Seatbelts boys." Jean told them.

Once Greg was done fiddling with the radio, Nick pulled him back into his seat, strapping his belt across his waist.

"He's so possessive." Jean giggled in a not so subtle whisper to her husband. "Have you been at the sugar Gregory?"

"Yes, it's this new candy, right from the heart of Texas." He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at Nick. "High in protein." Nick rolled his eyes, looking out the window trying to keep his face from burning bright red again.

Dan laughed as he looked in the rear view mirror at them. "All ready?"

"Ready." Nick and Greg said in sync with each other. Dan put the car into gear then drove off towards the Cheese cake factory.

"You're not going to drink tonight are you sweetheart?" Jean asked her son.

"Nope, I'm a Nickoholic not an alcoholic." He laughed, holding Nick's hand in his own.

"I think you a sugarolholic too dear." Jean smirked.

"I haven't had an ounce of sugar." He admitted. "The cowboy here won't let me sugar binge coz I go crazy hyper and he can't control me."

"I used to have to do the same thing Nicky." She laughed looking round at him. "You still making him take his pills?"

"Yes ma'am." Nick smiled at his boyfriend.

"He even makes sure I swallowed it after he hands it to me." Greg reported to her.

"I'm just lookin' after you." Nick smiled tapping his lover's knee.

"I for one am glad." Jean grinned looking round at Greg's soul mate. "I'm glad someone's looking after my boy _finally_."

"I'm not a child anymore yah know. I can take care of myself."

"**No You Can't**." Dan, Jean and Nick chimed in then laughed together.

Greg folded his arms across his chest leaning back against the chair.

"You'll always be my child sweetheart." Jean smiled round at him.

"Can you try your hardest to be a normal mother this evening?" Greg requested.

"Okay." She innocently smiled. "I am normal anyway." She protested.

"Most mothers don't talk about their son's preferred choice of condom with their graduation date." He countered.

"I know how sensitive your skin is." She retorted. "So, you didn't sleep with her anyway."

"I'm glad; she was itching like crazy in that area." Dan and Nick cringed. "Just keep the sex talk on the down low and try not to embarrass me. I work with these people."

"I promise." She smiled.

"That's what you said right before you announced to the senior prom to always practice safe sex."

"I was just being a responsible parent. I'm a nurturing mother. It's my nature. If it wasn't for me those poor girls could have walked out there with babies instead of a diploma." Nick and Dan laughed as the banter continued between the mother and son all the way to the restaurant.

* * *

Nick and Greg sat at the bar waiting for everyone to arrive while they read through the drinks menu's. "What about this one?" Greg pointed. Nick read through the ingredients of the drink then shook his head. "Why not?"

"Skyy Vodka and Pineapple rum G." He pointed out. "You can't have Vodka or rum."

"This one sounds right up your street." Brass smirked. Nick and Greg looked at the ingredients to the drink reading 'Bacardi 151, mount gay and Malibu rums.' They both looked round at him with frowns on his face. "What? You don't think it's funny?" He asked through a shit eating grin.

Nick answered with an eye roll.

"There's smoothie's and juices G, or you can have water."

"Sara and Brass are former alcoholics..."

"But G they haven't binged the stuff for years. You only stopped 4 months ago." He reminded him. Greg gave him the irresistible pouting look. "That's not gonna work on me G." Nick looked at his boyfriends face as he continued the pouting. "It's not gettin' to me." Nick tried to avert his eyes, but he could still see Greg's adorable pout in the corner of his eyes. Nick finally sighed in defeat. "Fine . . . you can have one then. Somethin' light."

Greg smiled victoriously then grabbed for the beers menu. "See you can't resist me." He giggled. Nick rolled his eyes leaning against the bar. The statement was completely true, he just couldn't say no to his adorable face.

"We're ordering up some Margarita's Nicky, you want one?" Jean asked from the other end of the bar.

"No thanks, I'll just grab a beer." Nick told her then turned back to Greg. "Make sure you eat before you start drinkin'." He warned him.

"I'm not gonna go back to my old ways Nicky, I was depressed then." He tried to assure him. "Now I'm with you . . . I'll have one that's it. I have to celebrate your birthday."

"Okay." Nick kissed him on the head then climbed off the stool as he saw Sara, Catherine and Warrick arriving.

"What about the Amstel light?" Greg asked before he left.

Nick looked at Greg a moment then nodded. "Yeah . . . get me the same."

Greg called the waiter over, watching as Nick hugged Sara and Catherine then gave Warrick a hand shake. He was happy that their friends had accepted them, now if only the same thing happened for Nick's family.

"What can I get you?" The barmen asked, admiring Greg's smile.

"Two pints of Amstel light, please." As Greg's grin increased the barmen's heart soared.

"I'm Kenneth by the way." He smiled, grabbing the beers for the cute customer.

"Greg, nice to meet you."

"You here celebrating something?" Greg looked at the tight pants on the guy and the bracelet around his left wrist with the letters 'PFLAG Support' on it. He recognised it straight away as his mother had one exactly like it. A different colour for every outfit that she proudly showed off in front of company.

"Yep, it's my boyfriend's birthday." Greg smiled proudly.

"Wow and you got your whole family celebrating it?" Kenneth asked. Greg nodded, sweetly biting his lower lip. "Which ones your boyfriend?" He asked placing the beers in front of him.

"See the cowboy in the blue shirt." Greg pointed. Kenneth nodded completely jealous of Greg.

"Hotarama . . . how long have you two been together?" Kenneth leant on the bar, looking directly into Greg's eyes.

"As friends, almost eight years, but now we've been together almost 5 months, 5 amazing months." Greg smiled, not wanting to remember his life before Nick.

"Uh, I'm so jealous." He laughed. "I've been out for 2 years and I only ever find guys that just want a one nighter."

"I've been out 5 months." Greg nervously smiled. "My boyfriend was the one that dragged me from the closet."

"Yummy, he's definitely a keeper. Tell you what, first rounds on me." He winked.

"Thanks."

"So how did you meet him?" He asked excitedly.

Warrick laughed at the joke Sara just told then looked over at Greg talking to the bar tender.

"Think you're woman's getting hit on." Warrick laughed, playfully nudging his buddy. Nick looked round at Greg watching the bar tender giving his boyfriend flirtatious eye contact. "Aren't you gonna blow yah gaskets?" Warrick asked him.

"Nope." Nick smiled to them.

Sara and Warrick looked at him confused. "Okay." Warrick said thinking if he caught his girlfriend flirting with someone, he'd instantly be blowing his gaskets.

"C'mon then let's get the drinks in so we can eat." Sara urged, pushing through the men towards the bar. "Hey Greg, so get his number?" She asked dropping onto the stool beside him.

"Nope, he asked me about my _boyfriend_ and I proudly told him that my _boyfriend_ is Nick Stokes the studdly sexy cowboy over there and he was so jealous of me and my _boyfriend_. He's looking for a real relationship too, but the guys he goes out with only ever want sex then move on. I'm so glad I've got my _boyfriend _. . . imagine what would happen if I found out I liked guys before the Texan wooed me into being his _boyfriend. _Do you think I would have found somebody special?"

Sara laughed at Greg's adorableness. "I think you would have found Nick." She smiled. "You two are destined to be together. So how many more times you gonna say boyfriend in that sentence?" She laughed, lightly nudging him.

"First time I ever had a boyfriend, so I'm gonna use it as much as possible." He giggled excitedly. "Where's your _boyfriend_ anyway?" Greg looked around the bar, searching for Grissom in the crowd.

"We're not exactly on boyfriend/girlfriend terms just yet, so he rode in his own car, while I hitched a ride off Cath and Warrick." She told him with disappointment in her tone.

"Hey Greg, did you hear about the homosexual letter?" Brass asked leaning over his shoulder. Greg looked at him rolling his eyes. "Give up?"

"Yeah I give up."

"Went round in the male box." He smirked walking off.

Greg rolled his eyes then turned back to Sara. "Does he actually think that's funny?"

"You know he's joking terribly to hide his awkwardness." Sara told him.

"I know, just how many more bad jokes am I gonna have to put up with once we go public?" Greg climbed off his stool with his beers in hand, heading over to Nick.

"Hi." Nick smiled as Greg's smile lit his face up. "Hear you were bein' chatted up by the bar tender."

"I was just rubbing it in his face that I have an amazing boyfriend." He winked, handing over his beer. "You know I wouldn't cheat on you." He assured him.

"I know . . . see I told you your cute G." He laughed.

"But I'm a one guy kinda guy." Greg grinned. "Happy birthday Nicky." Nick smiled clinking his beer against Greg's before he drank.

"C'mon boys." Jean ushered them over to the table to their seats, along with everyone else now that Grissom and Doc Robbins had finally arrived.

"Hey Greg..." Greg rolled his eyes looking over at Brass. "What's the difference between a gay rodeo and straight rodeo?"

Warrick put his arm round Greg's shoulder, giving Brass an evil scowl. "At a straight rodeo they yell 'Ride that sucker.' Really is that the best you can come up with? If you're gonna tell gay jokes at least put some effort into it." Greg smiled to himself as Warrick had never stuck up for him before.

"I got one." The doc smiled, taking his seat. "What does an ambulance and a gay man have in common?" The doc looked over seeing an angry scowl coming from Greg's mother.

"I've got a better joke." Catherine announced. "What's the difference between Nick's birthday last year and this one?" She asked with a wide grin on her face.

"This year he won't be getting a lap dance treat from Candy, Scarlet or any woman." Brass laughed looking at Greg.

"How about we stop with the jokes?" Grissom suggested. "Happy birthday Nick." He raised his glass.

"Happy Birthday Nicky." Everyone else cheered. Nick smiled to them all then looked round at Greg.

It was the best birthday ever and he never wanted it to end.

Their waitress soon arrived, ordering them up some more drinks along with their dinners. Greg's mother actually managed to behave herself, getting into a conversation about different cheesecakes with Sara who had never made a cheesecake in her life.

"See Nicky . . . you have nothing to worry about." Greg whispered to him. Nick nodded, holding Greg's hand under the table.

"I'm worried about how much your mothers drinkin' though." He pointed to her third empty margarita glass. "And she already had tequila in her." Nick whispered to Greg. "And if she's anythin' like you she should be blurtin' all her confessions somewhere between the next two sips."

"Just change the subject if she gets onto dating or sex." Greg informed him.

Then Jean started up the dreaded subject with Sara.

"So Sara, why don't you have someone special in your life? I mean my Gregory chased after you for years . . . is he not good enough for you?" Jean asked.

Greg slapped himself in the head, dreading that he ever told his mother he had a crush on Sara.

"Er..." Sara looked at her significant other then down the table at Greg. "Well er..."

"Do you think its gonna rain?" Greg suddenly shouted, even though they weren't anywhere near a window and the weather had been nice all day.

"Are you saving yourself for marriage dear?" Jean asked, tapping Sara on the back of the hand. "You don't want to leave it too late. Is it trouble laying one down? Maybe you're too butch for them dear. Nowadays men are dating younger prettier girls..." She burst into a fit of giggles, "or other men." She laughed looking at her son.

"Mom." Greg hissed at her. "Let's talk about..." Greg looked around for inspiration. The first thing he saw was an old guy adjusting his hairpiece, but he didn't think that was polite table conversation. He scanned the room again, noticing a large chandelier in the centre of the restaurant. "Hey, who likes chandelier's?"

"Greg, are you high?" Grissom asked him.

"Negative, I just really like chandeliers and coins, did you know my Nana Olaf made me a mobile out of old coins when I was little, the hanging mobile not a cell phone mobile." He quickly corrected.

"Oh yes she did. He loved that thing." Jean giggled. "See we didn't have a lot of money when we first moved here, but Gregory was twelve at the time. He still had trouble sleeping." Greg dropped his head into his hands as she continued on. His attempt to change the subject to spare his friend embarrassment had turned back on himself. "He wet the bed until he was ten years old. We tried night lights, cuddly toys, mobiles, but the thing that finally sent him off was crushed sleeping pills in his milk..."

"Milk?" Catherine asked curiously. "He drank milk when he was twelve..."

"Cow's milk." Greg informed her. "And I didn't wet the bed until I was ten..."

"Your right . . . I think the last time you did it was right before..."

"Who's up for dessert?" Greg shouted jumping from his seat so fast he almost pulled the tablecloth off.

"No I wonna hear this." Catherine smiled intrigued to hear more.

"Me too." Grissom added with a smug grin.

"Honey." Dan scolded his wife. Jean looked at her husband then at her son.

"I'm sorry . . . I lost my trail of thought. Another round?" She asked downing her last drop of margarita.

Greg sighed in relief dropping back into his chair.

Catherine slumped back in her seat disappointed. "So Nicky, when are you heading out to Dallas to break the news to your folks?"

"That's gotta be a tough conversation." Brass laughed, getting immediately smacked round the head with Jean's purse.

"Oh I'm sorry." She giggled heading off to the bar.

"I just meant instead of a doctor or a lawyer you're bringing Greg." He winced, rubbing his head.

"Well we got one more shift tomorrow then our flights right after." Nick said, ignoring Brass's comment as he looked into his boyfriends eyes.

"Wish you luck." Catherine smiled to him. "I mean that seriously. You never know . . . they could be over the moon."

"I wish." Nick muttered.

"Well you'll always have us." Brass winked at them.

"That's the nicest thing you've said all night." Greg snickered to him.

"So... I take uncomfortable situations awkwardly . . . I'm old, we didn't have guys kissing round the dinner table when I was younger." He told them.

"We haven't kissed once actually." Greg remarked.

"They're still Nick and Greg." Warrick defended them. "They're still the ladies man and the..." Warrick looked at Greg, not wanting to say the nickname he and Nick used to call him. "Lab rat . . . now they just kiss each other instead of women."

"You've seen Sanders with a woman?" Brass snickered.

"Oh shut up oldie." Catherine laughed. "I for one am happy you two finally found some happiness. Nick mellows Greg out and Greg does the same. I think they're perfect for each other." She winked. "And I saw this coming right from the start." She snickered.

"How?" Nick and Greg both asked.

"When Grissom told me to show round the newbie lab rat. As soon as I took you into the break room and you saw Nick, you went all gooey eyed." She laughed at him.

"That's why it was your best day ever?" Jean gasped as she returned to the table. "I thought you got lucky."

"Oh he did." Catherine laughed. "He had eye sex with Nick for six whole minutes while I was talking to Grissom."

"Oh, I remember that day." Grissom laughed.

"I thought for sure you were gay the second you walked in. Then after that music you played and you're crazy shirts, I wasn't so sure." Catherine snickered. "Plus you flirted with everyone over the years." She looked over at Sara specifically.

"I don't remember that." Warrick looked up at the ceiling trying to think. "Was I there?"

Catherine nodded. "You were too busy eyeing my rack..." she giggled, "Greg didn't check out the girls once during the whole tour. I suppose that should have been the first sign."

"I didn't want to stare, I'm a gentleman." Greg told her.

"You were too busy staring at Stokes." Brass laughed.

Greg sighed in relief as the dessert menu's came over, distracting everyone from his embarrassment again. Nick moved his chair closer, tucking his arm around Greg's waist, resting his chin on his shoulder.

"You okay baby?" He whispered.

"I'm fine." Greg smiled looking round into his boyfriends eyes. "I thought birthdays are embarrassing for the birthday boy, not his boyfriend."

"Want me to start throwin' punches?" Nick asked protectively.

Greg broke into a goofy grin, shaking his head. "No that won't be necessary . . . I love you Nicky."

"I know you do. I love you too." While their friends were distracted with dessert choices, Nick and Greg slipped out of their seats heading outside for some fresh air and a passionate smooch. Kenneth the bartender watched the young lovers striding out the door in complete jealousy. He changed the song on his I-Pod from 'Meatloaf – I'd do anything for love' to 'Three Days Grace – I hate everything about you' as he was feeling in a crappy mood seeing all the lovey dovey couples around him.

* * *

Later in the evening, Kenneth delivered another round of drinks, staring on at Nick and Greg with green eyes of envy. The whole table was talking amongst themselves, while Nick and Greg were whispering to each other with huge smiles on their faces.

_I hate happy people. _Kenneth muttered to himself, collecting the empty glasses.

"G, that's your third slice." Nick laughed, watching his hyper boyfriend licking his chocolate covered lips.

"I looovvee cheesecake." He grinned, digging into his third portion of Chocolate Tuxedo cheesecake, whereas Nick went with the walnut cheese cake, the one lowest in carbs.

"Champagnes here everyone." Jean announced as the waiter followed her back to the table.

"Hey I dare you guys to kiss." Brass joked as the champagne arrived to their table. Nick and Greg looked at him through a frown. "C'mon I only caught a glimpse the first time around." He laughed, seeing Greg blushing.

"You like watching guys kiss." Catherine laughed at him.

"No." He quickly corrected.

Warrick reached for his glass and a fork, clinking it against the side of his glass, starting to chant. "Kiss, kiss, kiss..."

Everyone soon joined in doing the same; Nick called his bluff and leant in for a kiss with Greg.

The table fell silent as they engaged in a sweet slow kiss.

"Aww." Catherine, Sara and Jean sighed together. The men however felt a little uncomfortable, even Greg's father, shifting on their chairs while trying to avert their eyes.

"Okay enough." Brass requested, completely averting his eyes.

"That was just the PG version." Greg laughed. "We'll show you a real one now."

"No you won't." Nick laughed, stopping him.

"Nice to see somebody can finally stand Greg's quirks." Brass laughed, getting an evil scowl from Greg's mother again. "I just mean..."

"I know what you meant." Jean rolled her eyes at him, hating how her son was always the ass of every joke. "I'm glad somebody finally loves my son, he needs it after the year he's had." Brass nodded looking at the smile on Greg's face. He only wished his daughter could ever be that happy with a decent guy.

Nick wiped the chocolate from his lips, laughing as he saw some all down Greg's shirt. "Have you actually got any in your mouth yet G?"

"Yes." He grinned, grabbing his napkin to wipe some of the chocolate off his shirt as Jean walked round with the champagne, handing a glass to Nick. "Can I have a drink for Nick's birthday?" Greg asked his mother. Nick and Jean looked at each other concerned a moment.

"As long as it's just the one dear, you've already had one beer and a vast amount of cheese cake . . . we don't want you falling back on your habits now." Jean told him. Greg nodded grabbing a glass of champagne from her.

Catherine, Warrick, Sara and Grissom looked on at Greg's parents with green eyes of envy. They wished their parents were that caring, especially now. Greg was in his thirties and they still loved and cared for him so much.

"Happy Birthday Nicky." The others cheered raising their glasses.

Nick smiled putting his arm around Greg again.

"Good birthday Nicky?" Greg whispered.

"Best birthday ever G." He smiled, looking round the table at his pseudo family with his boyfriend in his arms.

A birthday he had dreamed about for years.

* * *

"I got him." Nick climbed out the other side of the car then ran round to get Greg out. Jean and Dan drove them to their hotel, but Greg had fallen asleep in the back on a full stomach of cheesecake.

"You sure Nick?" Dan asked.

Nick nodded then lifted Greg into his strong arms bridal style, carefully pulling him out of the car. "Thanks for today." Nick smiled at Greg's parents.

"You're welcome Nicky." Jean smiled proudly. "You know we can find you a new place if you want."

"Thanks, but me and Greg were gonna meet with a realtor." Nick smiled to her. "We wanted a place we both liked."

Dan and Jean smiled happily, their son was finally well loved and planning a future with someone healthy for him.

Dan helped Nick into the hotel, watching as Nick carefully lowered a sleepy Greg onto the mattress. "You sure I can't pay for the room?" Nick asked him. "I feel kinda awkward after you just paid for my birthday dinner."

"No need Nick, I've got tons of money . . . I owe you loads for taking care of my son." The proud father smiled. "We'll see yah in the morning then Nick." He smiled closing the door for him.

"Bye." Nick waved then crawled onto the bed beside his snoozing lover, smiling happily.

Greg slowly opened his eyes looking at Nick beside him. "Ow . . . my tummy hurts." He winced rubbing his stomach.

"Think it was the 5 slices of cheese cake that your boyfriend advised you not to eat?" Nick smirked as Greg nodded. "I told you not to."

"Next time I'll listen." Greg rubbed his tummy again, re-closing his eyes. "Where are we anyway?"

"Hotel room." Nick propped himself up on his elbow watching Greg.

"How did we get here?"

"I carried your heavy ass up the steps." He laughed.

Greg lay back on the bed rubbing his tummy then suddenly felt the urge to throw up.

"Where's the bathroom?" Greg asked.

"You feel sick baby?" Greg nodded. Nick carefully pulled Greg to his feet walking him towards the bathroom.

"Think the last tiramisu cheesecake, is turning on me." Greg mumbled as they made it to the bathroom.

"Well Champagne and chocolate cheesecake definitely don't agree with you honey and I think that last one had rum in it." Nick lifted the toilet seat then checked the mini bar for some sprite. Greg heaved three full rounds then collapsed back against the wall. Nick handed him the sprite then sat down beside him.

"You okay now, G?"

"Better . . . I wish I didn't eat so much." He laughed. "Thank you." Greg held up the can then took a swig. "Did I ruin your birthday?"

"Nope, you couldn't ruin it if you tried." Nick put his arm around Greg's shoulder. "You don't have a toothbrush here though so I can't kiss you." He suddenly realised.

"There's a shop downstairs. It has toiletries and things, should have toothbrushes."

"Do I want to ask how you know that?" Nick asked.

"After the lab explosion, my mom and dad practically lived in this hotel for months." Greg smiled. "I never spent time here myself, but I always visited, that's why they recommended it to us. The showers have vibrating heads and the beds are plastic covered, very clean and with the magic fingers..."

"Sex addicts heaven." Nick laughed.

"Precisely." Greg grinned.

"I'll be back in about five minutes then. Don't go anywhere." Nick kissed Greg on the forehead then rushed out the bathroom for his wallet. Greg held the can of sprite to his head waiting for his cowboy to return.

Nick rushed straight to the shop then straight back finding Greg right where he left him.

"One toothbrush in your favourite colour." He smiled presenting the Chartreuse coloured toothbrush. "And they even had your favourite flavour toothpaste." Nick presented the strawberry flavoured tube of toothpaste.

"You know me too well." Greg grinned as he was pulled to his feet.

"That's right." Nick smiled back, directing Greg over to the sink as he wrapped his arms around his waist from behind him. "I love you Greg.

"I love you too Nicky." Greg stuck the toothbrush in his mouth, leaning back against Nick's chest. "Did my mom really ask Brass to go to a PFLAG meeting?"

"Yep." Nick chuckled. "I think that was right before you literally passed out on the table..."

"In a plate of cheesecake?" Greg asked picking some from his hair.

"Yep." He chuckled again. "You wonna try out the massaging shower heads before we go to bed?" Greg nodded as he continued to brush his teeth.

Nick kissed his neck then took a step back to warm up the shower water.

"All done." Greg rinsed his mouth out then took a step towards Nick. "Do I get my kiss now?" Nick cupped Greg's face in his hands kissing him passionately.

"Mmm... strawberry." He grinned looking into his eyes. "Remember our first shower together?"

"How could I forget? I still remember our first kiss, first touch, first hand hold..."

"Documenting it are yah Einstein?" He chuckled.

"Yep, I can't wait to experience more firsts with you."

"Well this is our first time in a hotel suite." Nick grinned pulling Greg's shirt off his body. "My first birthday sex with you too . . . you know I've never had sex on my birthday for 35 whole years."

"Unless your 50 that's a relief." He giggled.

"You know what I mean smart ass. I've never had sex on my birthday . . . least of all with someone I love."

"We better hurry then." Greg giggled, pulling a tube of lubricant from his jeans pocket. "It's almost past midnight."

"You came prepared." Nick smiled stripping his lover of his clothes. Greg nodded; pulling Nick's shirt off then started fiddling with his belt buckle. Nick did the same with Greg until they were both naked, bringing their bodies together under the warm spray of the shower.

Nick held his lover's body close to his own as he made love to him, this day truly was magical and one of the best days of his life, but everyday with Greg was magical to him. He felt so lucky to even be able to touch a unique creature such as Greg. He loved everything about him and wanted to spend the rest of his life with him.

It wasn't long before they were panting heavily, pawing at each other as their bodies surged with an intense electrical pleasure.

They slowly began to clean off then Greg turned to face Nick, igniting their lips for a heated kiss. "Happy birthday Nicky."

"Happy doesn't even cover it." Nick grinned seductively.

"You're still wearing my key." Greg smiled, holding the chained key around his lover's neck.

"Yep, I'll never take it off." Nick winked at his lover.

"Sure you don't want it engraved or silver coated?" Greg asked.

"Nope . . . it's perfect the way it is. And I found out what's it's for." He chuckled.

"What?"

"It's the spare set to your dad's old boat." He grinned. "I showed it off to your parents and your dad recognised it immediately."

"I loved my dad's old boat." Greg smiled admiring the key. "Now I remember why I kept it. My Nana said it was good luck, since the boat was named after the Norwegian Goddess of Love. See when my parents got engaged my dad bought my mom a pendant necklace that she adored, just like the Goddess Freyja had. Nana said it was a sign they were meant to be together. Then when my dad bought her a boat . . . he was going to name it Jean or something after my mom, but she wanted to name it after Freyja after the Goddess that brought them together."

"What happened to it?"

"The boat . . . It got old, my dad taught me to sail on it, when I was thirteen he actually let me drive it for their anniversary holiday . . . I rode us all the way to our holiday home in Maui. We used to go on trips together too . . . I loved going out to sea with my dad. Just me and my dad. No meddlesome mother the whole trip." Greg smiled. "I'm glad I gave it to you. That's my best childhood memory."

"See it's not just some old key." Nick smiled kissing Greg. Nick wrapped his arms around Greg, holding him closer. "I love you Greg. Forever and ever."

"Careful you can't take that back." Greg giggled.

"Good . . . coz I don't intend too . . . ever."

"I love you too Nicky. Forever and ever and ever and ever..." He continued to trail on making Nick smile.

They soon emerged from the shower crawling under the hotel sheets, falling asleep in each other's arms.

While Greg was softly snoozed, Nick watched him with a wide smiled on his face. Greg was truly the best birthday gift he could have ever imagined. Last year he was all alone, counting the minutes until his birthday was over. This year he had a family and a boyfriend. Something he always wanted, but never had. He started to not care what his family thought of him. Today proved to him that he already has a family and they love him and accept him no matter what.

Just one more day and he wouldn't have to worry about coming out to his family anymore.

* * *

**Please Review**

**Extra Long chapter, I didn't want to break it down into two so I kept it as one. I hope you enjoyed it :D**


	29. Chapter 29: Proposal

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Proposal**

Greg walked through the halls of the crime lab wondering where Nick was. It had almost been fourteen hours since their last kiss and he was starting to crave him like he used to crave alcohol. Greg peered into the break room, but only Catherine was in there. He walked off towards the locker room, when someone grabbed his wrist pulling him into the supply closet. Greg was about to scream, but smiled when he saw Nick's lips curving into a smile.

"Hi baby." Nick's husky voice rasped as his licked and nipped at the skin below Greg's ear.

"You scared me Nicky." He giggled, pulling the Texan's hips against his own.

"Sorry G, I missed you." Nick slid his hands down Greg's side's joining their lips for a heated desperate kiss. "It's been almost fourteen hours." Nick panted across Greg's lips.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Greg laughed, being backed up against the wall by Nick's masculine body.

"You got five minutes?" Nick popped open Greg's jeans, looking into his chocolate eyes.

"For you I've got seven." Greg grinned, licking his lips. Nick smiled feeling the familiar warm tingles in his stomach. He loved that Greg still made him feel like that. Nick closed the distance between them, grinding his hips against Greg's as he invaded his mouth with his tongue. The feel of Nick's tongue in his mouth still sent shivers up his spine. Their tongues entwined for a brief few minutes, caressing one another's mouths, before the need for air pulled them apart.

Nick slid his hands under Greg's t-shirt, gliding his hands across the old scars that he loved to trace with his tongue in the privacy of their own home, while Greg threaded his fingers through Nick's hair, moaning into another intense kiss.

Nick slowly worked open Greg's jeans dropping them to his ankles then started on his shirt.

"Don't tear these buttons off." Greg quickly warned him, remembering the last time they had a quickie in the supply closet; Nick tore his buttons off making it quite an embarrassing shift. He had to make up some excuse that he caught it on a table or something.

Nick nodded, carefully unbuttoning Greg's shirt this time as he kissed and marked his way from Greg's jaw to his stomach, softly nipping at his skin to leave his mark. Greg moaned softly, arching his chest off the wall towards Nick's tongue.

"Don't answer that." Nick said hearing Greg's phone ring. Greg knelt down to pull it out his pocket seeing it was Catherine.

"She might have something new, hold on." Nick reluctantly stopped his kissing waiting for Greg to finish the phone call. "Catherine . . . okay..." Greg gasped as Nick's hand slid below his boxer's waistband, gliding down his shaft. "No I'm fine..." Greg bit his lip trying to stifle a moan as Nick began to massage him, softly nipping at the skin below his ear. "Oh... Okay." He gasped. "Uh... yeah, I'm sure I can find Nick." He grinned at his lover then gasped as his neck was assaulted in kisses, working their way down his chest once again. "Uh . . . no really I'm fine." Greg leant back against the wall as his boxers slid down his legs and Nick's mouth completely enveloped his hardened member. "Uh... Okay Cath . . . we'll b-be right there..." Greg snapped his phone shut letting out a loud moan. "Oh my God Nicky." He panted, arching his chest up and down as each lick from Nick's tongue surged an electrical charge through his body.

Greg bit his lip trying to control himself, but Nick was a master. He reached down for Nick's hair gripping handfuls as he was close to his release.

"Uh... Oh my god . . . Niiccckkkyyyyy." He gasped again as the heat surged through his body causing him to black out momentarily.

Greg slid down the wall dropping to floor in front of Nick.

"You okay baby?" Nick asked, licking his lips from Greg's sweet release. Greg slowly opened his eyes panting heavily as he looked up at Nick. "You okay?" He repeated in a low whisper, running his fingers softly through Greg's hair.

"I'm great." Greg grinned, pulling Nick towards him for a kiss. "And you are amazing Nick Stokes." Their lips gently brushed together again, looking deep into one another's eyes.

"Greg, will you marry me?" Nick suddenly blurted. Greg looked at him surprised. "I know the state doesn't allow it . . . I just wonna spend the rest of my life with you and all that talk on my birthday has really had me thinkin' the past couple of days . . . we're gettin' a house together, you gave me this watch with the 'a love that lasts till the end of time' engravin' and the key." He smiled holding it in his hands. "I know we've only been together about five months now, but I don't see us datin' anyone else or splittin' up coz we're only gettin' closer and closer together. After nearly eight years of friendship, then the last five months of datin', I really think we're meant to be together. Like you said, we were destined to be together since the moment we were born . . . and I love you so much. I've never seen a future with anyone else, but with you I can see a whole lifetime of happiness. We could just have a commitment ceremony or somethin' small with our family and friends, if you wanted. I'm a traditional guy; I need somethin' official yah know? And I'm never gonna..."

Greg finally put his finger to Nick's lips silencing him. "Nicky . . . you had me at 'will you marry me." He giggled, running his thumb across Nick's jaw line. "You're picking up my over talking habits." He grinned, initiating a kiss to Nick's talkative mouth. "Of course I will Nicky. I wonna spend the rest of my life with you too and all that stuff you said, I definitely agree with. I've never seen a future with anyone else; now all I can see is you. Without you . . . I didn't have a future, now I have one finally and I love you so much too."

"Did that mean yes?"

"Yes." Greg's smile increased looking into Nick's eyes. "I love you Nicky."

"I love you too baby . . . so it doesn't seem too soon for you?"

"It doesn't seem too soon at all for me. It seems right. The perfect time."

"Seriously . . . I shoulda done it in a more romantic place really." Nick chuckled, looking around the supply closet.

"We'll tell people you did it over a romantic dinner if you want." Greg chuckled. "I love that you proposed to me a closet. It's perfect." He grinned excitedly.

Nick joined their lips for a slow sensual kiss, cupping the face he adored in front of him. "I love you so much G," He slowly pulled back in an ear to ear smile. "Now I don't have a ring..." Nick pulled something out of his jeans pocket, "but I got you this." Greg looked at the gift in Nick's hand, completely surprised. Nick lowered the silver chain necklace into Greg's hand revealing a silver key on the end. "You gave me the key to your heart." Nick smiled looking at Greg's shocked expression. "So I thought the key to mine would be the perfect proposal gift."

"But this one's pure silver." Greg gasped admiring it. He flipped the key in his hands reading 'love', 'honour' and 'cherish' on each of the teeth on the keys. "Wow . . . Nicky . . ."

"You, speechless?" Nick laughed. "I never thought this day would come." He grinned excitedly watching the twinkle in his boyfriends eye.

"I love it . . . so much." Greg held it in his hands looking up into his boyfriends gaze. "Thank you so much Nicky, I love it so much and I love you Nicky." Greg threw his arms round Nick, hugging him tightly. "I'll never take it off."

"It's not too much of a girly gift is it?" Nick asked.

"No way." Greg smiled, looking at the top loop of the key that was in a heart shape dangling from the silver chain. "It's the best gift I ever got . . . well besides you that is." He laughed. Nick helped Greg put it over his head then smiled happily seeing the key draped around his lover's neck.

"I'm so glad you liked it . . . I was so nervous."

"Don't be . . . I love it." Greg grinned admiring it once again. "I love you Nicky."

"I love you too baby. Now we should really get back to work." Nick smiled; softly sucking Greg's lips into a sweet slow kiss. Nick pulled him to his feet, helping him to get dressed. "So what did Cath want?" Greg looked at him confused as he pulled his belt around his waist. "She called you a minute ago G." Nick laughed at Greg's blank stare.

"Oh right . . . new break through on the case." Greg remembered. He kissed Nick again hugging him close to his chest. "I love you Nicky. I definitely wonna spend the rest of my life with you."

"Me too . . . I meant with you." He laughed.

"Ha, you sound just like me." Greg brought their lips together for one last kiss. "I so wonna take you home right now."

"Me too, I meant you." He said making Greg laugh again. He pulled Greg closer to him, embracing him in a tighter hug. "Looks like we're gonna be working a triple shift though. C'mon G, we should go." Nick breathed in the deep musky smells of Greg, smoothing his palms up and down his back. "We should definitely go now."

"Okay." Greg rejoined their lips, igniting a slow simmering kiss. He smiled against Nick's mouth as he was backed into the wall again. They took slow pants of breath between each kiss then gazed lovingly into one another's eyes. "Cath'll be waiting for us Nicky."

"I know." Nick gave Greg one last kiss, before he finally pried himself off his lover's lips slipping out of the supply closet acting all casual. Greg flattened his hair then walked out a few seconds later heading in the same direction.

"There are you are Greg, what took you so long?" Catherine shouted, looking at her watch.

"Sorry." Greg grinned looking round at Nick. "I couldn't find Nick." Catherine looked at the pair of them then smiled shaking her head.

"Okay we've got our suspect in custody; cops have the suspect's house sealed off so we have to process it. I'm gonna help Brass with the suspect, Nick can you process the car while Greg and Sara process the scene." Greg nodded taking the slip with the address from her hands. "Behave." She warned him. Greg gave her an innocent smile then winked at his lover heading out the office.

Nick smiled happily to himself then walked off to the garage, constantly thinking about Greg.

* * *

"Why are you so happy?" Sara laughed as Greg skipped around the lab.

"Aren't I allowed to be?" He smiled widely.

"You have a secret to tell." She grinned, looking at his excited face.

"I might do." He smirked tapping his nose. "But it's a secret . . . so I can't tell."

"C'mon Greg, you can trust me." She pleaded. "Is it something dirty?"

"Sara Sidle." Greg laughed pushing her away from the layout table. "Don't be so gross." Sara laughed checking the door was closed.

"C'mon Greg, you can tell me . . . I'm not gonna tell anyone." She promised, giving him a warm smile. "I just don't want the details if it's about sex."

"Oh and here I was gonna tell you how I made my cowboys toes curl over and over." Greg laughed watching her cringe. "No, it's not about sex . . . although he is amazing at it." Greg smiled dreamily. "I suppose we're gonna tell you all soon enough, but you can't tell anyone else just yet." He warned her.

"Cross my heart."

"Okay." Greg nervously bit his lip, trying to contain his excitement. "Nick proposed to me." He practically screamed in an excited squeal, luckily they were in a sound proof room.

"Oh my god." Sara jumped up and down in excitement. "How did he do it? Down on one knee?"

Greg thought back to the closet thinking how they were both down on their knees. "Yep." He grinned. "And he over talked about his commitment to me, there were even beads of sweat on his forehead, it was so cute." Greg sighed happily. "My Texan's so adorable when he's nervous."

"Oh my gosh . . . So... what did he give you? Obviously not a ring." She smirked, seeing he had no ring on his finger. Greg smiled raising the necklace from under his shirt. "Oh my god." Sara gasped in amazement as she took the silver key in her hands. "That's so beautiful."

"I know I fell for a hot romantic cowboy . . . I'm the luckiest guy alive."

"You sure are . . . I'm so jealous." She laughed. "So when's the big day?"

"We haven't set one yet, but we had the talk about a house, pets, even kids." He relayed back to her excitedly.

"You two? With kids?" She queried.

"Yeah, think I'd make a terrible father?"

"No, no not at all . . . just I can't picture it." She thought about it a moment. She hadn't even discussed kids with her significant other. These two have been together for five months and their relationship is so much more advanced then hers.

"What's up Sidle?" Greg asked, seeing the disappointed look on her face.

"I was just thinking . . . you'd make a great father Greg . . . Nick would too." She smiled then pulled him in for a hug. "Just promise me you won't leave the crime lab once you're married with kids."

"Course we won't." Greg smiled, trying to assure her.

* * *

"Spying on your woman?" Warrick smirked making Nick jump.

"No." Nick badly lied, as he was watching Greg and Sara hugging.

"Relax man, I was kidding." Warrick laughed. "You think Greggo's swinging the other way again?" He joked, slapping his pal on the back. "There's no way Sara would ever give that boy the time of day."

"I know." Nick smiled. "So what's up man?"

"Nothing . . . I just haven't talked to you a whole lot . . . and I don't wonna seem distant, just coz you're..." He didn't say the words out loud as there were people walking by in the halls. "I don't want things to be different between us, just because of who you date."

"I know, me either . . . thanks man." Nick watched as Sara admired the key around Greg's neck, making a warm swirling feeling rush around his stomach. He could see the excitement in Greg's face as he told Sara about it, making him all that bit more excited.

"What are you smiling at?" Warrick asked, looking between Nick and Greg.

Nick sighed happily. "I'm marryin' Greg." Warrick looked at Nick wide eyed. "What?"

"Nothing . . . seriously? You wonna spend forever with him?"

"Yep, forever." Nick smiled dreamily.

"Have you thought this through?" He asked thinking of his own failed marriage.

"Yep, I really have." Nick smiled looking on at Greg. "I've never felt like this with anyone else before, but Greg . . . all I can see is him."

Warrick smiled, slapping his buddy on the back again. "I'm so happy for you Nick, even if you did fall for Greg." He laughed. "I totally get it though . . . seeing you with Greg . . . I've never seen you that happy before."

"I've never felt this happy before either." He admitted. "Thanks man . . . it means a lot, comin' from you."

"Just make sure you draw a pre-nuptial agreement on everything you own."

"Huh?" Nick looked at his buddy confused.

"Not that you'd divorce Greg, hell I never thought I'd divorce Tina, now she wants my damn house and half my cash." He laughed. "I'm really happy for you man." He smiled then turned to walk away to get back to work.

Nick smiled watching his future husband excitedly laughing with Sara. He had never seen Greg so excited about something before and it made him feel so much happier that it was something he had to done to make that thousand watt smile beam on his face.

"Cute Nick." Sara smiled walking past him.

"Huh?"

"The key . . . very cute." She smiled continuing to walk on. Nick blushed watching Greg admiring the key again before he hid it away under his shirt.

"Nicky." Catherine shouted. Nick looked round seeing she was tapping her watch.

"Right, I was just thinkin'." He grinned at her heading for the DNA lab.

* * *

Once their never ending shift finally finished, Nick practically pushed Greg through the front door in a tight lip lock. Greg kicked the door shut; locking it then guided his eager lover back towards the bedroom, being careful not to trip over any of the boxes they already packed.

Nick lowered Greg to the mattress then pulled his t-shirt off up over his head, while Greg removed his own. "Does this mean I can call you my fiancé now Nicky?" Greg asked admiring the key around his neck once again, like he had been most of the day.

"Course you can G." Nick smiled, devouring his lover's mouth in a ravenous kiss. Nick glanced up at the clock checking the time. "You know Greg we have a flight in six hours."

"That's enough time." Greg smiled, pulling Nick's body on top of his.

"I meant we should get some sleep, you horny lil bastard." He laughed. "If we're gonna come out to my family and tell them about the engagement, we're gonna need our sleep."

"Better that we're nice and relaxed then." Greg smiled wiggling his eyebrows as he worked open Nick's jeans. Greg rolled their bodies so he was sat on top of Nick, removing Nick's jeans the rest of the way. As Nick's jeans swept through the air, he laughed looking up at his eager lover.

"Do you always know how to get your own way?"

"Course I do." He laughed back. "I'm an only spoilt child; I know exactly how to get my own way." He teased, trailing kisses across Nick's bare chest. "I love to be spoilt too you know."

Nick grinned rolling their bodies so Greg was underneath him again, placing lusty warm kisses across Greg's chest. "Like this baby?" He rasped.

"Exactly like that." Greg gasped, arching his chest towards Nick's tongue.

"Are you wearin' briefs?" Nick asked, slipping Greg's jeans from his legs.

"You like them?"

"You look . . . so sexy." Nick ran a palm across the front, watching Greg softly whimpering. "You never stop surprisin' me G."

"I bought them especially for you."

"I like them . . . but I'd think they'd look better on the floor." He grinned, coaxing Greg's mouth open with his tongue. "You know I'm really nervous about flyin' over to Dallas." Nick finally admitted.

"Just remember you're not doing it alone."

"I know G; I want you right there when I tell them." Nick ground his hips against Greg's feeling his young lover's body starting to come to life. "I can take whatever they throw at me with you right there."

Greg gave out a soft whimper as Nick removed the rest of his clothing, grinding their equally aroused naked bodies together. "Did we lock the door?" Greg suddenly panicked.

"Yep, locked and secured, you're perfectly safe G." As Greg reached for the supplies, Nick had a sudden idea. "Greg don't you want a go?"

"Go of what?" Greg asked confused.

"In the driver's seat G." Nick curled Greg's fingers around the supplies. Greg looked at Nick wide eyed as if he was joking. "C'mon G, haven't you ever wondered what it's like?"

"Is this about what Brass said the other day?" Greg asked.

"No . . . it has nothin' to do with them G, although . . . partly I suppose. Aren't you sick of people's bottomin' jokes they use on you?"

"No, I don't care what they think." Greg handed back over the supplies. "We can't do this if it's because of what other people think . . . when we first had sex it wasn't because of other people was it?"

"No."

"So why should we reverse our roles just coz I'm the ass end of the joke?" He laughed at his own phrase. "Nicky, I love how our relationship is..."

"Doesn't it bug you what people say?"

"No . . . I'm not with you because of what other people think. That's what I was so worried about before, but you told me it doesn't matter. I'll only do it when you actually want it for your own reasons, not because of this." Greg smiled.

Nick looked into Greg's eyes then the supplies in his hands. "Don't you feel less important G?"

Greg laughed shaking his head. "Let me see when I woke up this morning I was lavished in kisses, in the shower I lost control of my body, more uncontrollable kisses then in the car I was doused in more kisses, a quick mind blowing seven minutes in the closet along with a proposal and several more kisses." He smiled holding the key in his hand. "Nope I feel pretty special." He laughed up at Nick, speaking through slow seductive kisses to Nick's lips. "I've never felt this special . . . in my entire life . . . besides . . . I love having you in the driver's seat . . . and to be honest . . . I've never done it before . . . not with girls . . . or guys . . . so why don't we save that for another time?"

"I just feel like I'm takin' advantage of you..."

"Well I don't feel that way . . . so you can stop worrying cowboy."

"What about..." Nick stopped himself before he finished.

"What about what?" Greg asked.

Nick huffed sitting back on Greg's hips. "Grissom said somethin' to me today . . . and it's got me thinkin'."

"What'd he say?" Greg asked worried. "Was it about us? Coz I thought he was okay..."

"He thinks we're rushin' into this marriage thing . . . I kinda told him, I hope that's okay."

"He'd have heard it from Sara anyway, but Nicky you can't listen to him; we love each other . . . don't we?"

"I do . . . I've never loved anyone so much in my entire life." Nick admitted, holding Greg's hand.

"Then why are you listening to Grissom? He's in denial about his own relationship, choosing his career over the woman that loves him."

"You're probably right. I thought he was okay with us too . . . but after he said that I wasn't so sure. Do you think he has a problem with us?"

"Probably . . . you know he hasn't talked to me much since he found out . . . Warrick hasn't either, but I don't take it personally, he did stick up for me in front of Brass . . . but you can't expect everyone to come around just like that though Nicky, look at me . . . I took a while."

"Not our first and second kiss you didn't." Nick reminded him.

"That's because you're so delicious." Greg rasped, pulling Nick closer to him for another taste. He swirled his tongue around in Nick's mouth, sucking his tongue into his mouth then slowly pulling back to lick his lips. "Mmm... I love the taste of cowboy." He teased, softly biting Nick's lower lip. "The second I got in that car..." He sucked Nick's tongue into his mouth again, caressing it with his own as he stared seductively into his eyes. "I started to regret it. I immediately ran back for another taste of you."

"I'm glad you did G." Nick smiled, relicking his own lips. "That first time I kissed you I was so nervous, I thought it was a terrible kiss coz I was shakin' so bad . . . but it must have been good coz you came back for more."

"Damn straight it was good." Greg chuckled. "I was a hundred percent straight before I kissed yah." They both shared a laugh.

"I think I've always been attracted to you though . . . I just never realised it, but honestly..." He paused a moment, "I think kissing me was the better route of telling me. If you had come straight out and told me, I probably woulda thought you were giving me sympathy or something. I would have got in that car and left Vegas for good . . . but from that one kiss . . . I could tell instantly how much you cared about me. That was the best kiss I ever got and I was hooked . . . instantly . . . all for you cowboy."

"Aww your so romantic G." He grinned. "I'm glad I chose to kiss you then."

"I don't think I ever told you this before . . . but I had my first sexual fantasy about you that day, before the kiss." He licked his lips, propping himself up on his elbows. "When I told you I didn't feel the same way before I left, I was lying . . . I desperately wanted you to kiss me again and never stop . . . I had a panic attack after I left you . . . my dad had to try and calm me down."

Nick smiled looking into Greg's eyes. "Can't believe you never told me that before."

"Admitting you thought about your best friend in a sexual way while you were naked in the shower?" Greg laughed. "Most people don't bring that up in light conversation."

"I'm glad you finally did." Nick rasped, caressing his partner's body with his hands. "I'm so glad I finally get to touch you and kiss you." He ignited another kiss, looking into Greg's eyes. "I've wanted you for so long G..."

"Now you can have me." Greg smiled, handing over the supplies again. "We'll reverse roles when you're too drunk to remember coz I'm pretty sure I'm terrible."

"Sure?"

"Sure." Greg smiled. "Now hurry up, we need some sleep. I wasn't really planning on a long conversation before we slept. Honestly Nicky, you talk too much." He teased. Nick laughed rolling his eyes then pulled the condom on in record time, slicking himself up. "Don't you wonna do it the other way?"

"No this way I can kiss you." He smiled, initiating a lusty kiss.

"But I'll scratch you." Greg warned him. "And my nails are kinda long coz I forgot to..." Nick covered Greg's mouth with his own as he entered his tight hole, shutting him up in the process.

"I love it when you scratch me." Nick rasped, slowly thrusting himself deeper into Greg. "And sex with you is so much better than anyone of my fantasies I used to have before I kissed you."

"Was I terrible in your fantasies too?" Greg laughed.

"No, this feels more real." Nick smiled as Greg began to shudder. His hands slowly found their way to Nick's back. As Nick thrusted deeper into Greg, hitting his weak spot, Greg's nails raked across Nick's back intensifying his pleasure.

"I love makin' you lose control." Nick whispered, watching as Greg gasped for breath. Greg wrapped his legs around Nick's back tightly, arching his chest up off the bed, completely losing control of his body with his own arousal caught between their heated flesh, grinding against each other with their key necklaces jingling against each other.

"Wait." Nick whispered, seeing Greg was about to lose it.

"I can't . . . sorry." Greg was fighting a losing battle of control, within seconds it didn't matter as he completely lost it, spilling his seed out between him and Nick. His nails raked across Nick's back again as his body began to shudder, faster, harder, gasping for air.

Greg raked his nails across Nick's back, arching his body closer towards him. The scratching didn't bother Nick, it hurt afterwards as they were healing, but during it was very stimulating and knowing that Greg was losing control of his body because of the things he was doing to him made it all that much more pleasurable. With the final rack of the nails across his lower back, Nick completely lost control of his own body. Nick groaned out in pure bliss as he came hard inside of Greg over and over, until he was completely spent.

He basked in the afterglow of his lover's curved mouth then dropped onto the mattress beside him, tossing the condom into the waste basket. They both panted heavily, looking up at the ceiling then Greg rolled into Nick's arms, resting his sweaty body against Nick's.

"I love you." Greg whispered. Nick kissed him on the head, pulling the covers up around their bodies.

"I love you too baby." Nick looked down seeing Greg was already asleep. He smiled softly then closed his own eyes, falling right asleep with his fiancé in his arms, getting enough rest to face his family the next day.

Something he wasn't looking forward to, but he was no longer worried about it.

* * *

**Please Review.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next ones almost finished where the boys finally go to Dallas to meet with the Stokes family. How will it pan out? If you want to see a picture of what Greg's engagment present looks like, i'll put the link on my main page so you can see for yourself. If you read 'You' & 'Take Me there' theres also a picture of their wedding bands. :D**

**Ever have those days where you just write constantly? Then the next day you can't think of a thing to write? Thats been happening to me lately lol**


	30. Chapter 30: Arrival

**Without You**

**Author: Lolly4Holly / Beta: NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Thirty: Arrival**

"Would you relax, you're starting to make me nervous." Greg giggled, watching as Nick chomped his way through multiple bags of peanuts.

"Sorry." Nick dropped the half-empty bag onto his tray table, leaning back in his seat. "I'm just kinda anxious."

"Don't be . . . we still got a couple more hours on this flight and we're not going over your parents house until tomorrow morning. So we have plenty of time to chill out in the hotel until then." Greg tried to assure him.

"Okay." Nick nodded, but his legs continued to shake.

"I know what will relax you . . . meet me in 45 seconds." Greg seductively rasped, slipping out of his seat. Nick watched him confused then saw him heading for the bathroom.

Nick smiled to himself knowing exactly what Greg was thinking. He slowly began to count. _One__ . . . Two . . . Three . . . Four . . . Five . . . Six . . . Seven . . . Eight . . . Nine . . . Ten. _He tapped his fingernails on the armrest looking around at the other passengers who were all asleep. _Twenty__ . . . Thirty . . . Fourty-Five._ He cheated then slipped out of his chair heading down the aisle to the bathroom.

"You can't count." Greg laughed as Nick stepped inside.

"I'm impatient." Nick laughed, locking the door. "And I'm addicted to you." Nick stepped closer to Greg placing his hands on his lover's hips, while he engaged in a lusty kiss.

"I've always wanted a romantic encounter in an aeroplane bathroom." Greg excitedly giggled.

"Today you'll get your wish, sweetheart." Nick rasped, fiddling with Greg's belt.

Nick lifted both of their t-shirts off, resting their bare chests against each other so they could feel one another's heart beats. "I love it when you do that." Greg gasped, leaning back against the sink as his knees began to feel weak.

Nick dropped both their jeans to their ankles, brushing up against Greg's hardened body. Nick pulled back for air, caressing Greg's figure with wandering hands, while his eyes locked on Greg's. He loved the way Greg's eyelids fluttered shut when their aroused bodies brushed up against each other. He bent to suck one of Greg's nipples until it hardened under his tongue.

"G, I want you to know, whatever my family says . . . I'm with you no matter what."

"I know." Greg moaned into another kiss as warm tingles shot through his body. With lusty kisses and wandering hands they engaged in a long moment of pure bliss, before they finally let go, releasing their warm seed into one another's hands.

Nick washed his hands then helped Greg redress, collecting his own clothing from the floor while Greg washed his hands. Nick rejoined their lips for a warming kiss, looking deep into Greg's gorgeous brown eyes. "I love you Greg."

"I love you too Nicky." Nick pulled Greg into his embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around his body, holding him close to his chest. "What's the matter Nicky?" Greg whispered in his ear.

"I'm . . . just a little worried . . . about you."

"Why?"

"You're my baby, I wonna protect you from these people. I'm scared of how they'll treat you."

"You don't have to worry about me Nicky; it's been almost 8 months since the first beating . . . only a few since the second, but..." He gulped hard looking up at Nick. "I'll try to be strong for you."

"You already are by bein' here with me. Your stronger than me G, you talk about your feelin's . . . I bottle."

"Don't I know it." Greg snickered. "But the truth is . . . I don't tell you some stuff either."

"Like what?" Nick took a slight step back, lacing his hands with Greg's. "You know you can tell me anythin' baby."

"You really think an aeroplane bathroom is the place to discuss this?" Greg asked.

"There's nothin' you can say that will make me feel different about you."

"I know you love me Nicky . . . but sometimes I worry . . . I worry that you look at them, seeing me differently."

"Look at what?"

Greg looked up to meet Nick's gaze. "My scars . . . I don't know if you can love me . . . with the scars there. They're ugly and horrible; I don't know how you can bare to touch me."

"I love you Greg, all of you. You're beautiful, you're scars are a part of you so that makes them beautiful too . . . they prove that you're a survivor." Nick pulled Greg close to his chest, kissing the soft spot on his neck.

Greg smiled against Nick's shoulder. His therapist had told him if Nick really did care for him he shouldn't have to worry about telling him his fears, and he was right.

"I guess we really are meant for each other." Greg chuckled. "You were freaking out about your family, I cheered you up then I had a melt down and you cheered me up."

"We're really screwed up, huh?" Nick giggled.

"Yep, but we're perfect for each other."

"Baby, don't be worried about your scars . . . I've never looked at you differently. Besides we kinda match after you've had your claws in me." He laughed getting a wide smile out of Greg. "C'mon let's get some sleep, we'll be in Dallas soon."

"Okay, I love you Nicky."

"Love you too baby." Nick held Greg's hand, not caring who was looking as they both walked out the bathroom back to their seats. Both of them felt much more relaxed now; Nick's body even stopped shaking from his nerves and he finally managed to get some sleep as the plane continued on its journey towards Dallas.

* * *

"Here it is G." Nick smiled, unlocking the hotel room door.

"Oooo." Greg gasped in amazement as he walked into the hotel room. He dumped his bag on the floor as he entered, looking around the large suite. "You didn't have to get a master suite yah know." Greg whirled around looking at Nick.

"You don't like it?" Nick asked, kicking the door shut then dumping his bag beside Greg's.

"Are you kidding?" Greg looked round once again. "I love it." He excitedly giggled, looking over at the large double bed. He whirled around again into Nick's arms biting his lip. "Wonna crawl under the covers?" He wiggled his eyebrows, licking his lips.

"G, I'm not really in the mood to..."

"Always assume I want sex, grouchy." He laughed, cutting him off. "I just wonna crawl under the covers and snuggle." He smiled, pulling his clothes off as he walked over towards the bed.

"Oh . . . okay." Nick laughed at himself then removed all of his clothing except his boxers, joining Greg under the covers.

"Mmm." Greg spread his arms and legs, resting against the mattress. "Not as comfy as your bed..."

"That's our bed G." Nick corrected. "Move over." He laughed, pushing Greg from the middle of the bed, so he could fit on too. "Your right, it's not as comfy." Greg crawled into his arms, pulling the covers up around them.

"You okay Nicky?"

Nick nodded wrapping his arms around Greg's body. "I can't believe we're finally here."

"Not chickening out are you?" He asked looking up into Nick's worried eyes.

"Hell no, I said I'm gonna do this and I'm gonna do it." Nick smiled placing a gentle kiss on his lover's forehead. "Maybe you could meet some of my sisters while we're here. They're not all so bad. Kayla, you'll like her. She's only a year older than me. We were inseparable when we were kids..."

"Like twins?"

"Exactly." Nick laughed.

"I've always wanted twins . . . you know as kids." Greg admitted.

"You never told me this." Nick said looking down into Greg's eyes.

"Sorry, I've never told anyone . . . I always wanted a twin girl and boy. They'd have rhyming names or something."

"If you do want kids G, which option would you wonna use?" Nick queried, thinking his dream of being a father might actually come true.

"Sorry you can't use me, I don't have a uterus." Greg smirked, making them both laugh. "We could adopt . . . but if you want one of your very own, there's always surrogacy?"

"I'd love to adopt . . . there's so many unwanted kids out there, but I've kinda always wanted one of my own. A little girl with my DNA . . . or even a little boy with yours." Nick smiled happily.

"You recon we could do the baby thing though?" Greg asked.

"I'm sure your mom would pitch in." Nick laughed.

"She wouldn't pitch in, she'd insist." Greg laughed back. He rested against Nick's chest staring up at the ceiling. "Although we do kinda owe her since she swung her purse at that guy that almost hit you." Greg giggled.

"That thing sounded heavy." Nick laughed. "What does she carry in that thing?"

"Everything . . . it's a survival kit." Greg half smiled. "You know our idea to buy a place together?" Nick nodded. "Do you want to? When we get back? We can buy a big house together in a nicer neighbourhood. I mean we've already packed half our stuff..."

"I was kinda hopin' you'd say that." Nick grinned. "Remember we talked about callin' a realtor?" Greg nodded. "Well I called one and she gave me a bunch of booklets to look through. Jean found her through the PFLAG support group..."

"How come you didn't tell me?"

"It was gonna be a surprise honey, for when we got back home, but I ruined it early." He laughed, kissing Greg on the forehead as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I didn't look through them yet. I wanted us to choose a house together."

"Like you said . . . we're together forever."

"I did and I meant it." Nick smiled, igniting a kiss on Greg's lips.

"What kinda place would you like?"

"Anythin' that you love, I'd love too." Nick smiled, trailing his fingertips across Greg's bare chest.

"Think we should buy one with a few extra bedrooms..."

"You really are plannin' kids with me?" Nick smiled.

"We probably shouldn't rush into kids though, right? Unless you really want them now?"

"I'd love to have kids with you, someday in the distant future, when we're ready." Nick agreed.

"We'll need a garden, nice big one for our dog."

"We have a dog?" Nick asked with a broad smile on his face.

"Don't you want one? I've always wanted a dog . . . my mom hated their fur getting everywhere, or a cat . . . we could have a nice fluffy house cat to cuddle while we watch TV."

"I thought you cuddled me while we watched TV." Nick smirked.

"I'll still cuddle you." Greg smiled, wrapping his arms around Nick's waist. "Don't you want pets?"

"Course I do G, a dog and a cat both sound great." Nick grinned happily. "This seems weird to plan right before we come out to my family."

"But we're engaged now . . . so it's actually perfect timing." Greg groaned looking at his vibrating jeans on the floor. "If that's my mother, I'm gonna strangle her." He reached over the side of the bed, pulling his phone from his jeans pocket. "Yep." Nick lay down on the bed beside Greg, knowing this conversation could last a while as Jean and Greg were the most talkative people he ever met. "Jean, interrupting my honeymoon now are you?" He teased her, putting it on speaker phone.

"_I know for a fact you didn't get married in Dallas, sweetheart." _She laughed.

"Nope, we did it before we left, back in Vegas. You shoulda seen it..."

"_Gregory!" _Jean shrieked down the phone.

"He's kiddin'." Nick quickly clarified for her. "We're not married yet..."

"Nope, just happily engaged." Greg grinned holding the key around his neck as he looked into his fiancé's eyes. "Can you believe it mom? I'm finally engaged with someone who loves me and wants to spend the rest of their life with me."

"_Nicky proposed to you? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" _She scolded her son. "_When did he do it?"_

"Well it was during the night shift then we left for our flight early in the morning . . . so I guess it slipped my mind."

The giddy mother giggled with joy. "_Oh my goodness, this is so exciting. Do I get to plan the wedding?"_

"We were kinda hoping to do that ourselves. You've gotta let me plan something in my life mother."

"_The wedding is the mothers duty dear..."_

"We're not even allowed a wedding Jean." He scolded her.

"_A commitment ceremony then, you know some churches do allow same sex weddings now. I'll have to do some research on it and bring it up in the next PFLAG meeting. I'm sure they have stacks of advice for us to look through. So what did he propose with?"_

"Well he was down on his knees." Greg grinned looking at Nick, remembering their experience in the supply closet. "Then he presented me with this amazingly beautiful key chain that looks like something out of a tiffany jewellery store." He grinned admiring it in his hands. "It's the official key to his heart mom, can you believe that? Someone actually trusts me with the key to their heart..." He continued to talk to her as though Nick wasn't in the room, "then my sexy cowboy stud asked me to marry him and get this, I was actually speechless, for the first time ever." He giggled excitedly like a child on Christmas morning. "Nick Stokes loves me and wants me marry me." Greg dreamily spoke looking up at his cowboy.

"Yeah he does." Nick winked.

"_Oh my gosh." _The excited mother jumped up and down in her kitchen with happiness. "_I think I'm gonna cry. So what did you say?"_

"When I finally pried my lips off him and found my ability to speak again . . . I said yes. We've had the talk about houses, pets and children now, which you actually just interrupted . . . but don't get too excited there Jean, neither of us have a uterus handy."

"_I can sort a surrogate for you, the sooner the better..."_

"No." Nick and Greg both spoke together.

"We kinda wanted to tie the knot and everything first mom, call me selfish, but I wonna spend some more time with the cowboy . . . all to myself." He licked his lips looking at his fiancé's naked flesh.

"_You have to plan for children Gregory."_

"It's not like one of us will accidentally get knocked up." Greg laughed. "We both want kids . . . just a little later."

"Yep." Nick winked. "We want to fulfil some other dreams first Jean, but I promise there will be at least one grandchild comin' your way."

The excited mother squealed in excitement again. "_You're the best son-in-law I could have ever asked for. I have to tell your Nana and all my friends, does Jade know yet?"_

"No, she was still getting her new apartment and job sorted. We'll tell her when we get back..."

"_You two are coming round for dinner when you get back..."_

"Is that a request or a demand?" Greg giggled.

"_We have to plan your wedding sweetheart; I'm sure Nicky wants to plan it too." _Greg looked up at Nick seeing him shaking his head. "_And I do love having you home; it's been so quiet since you both left again. Maybe you could even move here and get a safer lab job..." _Greg rolled his eyes as she started to bring up the safety of his job again, "_you know how much I worry with you out there, working in the field, I'm still mad at you for not telling me that, you little menace. After all the heart ache you've put me through over the years, it makes sense why I'm so protect over you. I lie awake every night worrying you're going to be killed in a lab explosion or beaten up again..."_

"Well you can stop, mom . . . I'm perfectly safe. Nothing's going to happen to me."

"That's right Jean, I'd never let anybody hurt Greg." Nick added, wrapping his arms around Greg.

"_It's a great relief to hear you say that Nicky, you are a good boy. I know you'll look after my son, but I still worry. You have no idea what that little trouble has put me through over the years. Did he tell you about the time when he thought he could fly, so he decided to sky dive out of the tree..."_

"I was like seven then mother. I'm thirty-one now." Greg laughed at Nick's expression. "I'm perfectly safe, I've taken self defence training, I no longer climb trees, ride the bus or walk anywhere alone after dark . . . please stop smothering me."

"_I believe you meant mothering."_

"Nope, I stand by my statement." He laughed back. "Is that all? Coz we were kinda in the middle of something?"

"_I don't know why I put up with you?"_

"You love me and you know it." He teased.

"_I do, painfully. Well goodbye then, be careful. Goodbye Nicky, I hope everything works out with your family sweetheart. And Gregory..."_

"Call you later, I know. Bye mom, love you."

"_Love you too sweetheart, love you too Nicky." _She added.

"Bye Jean." Greg snapped his phone shut then looked at Nick's expression. "You are seriously so lucky G. I wish I had a mom like yours."

"You think having a smothering mother is lucky?" Greg giggled, rolling onto his side to face Nick.

"You know what I mean smart ass." Nick laughed, caressing his partner's cheek. "I know why your parents worry about you so much . . . your one of a kind . . . and so special Greg Sanders."

"Oh yeah . . . special how?" He asked licking his lips.

"Let me show you." Nick grabbed Greg's phone turning it off then lowered his mouth to Greg's flesh. "Now that we're finally alone." He laughed.

"And you were the one who wasn't in the mood." Greg giggled as his excitement began to bubble up inside of him from his Texan's sloppy warm kisses, working their way down his body. Guttural moans began to escape his throat, curling his toes and fingers into the hotel bedding.

"Oh Nicky." He gasped through a loud moan.

"Just let go baby." Nick whispered, nipping softly at Greg's flesh as he ground his erection into Greg's. "Just let go." He repeated. Greg's body shuddered against him, triggering his own orgasm to surge through his body.

Greg soon dozed off coming down from his release, giving Nick time to satisfy another urge, the need for food. That's the best thing about Greg; he always gets sleepy after sex.

Nick ordered some room service while he watched Greg sleeping, he was softly purring like a house cat, rolling his fists into balls at his sides making Nick wonder what he was dreaming about. Greg hadn't had a nightmare in couple of weeks now, more than anything Nick wanted that to remain the same, but he feared the upcoming meeting with his family might change that, depending on how it worked out.

* * *

**Please Review**


	31. Chapter 31: Coming Out

**Without You**

**Author: Lolly4Holly / Beta: NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Thirty-One: Coming Out**

Nick slowly opened his eyes then smiled as he saw Greg staring at him. "How long have you been awake for?" Nick yawned rubbing his sleepy eyes open.

"Not long."

Nick wrapped his arms around Greg, pulling him closer. "Mmm, you're nice and warm." Greg buried his face in Nick's neck, loving the warm embrace of his lover. "Mornin' G."

"Morning Nicky. It's almost 8am in case you didn't notice." Greg told him. Nick groaned as they were going over his parents in less than an hour. "Not worried are you?"

"I just wanted to spend more time with you." Nick smiled; clutching him close then glanced down at what Greg was wearing. "Are you wearin' tartan pyjama's G?"

"You don't like em?" He grinned.

"I've never seen them before." Nick swept back the covers to get a better look. "Cute." He smiled into his lovers eyes.

"There was an all in one pair too, but you know I hate wearing socks in bed..."

"And you'd look like a baby in a onesie." Nick laughed.

"But you woulda liked it..."

"For me?" Nick asked with his eyebrows raised.

"No for me . . . they had a flap that opens up at the back . . . easier access." He rasped against Nick's mouth.

"Remind me not to leave you alone with my parents." Nick smirked, climbing off the bed. "C'mon on we gotta jump in the shower, the judge will be even more upset if we show up late."

"No, it's nice and warm here." Greg protested, pulling the covers around himself again, snuggling back into a comfy position.

"Don't make me carry you G." He sternly warned him. Greg flashed his cutest grin towards his fiancé, hoping to get him to change his mind. "Cute won't work on me today G." Nick swept back the covers, pulling Greg towards the edge of the bed as he giggled and squirmed, being stripped of his brand new pyjamas. "I do like them." Nick snickered. "Don't you think they look better on the floor though?" Greg rolled his eyes being dragged towards the bathroom, while he giggled and squirmed with protest.

"So aggressive Nicky." He laughed against Nick's parted lips.

Nick growled against his open mouth, letting the warm water pour down over their bodies.

"You're so tense Nicky." Greg whispered, feeling the knots in his shoulders. He softly ran his hands down his slippery body looking into his eyes. "Are you worried?"

"Kinda." Nick smoothed his hand from Greg's hip to his hair, pulling him closer still against his own body. "I know I'll be okay with you there." He softly nipped at Greg's neck. "Just promise me you won't nervously ramble."

"I'll do my best, if I start talking though . . . you gotta stop me." He giggled.

"If you suddenly find yourself overtalkin' just bite your lip or somethin'."

"Believe me I do try that. Seriously, I'm always the first to break at the quiet game; I break within the first five seconds. When I'm nervous I talk, I just can't stop myself. Instead of remaining quiet like most people do, I just yammer on, like right now coz you're looking at me funny."

"You're adorable when you over talk." Nick softly sucked Greg's tongue into his mouth, caressing it with his own.

He slowly broke the kiss looking into Greg's fluttering eyes. "Why don't you try counting backwards from 10 or somethin' in your head? Seriously you can't over talk around these people. They won't think it's cute like I do."

"Then you have to promise not to call me honey, sweetheart, baby or sexy." Greg added.

"You missed off Einstein and gorgeous."

"Einstein's not so bad, but gorgeous is a definite no, no. At least until we've told them."

"I don't know I think Einstein's a pretty sexy name." Nick's grin expanded, running his hands across Greg's body. "If I can't call you any pet names then you can't expose your kryptonite smile, you know I'll go weak in the knees as soon as I look at you."

"So I can't smile, look you in the eyes or over talk. Pure torture Nicky."

"I think you can handle it for a little while." Nick chuckled, reaching for the shampoo bottle left on the side."Tilt your head back baby." Greg smiled as Nick began to possessively wash his hair. "What are you grinnin' at Einstein?"

"My amazing husband to be. You're one in a million Nicky."

"You're one in a billion G."

"You know I give really great back massages too."

"Really . . . I wouldn't know, you've never given me one."

"Prepare to be indulged then cowboy." He giggled, playfully cracking his knuckles. Nick smiled, washing the rest of the shampoo from his lover's hair before he stepped out from the shower to grab two towels, fixing one around his waist while he dried Greg under his possessive touch. "You love looking after me don't you?"

"I do, don't you like it?"

"I _love _it." He rasped against Nick's lips.

"Maybe you shoulda bought that onesie." Nick chuckled then guided Greg back towards the bed.

"As long as you're not into that squicky grown men in diapers thing, I'll roll with it." Greg grabbed some massaging oils watching his fiancé cringing.

"Don't remind me, that was gross, especially the store with Griss. How humiliatin'." He dropped to the edge of the bed, watching Greg picking out the type of oil from the hotels selection. "Hey G, do you have any secret fetishes?"

"No." He shrugged, walking towards the bed. "Unless you count my thing for cowboys." He joked, instantly making Nick smile. "Do you?"

"You'll laugh at me."

"I won't . . . unless it's one of those animal things..."

"No, it's not that." Nick confirmed with a laugh. "We really do meet the freakiest people on our jobs, huh?"

"Yeah, like the fat club that thought Grissom was gay." Greg chuckled. "On your belly Stokes." Nick pulled his towel off then rolled onto his belly, resting his head on his crossed forearms. Greg straddled his thighs, warming up the liquid in his hands. "So what is your secret fetish then Nicky?" He asked, softly running his hands across Nick's back, working in the massaging oils.

"I-I kinda have a thing for uniforms." He sheepishly admitted.

"You thought I'd laugh at you for that?" Greg asked, sliding his hands across Nick's shoulders.

"I'm talkin' any kinda uniform."

"I'm not leaving you alone in the station too long again." Greg giggled. "You shoulda told me sooner, I coulda given you something special for your birthday."

"More special than your naked body and the key to your heart?" Nick laughed. "Mmm that feels nice; you really do give amazin' massages."

"Told yah." He sweetly giggled."So how are we gonna tell your family?"

"I was thinkin' . . . if we did it straight away, it might be easier for them to process. I talked to my sister Kayla on the phone last night after you dozed off. I didn't tell her, just told her what time we'd be over there." Greg softly began to knead his fingers into Nick's back. "You're not worried are you G, coz if you are let me know, we don't have to do this yah know."

"No I'm okay; I'm here for you Nicky. We can do this; you never know how they'll react. I thought my dad would be the first person to reject me, but as it turned out it was my mother, but as soon as she saw us together she started to come around."

"Do you think if my parents did come around, they'd get on with yours?"

"My mother?" Greg laughed. "She gets on everyone's nerves; just no one has the balls to tell her."

"She's not so bad . . . in small doses." Nick corrected. "I doubt my dad will accept me, he was even angry at me for bein' kidnapped or gettin' involved with Kristie."

"None of that was your fault."

"That's what I told him, he's always been disappointed in me . . . I'm just his other son, that's why I moved away."

"Did you ever tell them about the babysitter?" Nick shook his head. "Why not?"

"I felt like they'd think it was my fault."

"Why would they think that?"

Nick rolled to look up at Greg. "Can we not talk about this now; I want to go in there in a good mood." Greg nodded, wiping his hands on a towel. "Sorry, I know you hate how closed off I am."

"No, I get it."

Nick looked up into his lover's eyes, feeling guilty for shutting him down again. "Hey G, lemme give you a massage."

"I don't know." Greg climbed off Nick to lay on the bed beside him.

"G, you're scars don't bother me . . . I told you, they're beautiful, they're a part of you." He softly caressed Greg's cheek looking into his eyes. "C'mon G, lie on your belly." Greg reluctantly rolled onto his stomach. Nick reached for the oils then straddled Greg's thighs, looking at the deep white scars across Greg's back. He lightly pressed a fingertip to the largest one, gently tracing it down his back where he lowered his mouth to the scar, softly kissing it.

Greg lay still on the bed, enjoying his lover's exploration of his back with soft fingertips and his warm mouth. No one had ever made him feel as special as Nick did. He half expected his scars to be vanished the next time he looked in the mirror from Nick's angelic touch.

* * *

"How do you think they're gonna react?" Greg asked, nervously stood outside the Stokes residence. Nick looked at his worried boyfriend a moment thinking of the dream he had last night. His family were nailing him to a crucifix in the backyard with large nails through his hands and feet then every woman he ever screwed were throwing rocks at the sinner and there was a preacher, chanting from the bible to send him to hell. With each cast stone he felt his bones cracking into thousands of pieces beneath his flesh.

Nick loudly cleared his throat looking at Greg. "Um... I dunno." He shrugged finally. Greg looked at him curiously then turned to the door as Jillian Stokes answered it.

"Nicky." She gasped then threw her arms around her long lost son. "Wow I can't believe you're really here baby."

"Yep, I'm really here mama." Nick smiled, hugging his mother close as it might be the last hug he ever received from her. "Oh and mama this is Greg Sanders."

"Of course." She smiled warmly. "Lovely to see you again." She said giving him a handshake.

"Thank you ma'am, it's lovely to see you again too."

"Well c'mon in boys." She grinned, stepping aside. "I gathered the troops, just like you asked Nicky, we're havin' a big family barbeque out back. We figured it must have been big news since you came in person." She smiled leading them through the house. Nick looked at Greg with fearful wide eyes. He didn't know if he could tell them all now they think they're celebrating something. "We even got the horses ready in case you wanted to go ridin'. You ever ridden before Greg?"

"A horse? No, my mother never let me; she said they're too dangerous. She used to say 'one bite and they'll take your whole arm off."

Jillian laughed at the accusation. "Horses are very gentle Greg, I've never been bitten."

"I think she was worried about me falling off them too."

"Oh, well I'm sure with the right guidance we can get you ridin', right Nicky?" She smiled warmly, leading the boys out the back door. "Look who's here." Jillian shouted to everyone in the garden, alerting their attention.

"Nicky." His family's voices cheered as they all rushed towards him to greet him.

Greg stepped aside as Nick's sisters hugged and kissed him then got a handshake from their husbands and his brother, before the group finally parted to shake his father's hand. Greg watched the cold look in Nick's father's eyes as he stared down his son, feeling a shiver down his own spine.

"Nice to see you again Nicholas." He said coldly. "Finally took some time out of your busy career to visit your family again..."

"Oh don't start William." Jillian scolded him. "Everyone this is Greg Sanders." Jillian added with a warm smile. They all smiled giving him a handshake as they introduced themselves. Greg started to think Nick was making up how hard natured they were as they all seemed so nice, except for his father who was still giving him the cold shoulder.

"So Nicky, what inspired your visit?" His sister Kayla asked, sitting down with him at the table. Jillian pulled up a chair for Greg beside Nick then returned to her seat. Nick looked around at the table of his family then at Greg.

_This is gonna be harder than I thought. _He thought to himself as he tried to find his words.

"Well . . . um..." Nick paused to look at his father. "I'm er . . . I'm gettin' married." The girls gave out excited squeals at the news of their little brother finally tying the knot.

"Well with who?" His sister Gwen pondered. Nick nervously chewed on his bottom lip, he bit so hard his eyes started to water.

After a moment of tortured silence, Nick finally opened his mouth. "Greg." His words came out in a mouse squeak.

Nick's family fell silent. Wide eyed. Pursed Lips. Drawn faces.

_Uh oh. _Nick gulped hard.

Greg reached for Nick's hand under the table squeezing it tightly as they both looked around the table at the deer headlight expressions on everyone's faces.

Nick felt his world starting to crumble away. He tried to prepare himself for what was about to come, but could anything really prepare you for being rejected by your family because you were gay?

"What?" Jillian Stokes barked in disbelief.

"I told you." His brother Bill junior laughed holding out his hand to his sister Gwen. She rolled her eyes slapping a twenty dollar bill into her brother's hand. Bill laughed in rejoice at the defeat over his sister.

"Huh?" Nick looked at his brother and sister with confusion.

"Billy won the bet coz your gay." Gwen explained. "I thought you were straight, but Billy insisted."

"Everybody stop talkin'." Jillian demanded. "You're gay?" She hissed at her son then looked at Greg. "And you're marryin' . . . him?" She pointed an accusing finger at Greg.

"Yes." Nick said in a low whisper.

"Honey." Judge Stokes shouted as his wife stormed back in the house. He gave his son a look of disgust then ran in the house after his distraught wife.

"I'm happy for you Nicky." Kayla smiled, putting her arm around his shoulder.

"Are you insane sis?" Ronnie hissed at her.

"Greg." Bill junior smiled shaking his hand. "Welcome to the family." Nick looked on in disbelief. He never saw this conversation panning out like this. "Don't worry Nicky; mom and dad will come round." Bill assured him, patting his baby brother on the shoulder.

"Why are you okay with this?" Nick asked confused.

"I'm not." Lillian shouted. "I think it's disgustin'..."

"It's the flippin' twenty-first century." Kayla shouted at her. "You're best friends a lesbo."

"She is not." Lillian snapped, climbing to her feet. "She's never had sex with her partner . . . and they're not married. I've never even seen them kiss."

"Doesn't mean they haven't." Kayla shouted as Lillian stormed off. Ronnie turned her nose up at Greg as did her twin sister Vicki.

"Nicky this is a sin..." Vicki started, but she was cut off by Kayla.

"As I said before it's the freakin' twenty-first century. Same sex relationships are everywhere now." Kayla shouted at her.

"I support you Nicky." Bill smiled, putting his arm round his younger brother's shoulder.

"How are you okay with this?" Nick asked his brother very confused. He thought of all people he'd be the least understanding.

"C'mon Nicky, I'm your big brother. You think I didn't know? Whenever I took you out with my friends, we used to look at the girls, talkin' about our latest screws while you were always watchin' the guys . . . I even think you had a crush on my friend Max, he's gay by the way." His brother smirked. "Don't worry I'll talk to the 'rents." He smiled walking back into the house.

"So you're gettin' married?" Gwen asked excitedly. "Did you exchange rings or what?"

"Oh my God, I can't listen to this." Vicki shouted, climbing to her feet.

"So?" Gwen asked curiously ignoring her sister's religious ramblings.

Nick and Greg looked at each other then raised their key chain necklaces from under their shirts.

"Oh wow." Kayla gasped, admiring them. "That's cool."

"Is this silver?" Gwen asked, admiring Greg's key chain.

"Yep, pure silver." Greg smiled proudly, making Nick feel warm tingles in the pit of his stomach as his fiancé showed off his engagement present with pride.

"Oh wow that is so cool . . . my husband proposed with a hula hoop." Gwen laughed. "I couldn't keep it obviously." Greg looked at her confused. "Oh I got pregnant when I was eighteen, so he proposed to me with a hula hoop, that he was eatin' at the time." She laughed. "Romantic huh?"

"I think it is." Greg smiled.

"How'd Nicky propose or did you do it to him?" Kayla asked.

Greg looked at Nick who laughed.

"What?" Both sisters asked.

"Sorry, I'm really tense. I thought this was gonna go slightly differently." Nick looked at the Ronnie sat behind Gwen with a look of disgust on her face. "I know my relationship with Greg is a little different, but we love each other just like you love your husbands."

Ronnie loudly scraped back her chair storming off.

"Oh ignore her Nicky." Gwen smiled.

"I can't believe you guys are okay with this." Nick smiled looking at Gwen and Kayla.

"Why coz we support God?" Gwen asked. "There are gays in our church Nicky." She laughed, looking at her sister. "Like Kayla said this is the twenty-first century. I've never seen anythin' wrong with same sex couples anyway."

Kayla smiled, agreeing with her. "Yep, God accepts all his children Nicky, you should know that..."

"I thought you were big on protestin'?" Nick asked confused.

"Oh I used to be that naive . . . I kinda hate myself for joinin' that group in college. I'm such a hypocrite really though, I fooled around with a girl in my doorum." Kayla laughed. "You wonna know why I joined all those protestin' groups? Coz that was the only way I knew how to make friends. I never agreed with the stuff we were protestin' for." She laughed again.

"So who proposed?" Gwen asked again, getting back on topic.

"Nicky did, to me." Greg smiled, wanting Nick to tell the story.

"Tell the story." Gwen pleaded.

"It's not really that romantic." Nick told his sisters, but they were intrigued to hear it. Nick scrubbed out a few details, but told them basically the truth of how he proposed marriage to Greg. They cooed and awed throughout the story then begged to see a kiss.

Nick and Greg both blushed at the chanting of 'kiss, kiss, kiss' coming from the two sisters. They finally engaged in a slow passionate kiss being awed again. His sister's husbands were a little squicked though, seeing two men kiss wasn't a natural thing to them.

* * *

"C'mon G, they don't bite. I swear." Nick laughed, leading Greg by the hand through the stables.

"My mother said they could take your whole hand off if they wanted too." Greg pulled back as Nick dragged him towards the door of one of the horse pens, watching the large brownish horse lazily flicking its tail about as it chomped on some hay.

Greg went to make a run for it, but Nick caught him in time, holding him in place. "It's not gonna eat you." He laughed, wrapping his arms around Greg's waist from behind. "This is Trojan; he's never bitten me or anyone else." He tried to assure him. The large horse advanced closer to Greg making him shiver. Nick held Greg's hand, reaching it out to stroke the soft fur on Trojan's nose. "See Greg. He's not goin' to eat you, he's a vegetarian anyway and you're too skinny for him." Greg pulled his hand back as the horse grunted. "You're adorable G." He laughed.

"He was gonna bite me then."

"He was not." Nick laughed again. "Do you want to take him out, or Shadow? He's slightly smaller." Nick led Greg through the stable towards another pen. Inside Greg saw the slightly smaller black horse, slowly advancing towards them. Greg cowered back into Nick's embrace, making him laugh again. "I can't believe you're scared of horses G."

"I've never ridden one, let alone touched one."

"Well I've never been hurt or bitten by a horse, I've ridden them my whole life. C'mon." Nick laced his hands with Greg's, walking over to collect the equipment they needed.

"You need all this stuff to ride a horse?" Greg asked.

"Yep, that's the saddle, reins, halter..."

"Lost me already." Nick laughed then led Greg back to Shadow, pulling open the door to set him up. Greg stood back by the door watching Nick skilfully strapping the equipment around the horse.

"Your eventually gonna need to sit on this horse, so you might as well come in G." Nick watched Greg hesitantly taking a few small steps closer to the horse. "Greg this is Shadow. Shadow this is my friend Greg." Nick softly stroked Shadow's black coat of fur, watching Greg slowly advancing. "See Greg."

"I'll be the one saying 'I told you so' when we're in the emergency room with my new no arm."

"Horses don't eat arms." Nick corrected with a wide smile. "C'mon, you wonna sit on him?"

"I guess." He huffed, reluctantly stepping towards Nick.

"You need to put this on first." Nick lifted a horse riding hat to Greg's head, fastening it in place under his chin. "Gorgeous." He winked at him.

"It better not mess up my hair." Greg moaned, folding his arms across his chest.

"Quit whinin' and get your sweet little ass over here Greg." Nick laughed. Greg smiled taking a step closer to the horse. Nick held out his hand to boost him up onto the horse. Greg nervously bit his lip looking at the teeth on the horse then stepped into Nick's hands, boosting himself onto the saddle of the horse. "See not so bad." Nick smiled. "Put your feet through the stirrups."

Greg looked at him with his eyebrows raised.

"Just the same as bicycle pedals." Nick indicated, sliding Greg's foot into it. "Comfy?" He asked. Greg just gave him a shrug. "Now take hold of the reins, I'll walk you round the field first before I take out Trojan." Nick looked up at Greg then rolled his eyes. "Would you stop givin' me that look, he's not goin' to eat you."

"You don't know that."

"I do, besides there's a bar in his mouth along with the reins holdin' his head away from you. He couldn't eat you if he wanted to."

"Okay, I trust you." Greg mumbled.

"You should." Nick chuckled. "I've given lessons to my nieces and nephews before, but I've never had someone afraid of bein' eaten by the horse."

"Stop laughing at me Stokes."

"I'm not." He laughed again. "You're just too adorable I can't help myself." Nick led the horse out of the stable, walking them off towards the field. "You know you might find you actually like it G . . . maybe we could even go horse ridin' on the beach for our honeymoon?"

"You're already planning our honeymoon?"

"No, it's just somethin' I always wanted to do with someone I love." Nick smiled at him. "How you doin' up there Einstein?"

"Not so bad." Greg loosened his grip slightly on the reins, un-tensing his back so he could start to enjoy himself. "I may have the better parents, but you had the better childhood."

"You think I had the better childhood coz I got to ride horses?"

"Nope, coz you got to do anything. Even play sports. I used to have to sit inside watching the other kids playing while I studied or doing some mother son activity. I couldn't ride a bike until I met Jade. She used to ride her brothers to school coz her mother couldn't afford the bus ticket. She taught me how to ride a bike while she walked alongside. Kinda like what you're doing now."

"Okay then, maybe I did get to do stuff I wanted, but I never had the never endin' love and support of my parents."

"My point exactly." He grinned. "And I guess we could do this for our honeymoon."

"Seriously?"

"What my man wants he gets." Greg winked at him. "Long as I don't have to wear this stupid hat."

"That's to protect your beautiful brain G. Want me to go get Trojan..."

"You can't leave me here. He could be faking the nice routine." Nick laughed leading Greg back to the stable with Shadow.

They rode as a couple up the trail, stopping at the top of the hill to one of Nick's favourite spots overlooking the woods and lake below.

"You're not gonna fall, would you stop bein' so ridiculous." Nick laughed, holding out his arms to catch Greg. "C'mon . . . it's just as easy to get off a horse as it is to get on one."

"Says you." Greg swung his leg round then fell right into Nick's arms. "Ouch."

"Are you okay?"

"I twisted my ankle."

"You shoulda taken your foot out of the stirrup before you decided to fall at my feet." Nick chuckled, setting Greg down on a large rock so he could examine his ankle. He carefully pulled Greg's converse trainer off, along with his sock watching him wince as the fabric brushed against his sore ankle. "It doesn't look broken."

"That's your professional opinion, huh?" Greg smirked at him.

"Yeah." Nick grinned at him. "How's it feel?" He asked, gently rubbing it for him.

"Better." Nick placed a kiss on his ankle then carefully pulled his sock back on, fixing his trainer in place.

"We'll have to put some ice on it when we get back." Nick sat down on the grass beside him looking out at the lake.

"How come your mom let us stay if she stormed out?"

"I don't know." Nick shrugged. "She acted like nothin' happened when I talked to her . . . that's how they dealt with things when we were kids too." Greg rolled over Nick to lay on the grass beside him.

"I think she's trying to get her head round it . . . just like my mom did. She'll come around; your father might take a little longer."

"That you're professional opinion, huh?" Nick smirked, lying down beside Greg to look up at the clear blue sky.

"Yep." He flashed his adorable grin at him. "At least you've got Gwen, Kayla and Bill." Greg smiled to himself as he remembered their names. Nick rolled onto his sides, placing a hand on Greg's chest.

"I've got you and your family too baby."

"Don't you forget it."

"How could I?" Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's forehead, lying back on the grass beside him. "Ready to go back and face them?"

"Five more minutes . . . it's perfect up here."

"Seven." Nick rasped, using Greg's usual haggling technique, licking the outside of Greg's ear.

"Done."

* * *

**Just to let you know, I know nothing about horse riding, so if I got anything wrong, i'm very sorry. I got everything here from Wikipedia :D**

**Please Review, I hope you're still enjoying the story. Thanks so much for all your lovely reviews, they really make my day :D**

**Guide to Stokes Family: (In case you're confused)**

**Bill Stokes (Judge), Nick's father**

**Jillian Stokes (Lawyer), Nick's mother**

**Bill junior, oldest child, Nick's only brother**

**Lillian, oldest daughter**

**Gwen, sister**

**Ronnie & Vicki, twin sisters (Die hard Christians)**

**Kayla, one year older then Nicky**

**Then Nick the youngest**

**(These aren't his actual family members, coz they're names are never mentioned on the show. The only ones that are off the show are Jillian and the Judge, his parents.)**


	32. Chapter 32: Bravery

**Warning: Very Emotional Chapter (might need a tissue)**

**Without You**

**Author: Lolly4Holly / Beta: NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Bravery**

Nick walked round the back of the house, looking for Greg. He got into an argument with his father about his relationship with Greg then when he looked round Greg was gone.

Nick shoved his hands deep into his pockets, feeling the soothing wind against his back as he walked towards the barn, kicking up the dirt with his feet. Everything his father said to him was still pressing against the surface of his mind. He brought up the coffin incident again saying how Nick clawed his way out of that hell into another. His father couldn't understand that Greg made him happy. Life with Greg wasn't hell, it was the complete opposite. His father just wouldn't see past the fact he was a man, and when the Judge shouts, he really shouts; arguing his case as if he's in a courtroom, so Nick just decided to bail and let his old man cool off for a while, before he tried again.

Nick stopped at the horse field, leaning his elbows on the fence as he watched the horses galloping around after each other. He remembered when he was a child, how much he used to wish he was a horse. They seemed to have an easier life and didn't have expectations to live up to or people to please.

He watched them running round as if they were free; they didn't seem to see the fences. They just ran wild, darting in all directions, not a care in the world. He wanted to feel free to do anything like that; instead he could see the fences in his life; a massive one in particular keeping him from his future happiness with Greg. He wanted to be able to kiss the one he loved in public without worrying about what people would think. He wouldn't to marry Greg, without worrying about the law. He started to wonder why he was denied the simplest thing, when so many others were divorcing or literally killing off their spouses, but they were free to do it because they were heterosexual.

Why was he so different? What made his love for Greg so wrong? And how was it any different from anyone else?

Nick sighed heavily, closing his eyes to keep the tears from pooling. After everything he'd survived, he still had to fight just to be joined in marriage to the one individual he loved most in the world. Just like anyone else.

Why should he be denied one of lives luxuries?

Nick set off to look for Greg again, hoping he hadn't gone too far as his ankle was already giving him agony. If he walked any further on it, it would only get worse. He stepped inside the barn seeing Greg sat against the haystacks with one of the dogs lying beside him. Greg was softly ruffling its brown coat of hair with his eyes closed. He appeared to have been crying from his puffy eyes and blotchy cheeks.

Nick's heart broke for him as he walked towards him. Any other _heterosexual partner_ would easily be able to go over there and comfort the one they loved, but Nick had to check no one else was around first, in case he hurt their feelings.

He bit back his tears, knowing he had to be strong for Greg right now. He subtly cleared his throat, but Greg didn't look up so Nick softly dropped to the hay bundle beside him. The dog looked up at him, but Greg didn't make a move, making him even more worried.

He softly shook him, watching his beautiful eyes fluttering open, his long lashes sticking together with a fresh coat of tears. "What's the matter?" Nick inched closer, putting his arm around Greg's shoulder. "Speak to me Greg."He pulled Greg closer into his embrace, brushing his hand down the side of his tear stroked face. "What's the matter baby?" He repeated in a low whisper, placing a gentle kiss to each of Greg's eyelids.

"Nothing." Greg sniffled against Nick's neck.

"You can't fool me G. Talk to me." Nick wrapped an arm around his waist, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I'll be jealous if you already told Rusty."

"Who's Rusty?" Nick pointed to the dog at Greg's side. "Oh, he never gave me his name." Greg chuckled slightly. "He's a really good listener though." He smiled, ruffling the dog's fur.

"So am I." Nick protested.

"Rusty doesn't talk back though."

"I won't talk back. I wonna know what's hurt my baby."

"Just hearing your dad saying all that stuff . . . about the coffin," Greg paused wrapping an arm around Nick protectively. "Nicky, I love you. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I know you do baby. I love you too and nothin's is goin' to happen to me." He softly pressed a kiss to Greg's tear stroked cheek, tasting the salty tears against his lips. "So what does Rusty know that I don't?"

"Can we get a dog? They're really good listeners."

"If you tell me what Rusty knows, I'll consider it." Nick smiled.

"Okay . . . just hearing your dad talking about it . . . I had flashes of it, seeing you in that coffin, screaming . . . then they told me I had to get away from you . . . we had to stand back because there was a bomb, but you were screaming . . . I wanted to run over and dive in there with you. I didn't care if I died." Greg sniffled against Nick's chest. "I never told you that. I suppose that shoulda been the first sign that I loved you, but Warrick was probably willing to die for you too."

"That upset you?"

"No . . . hearing your dad saying I was as bad as that did."

"You can't listen to him Greg. He doesn't know us. Hell he doesn't even know me and I'm his son. Bein' with you is nothin' like that coffin. It's the complete opposite. In there I was terrified and I'm not afraid to admit it anymore. It was one moment of hell after another down there . . . but with you . . . it's like I'm in heaven. I love bein' with you, talkin' to you, even watchin' you sleep. You're perfect . . . I'd die for you Greg." Nick protectively held Greg closer, feeling his tears soaking the side of his face. "They don't know us baby, you can't listen to them." He whispered softly.

"I'm sorry Nicky."

"Don't be sorry Greg . . . I wanted to cry, but you know me I held it back. You're so brave G." He wiped Greg's tears away with his thumb, looking into his eyes. "You're braver then me Greg, you know that?"

"When was I brave?"

"You risked your life to save Stanley Tanner for starters. You didn't even think about your own safety, which I was kinda mad at you for, but you saved Stanley Tanner. That's _real_ bravery. You think I'm brave just because I survived the coffin? I closed myself off from people after that. I traded one coffin for another . . . closin' myself off from the world . . . even after I went through all that, I still couldn't tell you I loved you. That's _not_ bravery. I couldn't even tell Grissom that I couldn't walk down in that bomb shelter, remember those alien worshippers in that cult?" Greg nodded. "I couldn't even walk down there at first . . . it reminded me too much of the coffin, but I didn't want to appear weak, so I kept goin'..."

"No one would have thought you were weak Nicky."

"I did . . . I thought I was weak. I had nightmares and panic attacks all the time. I didn't tell anyone though, not even my PEAP councillor. And you know why I was really so hell bent on savin' Cassie McBride?" Greg shook his head. "I thought if I could save her . . . I'd get some part of myself back. Sure I was rescued, but I still felt trapped . . . I'm not brave Greg . . . you are."

"You can cry if you want Nicky, I won't think you're less of a man." Like clockwork a tear slowly rolled down Nick's cheek. Greg dropped his head to Nick's shoulder, wrapping his arms protectively around him. "You may not think you're brave Nicky, but you are. You're a survivor." Greg whispered, clutching him tightly. Nick nestled his face against Greg's, letting his tears freely fall down his cheeks for the first time in a long time. "We're together now Nicky, that's all that matters. Nothing _can_ or will _ever_ split us up . . . not explosions, stalkers, coffins, beating's or things people say. We're together forever."

Jillian Stokes stood in the gap of the barn door, watching the boys crying, holding each other tightly. She could easily see the love between them, beginning to feel guilty for rejecting her baby boy who was now reduced to tears in his lover's arms.

Suddenly a quote she once heard at one of her daughter's weddings, sprung to her mind:

_We can choose who to marry, but we can't choose who to love._

Listening to Nick and Greg comforting each other was a real wakeup call to her. She realised they were drawn together because of what they've been through. She always remembered Nick calling home about his co-workers, especially Greg. He spoke very highly of him as if he was more special than the others and now she realised he was.

They had saved each other and they were happy.

Jillian walked back to the house, seeing her husband fuming at his daughters Lillian, Kayla and Gwen. She hesitantly stepped inside, hearing the bad language and insults being thrown between the family members. Had she not just seen how much the boys truly did love each other, she would have easily taken her husband and Lillian's side in the battle, but now she was seeing things more clearly.

"Lillian you're a human rights lawyer for god's sake. To deny Nicky love is against his rights." Gwen shouted at her.

"The law doesn't support homosexuals, neither does the lord." She retorted. "Neither the lord nor the law will allow them to marry."

"So you're sayin' a girl and a guy can marry, that's their right, but Nicky and Greg can't marry . . . that's completely against their human rights Lily." Kayla shouted angrily.

"Homosexuals shouldn't have rights." She practically screamed back.

"Tell me this sis. Would you allow the law to decide which loaf of bread to buy, which car to buy or even how you style your hair?" Gwen asked. Lillian remained silent with pursed lips. "Then why should the law decide who you can or can't marry?"

"That's different!"

"Everybody enough!" Jillian screamed over their shouting. They all turned to look at her with guilty, wide eyed expressions on their faces. "Nicky and Greg aren't doin' anythin' to hurt anybody. They love each other and that's all that matters. If any of you disagree with this . . . you know where the door is." She swiftly turned and walked off up the stairs.

Gwen and Kayla smiled to each other victoriously, heading back out to the garden with the rest of the family. Lillian grabbed her purse off the side, throwing it over her shoulder then stormed off out the house past her father, who stood perfectly still and silent, trying to think clearly. Earlier his wife was agreeing with him, now out of nowhere she suddenly changed her mind. He wanted to go after her, but he wanted to give her time to cool off first.

He grabbed his car keys off the side, heading out to the door to go for a long drive to his usual thinking spot at the graveyard, standing by his parents graves where he's stood and thought through his decisions over the years so many times.

* * *

Nick brushed the tears from Greg's cheeks, holding him closer. "You okay baby?" He whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"I'm okay." He mumbled against Nick's neck. "What time is it?" He yawned, rubbing his sore eyes open.

"You've been asleep about an hour," Nick raised his arm slightly from under Greg to look at the time. "Almost 6."

Greg gave out another wide yawn looking up at Nick. "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat, you wonna go back to the hotel or find somewhere else to eat?"

"Hotel's fine then I can cuddle up to you again." Nick smiled placing another kiss on Greg's forehead.

"You wonna go now?"

"Does it involve standing up?"

"How's the ankle?" He remembered.

"Sore, you'll have to carry me." Nick smiled, rolling Greg off him slightly so he could climb to his feet. He wiped the tears from his own eyes then grabbed both of Greg's hands, carefully pulling him to his feet. Greg winced as his sore ankle hit the floor; he leant against Nick for support, drying his eyes on his sleeve.

"Did you have fun today G?" Nick whispered, brushing the hay from Greg's clothes and hair. "I mean besides the emotional meltdown." He chuckled slightly.

"The horse riding and being with you, yeah. We're definitely doing that for our honeymoon, there's this great beach at my parents holiday home in Maui or even that one I took you to on our first date then we can crash back at the house and watch 'how to lose a guy in ten days' again, our very first movie snuggle."

"Look who's plannin' the honeymoon now." Nick chuckled, pulling Greg's arm over his shoulder to support his weight off his swollen ankle.

"That was the best day of my life, I definitely wonna relive it." He grinned. "And it was the first time I said 'I love you' while I was sober."

"I remember. We slept in sandy clothes too." Nick held Greg's hand, walking down the front garden towards the car. "First time we slept in the same bed too."

"See we've planned the honeymoon, now we just have to plan the wedding." Greg excitedly giggled.

"I'm sure your mothers already plannin' it without us." He chuckled back. "I'd definitely wonna relive that day with you again baby." He kissed Greg right there on the driveway, not caring who was looking.

Jillian Stokes looked out her bedroom window, softly brushing the tears from her eyes. She watched the two men kissing, not sure of how she felt. She wasn't grossed out like she'd thought. Instead she felt her heart warming. She always wanted Nick to find his own corner of happiness, just like his siblings, and it was clear that _now_ he had. It didn't matter that it was a man. Her baby boy was happy and that's all that mattered to her.

* * *

"Greg?" Nick shouted from his position on the bed.

"Yeah?" Greg shouted back from the bathroom where he was brushing his teeth.

"Did today really just happen? It feels like a vivid dream or somethin'." Nick said in disbelief, trying to get his head around the fact he just came out to his family.

Greg laughed crawling across the bed to Nick with his toothbrush still in his mouth. "Wit w'eally did Wicky."

"But..." Nick huffed looking up at the ceiling. "At least I've got three of my sibling's on my side."

"Wep." Greg pulled the toothbrush from his mouth to speak. "Minus Lillian the twins and your parents. I thought you'd have one tops, but they've been so nice about it all day. Even your sister's husband, he actually paid me a compliment for nailing down a Stokes kid." Greg grinned, replacing the toothbrush to his mouth.

"I know." Nick rolled onto his side to face Greg. "It's been so weird. It's like their bodies have been high jacked or somethin'." He laughed. "I can't believe Vicki called you a fag then my brother defended you . . . that would never happen in a million years."

Greg smiled. "Well wit w'eally did Wicky," Nick laughed, pulling the toothbrush out of his mouth so he could understand what he was saying. "Thing is, you were assuming this would all go to hell. You weren't actually prepared for it to pan out okay, that's why you're so surprised." Greg interpreted.

"Really genius, that's what you think huh?" Nick smiled, holding his lovers gaze.

"Absolutely." Greg smiled back, initiating a moist minty kiss.

"Mmm, Minty." Nick grinned, pulling Greg's body closer to him, placing the toothbrush back in his mouth. "I'm sorry you had to listen to my dad talkin' like that though."

"I sorry I w'eft you."

Nick smiled watching Greg brushing his pearly whites. "Seein' you with my nieces and nephews today G, made me realise you would make a great father."

"Seriously?" Greg asked smiling. Nick nodded pulling the toothbrush from Greg's mouth again, dropping it onto the bedside table so he could initiate a deeper kiss.

"Gotta have more faith in yourself baby."

"I couldn't remember their names half the time." Greg giggled. "You really think I was good with em?"

"Yeah G, you were great with em, and they loved you." He smiled, caressing his partner's cheek.

"I don't know if I could do it though Nicky . . . all those parents we deal with . . . telling them about their dead or missing kids. I've seen how torn up they get..."

"You think those parents wished they never had their kids?" Nick asked him. "They don't G, no parent who has ever lost a child has ever wished they never had their children . . . and who says we're gonna lose our kids?" Nick brushed his thumb across Greg's freshly shaved jaw line. "I wonna have kids with you someday Greg."

"No one's ever said that to me before. If I had a uterus I'd give you one right now, maybe there's some surgical procedure?"

Nick chuckled engaging in a sweet kiss. "Thank you baby, but I love your man parts. I don't think it would work if you kept them."

"Good, I don't think I could go through the pregnancy thing." He giggled.

"Yeah, you'd be really hormonal, you've moaned enough about your ankle today; don't think I could put up with you." Nick teased, getting poked in the ribs. "How is the ankle anyway?"

"Fine." Nick sat up to check for himself.

"It's not bruised; little swollen . . . it should be okay by tomorrow. Do you want some more ice on it?"

"No, I'm fine. Wouldn't want to keep moaning about it." He said sarcastically.

"I was only teasin'." Nick laughed. "Do you need some ice on it or not?"

"Not . . . it's fine."

"Just so you know, you can milk it all you like." Nick smiled, returning to his position beside Greg. "I love takin' care of you."

"There's a difference between taking care of me and smothering me though Nicky." He chuckled.

"I thought you liked my possessive need for control?"

"I do, but you're acting as bad as my mother when I got a paper cut or a nose bleed."

"I'm sorry, I'll stop now." He smiled, caressing Greg's cheek. "Are you still hungry?"

"Kinda," Greg checked the time on Nick's watch. "We ate 5 hours ago technically."

"We better order our dinner before the kitchen closes then." Nick suddenly thought, feeling the growl in his stomach too.

"I saw a Steakhouse on our way back."

"I thought you didn't want to go out to eat?" Nick asked.

"You can order out from there." Greg grinned. "I jotted down the phone number." He raised his palm to show Nick the number.

"You truly _are_ a genius." Nick grinned, pecking Greg on the cheek.

"But they don't do deliveries, so you'll have to go pick it up."

"Me? You expectin' me to go get your food huh?" He laughed, poking Greg in the ribs.

"You said I could milk it." He laughed. "Besides I'm already in my jammies. I'll ride in the car with you if you want, but it would look kinda weird, a cowboy and a geek in pyjamas."

"Don't make fun of my geek." Nick caressed Greg's body, placing a kiss on his bare chest as he chose to only wear the pyjama bottoms this time. "You can stay in bed if you want, I'll drive out and grab our food."

"You sure?"

"Well you do look so snug, and I wouldn't wonna put any more strain on your ankle." Nick smiled; softly sucking Greg's minted lips. "I'm glad we had that talk today. Even if it hurt."

"About bravery and stuff?"

Nick nodded, pulling a sweatshirt over his head. "Exactly . . . we need to be more open with each other." He grabbed his jeans, pulling them back on then grabbed his shoes from where he dumped them earlier. "Greg . . . I've never shared that much with anyone then felt okay to cry with them." He confessed. "But you're not _just_ anyone are you baby?" Nick crawled back on the bed, softly brushing his hand through Greg's hair. "You really are helpin' me G, you complete me."

"Ditto." Greg smiled. "We're each other's missing puzzle piece."

"Damn straight. Be back soon baby." He leant across the bed to kiss Greg once more before he headed out. "I love you." He shouted, grabbing his keys from the side table.

"I love you." Greg shouted after him, hearing the click of the door behind him.

Nick walked through the hotel lobby, seeing his sister Lillian stood at the reception desk. It was too late to run as she had already seen him.

"Nicky, wait don't go." She ran towards him with tears down her cheeks, her wavy brown hair flowing behind her. "Nicky, I'm so sorry . . . I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, I just wanted you to know how sorry I am."

"For what?" He choked at his oldest sister.

"For the things I said, about you and . . . you and Greg. I'm sorry, I know you love him. I'm sorry for all the things I said..."

"What brought this on?" He asked confused.

"Okay, don't hate me . . . I kinda followed you two up the trail. I saw you . . . you know, tendin' to Greg's ankle then layin' on the grass together. Daddy always led me to believe that homosexuality is just about guy's havin' sex with other guy's, but you two really do love each other. Like a normal couple."

"That's what I was tryin' to tell you sis. I'm not with Greg for sex; I'm with him because I love him. Everythin' about him."

Lillian watched her baby brother's eyes lighting up as he talked about Greg. She had never seen such happiness in him before. "Okay Nicky, I'm really, really, really very sorry..."

"Why have you been cryin'?" He asked.

"I was cryin' . . . because everythin' I believed in was wrong. I called my friend, the one with the female partner . . . we had a really long talk. She made me understand that it's not just about abandonin' God and havin' sex . . . it's about love. Like everyone else. She said we all fear what we don't understand. I didn't understand homosexuality . . . and it made me fear it. I didn't mean to . . . I've just never seen it before. I'm so sorry Nicky . . . I'm your big sister, I'm supposed to love and protect you no matter what." Nick nodded seeing a complete change of personality in his sister. "I love you Nicky and I'm happy for you. Could you please apologise to Greg for me . . . I shouldn't have said what I said. He seems like a really great guy."

"He is." Nick smiled.

"He should be . . . I only want the best for my baby brother." She smiled warmly.

"Thanks Lily . . . it means a lot that you came to tell me."

"Well you are my baby brother. I accepted you when you were a total man-whore." They both laughed together. "So I accept you now . . . I think I actually prefer this way of life you've got. The one before was very unhygienic." She chuckled slightly.

"I was always safe." He informed her.

"Good . . . that's a relief." She sighed with a smile. "C'mere Nicky." She pulled him into her arms for a warm hug. "I love you Nicky."

"Love you too sis."

"I better get an invite to your weddin' or commitment ceremony. I'm sure I can make it all legal bein' a human rights lawyer and all." She laughed slightly. "I can't believe what a hypocrite I am."

"That's okay sis, I forgive you."

"Mama always said you were too forgivin'." She laughed again. "Well where is Greg then?"

"He's restin' his ankle; I was just on my way out to get some food."

"Oh sorry, did I hold you up?" She asked, taking a step back from the hug.

"No that's okay." He smiled. "Thanks again Lily."

"Thank you for openin' my eyes." She smiled wider. "I'm so happy you got to experience love Nicky, Greg better appreciate you." She sternly warned.

"He does . . . we love each other, more than anythin'." Lillian felt the tears welling up in her eyes again.

"I think I can definitely get used to the fact he's a man then. I'm so happy for you Nicky." She placed a kiss on his cheek then wiped her eyes with a tissue. "You better get goin' then, I'll see you tomorrow Nicky."

"Bye." He waved her off then walked round to his car, heading off to the restaurant for their food.

* * *

Nick walked through the master suite hotel room, seeing candle lights flickering across the bedroom. He placed the food down on the coffee table then walked towards the bed seeing Greg still laying there under the glow of the candles in the room, illuminating his bleached spikes and white scars across his back as he was lying on his stomach diagonally across the bed with his legs over one side of the bed and his head on Nick's side. He looked so peaceful.

Nick pulled his shoes and sweatshirt off, kneeling down to kiss Greg on the forehead, softly ruffling his hair. Greg's eyelids slowly fluttered open to meet Nick's eyes. "Hey sleepin' beauty, foods here." He whispered. Greg rubbed his eyes open, rolling to his side. "You wonna stay in bed?"

"I'm still hungry." He mumbled sleepily, through a wide yawn.

"Be right back." Nick climbed to his feet to grab the food from the coffee table. He returned to the bed where Greg had reclosed his eyes again. Nick eased himself onto the mattress, trying not to disturb his slumbering lover.

Greg soon awoke again as the smell of ribs wafted up his nostrils.

"Want some?" Nick asked. Greg managed to sit up, yawning widely as Nick propped up the pillows against the headboard for him to lean against. Greg shifted his body against them, waiting for Nick to sit beside him.

"They smell so good." He grinned.

"They taste even better." Nick leant against the headboard beside Greg, opening the packets of food on their laps. "So what's with all the candles Greg?"

"I was being spontaneously romantic." He yawned again, leaning against Nick's shoulder. "You like it?"

Nick nodded. "It is romantic." He put his arm around Greg, holding him closer. "See, Dallas ain't so bad, huh?"

"Nope, but I bet you could even make the city dump special." He chuckled.

"I think that was a compliment." He smirked. "Did you call your mom?"

"Yep, I told her about the emotional meltdown and stuff. She asked if she could marry you instead." Nick's mouth spread into a wider grin. "I told her sorry; you're a one guy kinda guy."

"Damn straight." Nick licked his fingers clean then pressed a kiss to the side of Greg's head. "I love you so much Greg."

"I love you too Nicky."

"Guess who apologised to me in the lobby." Greg looked at him waiting for an answer, too tired to guess. "Lillian. She apologised sayin' she accepted me and everythin' then she asked for an invite to our weddin', givin' me a hug."

"Was she pissed?" Nick laughed shaking his head.

"She was serious. Now we just have to worry about my parents and the twins when we go back tomorrow."

"We have to go back tomorrow?" Greg groaned.

"Since we missed out on the barbeque today coz of the drama, my Mama wanted to host it again tomorrow, the kids really wanted to go swimming too. Unless you really don't wonna go."

"I'll go." Greg sleepily mumbled. "No horse riding though."

"You hated it that much?"

"I loved it . . . I hate my sprained ankle." Greg corrected, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"You might not even feel it tomorrow." Nick looked down at Greg seeing he was beginning to fall asleep again. "Swallow your food first G." He warned him. "Don't want you chokin'." Greg did as instructed, resting against Nick's shoulder. Nick collected the food packets up, placing them on the bedside cabinet then readjusted Greg's body to a comfier position, setting the pillows under his head. "Goodnight baby." He whispered, softly kissing his forehead. Greg remained quiet as he was already asleep. Nick tucked him in the nestled in beside him, watching his chest arching up and down from his slow deep breaths. He felt closer to Greg than ever before. He was finally able to open up to him, draining his emotional baggage that he always carries around with him.

Greg truly was the one for him, now if only his family could see it too...

* * *

**Please Review, I hope you enjoyed it.**

**A/N: Episode References from this chapter:**

_"I couldn't even tell Grissom that I couldn't walk down in that bomb shelter, remember those alien worshippers in that cult?" Greg nodded. "I couldn't even walk down there at first . . . it reminded me too much of the coffin, but I didn't want to appear weak, so I kept goin'..."_

The Cult are down in a bomb shelter from Season Six, Episode Four 'Shooting Stars', when Nick walks down there after Grissom and Catherine he looks really nervous and keeps looking over his shoulder.

_And you know why I was really so hell bent on savin' Cassie McBride?" Greg shook his head._

From Season Six, Episode Five 'Gum Drops.' Nick goes out of his way to save the missing girl, even though everyone is telling him she's dead; like Sara, he tells her 'I was rescued.'

**The references to episodes I used in the last chapter are:**

_"Maybe you shoulda bought that onesie." Nick chuckled then guided Greg back towards the bed._

_"As long as you're not into that squicky grown men in diapers thing, I'll roll with it." Greg grabbed some massaging oils watching his fiancé cringing._

_"Don't remind me, that was gross, especially the store with Griss. How humiliatin'."_

The Grown men in diapers is from Season Five, Episode Fifteen 'King Baby', later in the episode Nick and Grissom go to the store selling the baby things for grown men. Grissom asks one of the shop assistants where the diapers are. He says it's not for him so she looks at Nick and she says 'Oh isn't that nice, you're daddy buying diapers for you' and Nick looks really embarrassed.

_"We really do meet the freakiest people on our jobs, huh?"_

_"Yeah, like the fat club that thought Grissom was gay." Greg chuckled._

The fat club where they think Grissom is gay is from Season Five, Episode Sixteen 'Big Middle', where a hotel guest is suffocated by a large woman and they do that experiment on Greg to see how it worked. Then Grissom goes over to the hotel where all the large women are and one woman says to him 'See anything you like? It's not that uncommon, fat girl, gay guy?'


	33. Chapter 33: Emotional MeltDown

**Without You**

**Author: Lolly4Holly / Beta: NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Emotional Melt-Down**

"Uncle Nicky." His nieces and nephews squealed in excitement, running to greet him. Greg stood back watching as Nick hugged each of them. He tried to count them, but lost count as they were all bobbing about with excitement, making it hard to keep track of them.

"Nicky." Jillian smiled, giving her son a warm hug. Nick thought he was going to be denied any affection today, but there she was, even his father was stood behind the swarm of children. _Maybe after a long night's sleep they had time to think it through? _He thought to himself.

His father stepped forward, extending a hand. "Nicholas." _Maybe not._ He only ever calls him by his full name when he's angry or upset. Otherwise he'd be calling him Pancho or Nicky.

Nick reluctantly shook his father's hand, gulping nervously remembering their argument from yesterday, but he did seem slightly calmer today, his father even made an attempt to smile at Greg.

"Hello again Greg." Jillian smiled, giving him a warm smile. "The kids have just started on the pool if you wanted to join them?" Greg shook his head shoving his hands nervously into his pockets. Nick looked at his partner's sudden guard over his body, knowing exactly what was wrong with him. "We told the children that Greg's your boyfriend, I hope that's okay?" Jillian asked, leading the boys outside.

"Yeah, that's okay." Nick nodded, stepping into the garden where his family were gathered around the table talking amongst themselves.

"Uncle Nicky, can Uncle Greg come swimmin'?" Kayla's four year old daughter Mindy pleaded, gripping her uncle's hand with both of hers while she jumped up and down.

"I don't think he wants to right now sweetheart, maybe later." She pouted her lip out, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. "You'll have to ask him sweetie." Mindy immediately smiled, rushing over to Greg's side.

"Hey Nicky." His brother Bill high fived him while tending to the barbeque.

"Got enough food there?" Nick asked with a snicker.

"I panicked okay. There's what almost forty mouths to feed here, the women that say their on diets just pickin' at things then the men comin' back for thirds and the kids, don't even get me started on them, they eat till they puke." He laughed, flipping the ribs to cook the other side. "Greg looks happier today."

"He does?" Nick looked towards Greg, watching him laughing with his nieces and nephews. "I guess he does."

"Yesterday he looked all nervous like we were gonna eat him."

"No, but he thought the horses were." Nick chuckled. "How are mom and dad dealin' with this?"

"Oh relax, they got over it slightly, especially since Gwen revealed her son Zack got a 16 year old cheerleader pregnant. Kayla's husband Marcus has a drug problem. One of dad's business partners was arrested for child molestin' . . . yeah we had a long talk last night. You're lucky you weren't here. That's why everyone's givin' each other the cold shoulder today . . . we all revealed our biggest secrets."

"Huh . . . so they completely forgot about me?"

"No, dad's still pissed. Mom's comin' around to the idea though. Don't know who talked to her, but she suddenly seems all cheery and ready to accept you. Vicki and Ronnie are even here." Billy pointed over at them. "Not sure if they're here for support..."

"Maybe the kids were kickin' and screamin' to see their cousins again." Nick suggested watching their children running around together.

"Uncle Nicky, Greg don't wonna swim less you do." Mindy moaned. "P'wease Uncle Nicky."

"I will if Uncle Billy does." Nick chuckled, watching his brother frown at him.

"P'wease Uncle Billy." She pleaded with her puppy dog eyes that always got what she wanted at home.

"Okay." Billy huffed. "Go get your daddy; he has to watch the barbeque then."

"Yay." She squealed, running to get her father.

"You'll pay for that Nicky." He scolded. Nick laughed to himself, heading over to Greg.

"Stick em up." Ronnie's six year old Kevin ordered, holding a water pistol to Nick.

Nick raised his hands giving Kevin a smile then when he let his guard down he swooped him up in his arms, tickling the weapon free of his hands. "You're under arrest little man." He chuckled as he squirmed in his arms.

"I demand a lawyer." Kevin laughed, being carried to where Greg was stood. "Uncle Greg help me." He squealed, reaching his hands out to Greg.

"I'm sorry little man, you do the crime, be prepared to do the time." Greg laughed, stepping aside from the playhouse. Nick set Kevin down, pushing him through the small door of the little house.

"I have rights you know." Kevin laughed through the small letter box in the door. Lillian's son's Nathan and Ben pulled open the little window round the side of the house, helping their cousin Kevin escape.

"We have a fugitive." Gwen's daughter Charlotte shouted, grabbing the water pistol from Nick to chase down her cousin.

Once the children were preoccupied, Nick stepped closer to Greg. "G you can wear a t-shirt in the pool if you want. No one will mind."

"I don't want to." Greg moped.

"Okay, but Mindy is very persistent you know." Nick chuckled as Mindy ran towards them in her swimming costume and arm bands fastened to her little arms.

"Come on Uncle Greg." She pleaded again with her puppy dog eyes. Greg looked up at Nick who had a wide smile on his face.

"I'll need a darker t-shirt then." He indicated to the white one he was wearing. "They'll show through this one."

"You can have one of mine. We'll be right back Mindy." Nick led Greg by the hand, through the house to his old bedroom upstairs that was now decorated with little cars and toys as his nephews slept in there when they came to stay. He pulled open the wardrobe, grabbing a dark t-shirt that he hadn't worn since college, handing it over to Greg. He watched as Greg slipped his shoes and socks off, trading his white t-shirt for the darker one that smelled of Nick.

"You don't always have to hide them Greg."

"Then people stare or ask questions, Nicky." He sat on the bed to remove his jeans. "I know you don't mind, but other people are freaked out by them, even my mom. She breaks down in tears whenever she sees them."

"Okay baby." Nick surrendered as this is another one of those tough subjects that they rarely bring up.

"Aren't you gonna change?"

"I wanted to watch you first." Nick smiled to him. "Tell you what, so they don't ask questions, I'll wear a t-shirt too."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, said I'd protect you didn't I?" Nick winked, changing into his swimming shorts. Greg smiled watching Nick; he really would do anything for him, that knowledge alone made him feel protected.

* * *

"Uncle Nicky, wonna play Sharks and Seals?" Nathan asked running over to them.

"Sure."

"Can Greg play?" Mindy pleaded, grabbing Greg's hand again as he was her new favourite uncle.

"I'm not sure; do you know how to play G?" Greg shook his head as the excited children led them towards the pool. "Billy you wonna play Sharks and Seals?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "I rock at this game, I'm a shark." He laughed jumping into the pool, erupting squeals from the children as the water splashed over them.

"Okay G, some people are selected are Sharks, others Seals. The sharks have to stay in the middle of the pool. While the seals have to try and get from one end of the pool to the other without bein' caught. If you're caught you become a shark. The last seal to survive is the winner."

"Okay." Greg smiled.

"And don't worry. The children can't eat you." He laughed. Greg rolled his eyes, poking Nick in the ribs for teasing him again.

Billy and Nick picked the teams then got ready to play. Greg and Mindy stuck together as seals, swimming as fast as they could from one end of the pool to the other, escaping from the sharks trying to grab them. The more seals that got caught turning into sharks, the harder it was to safely swim from one end to the other.

Greg finally got caught by Nick and Vicki's son Justin, leaving Kevin as the winner. He cheered victoriously, being lifted into the air by his Uncle Billy.

Jillian and her husband stood by the barbeque, watching the children all playing together. They exchanged a smile to one another, happy they finally had all their children and grandchildren home as a real family. Even if Nick's partner was a little different than their other children's, it didn't seem to matter anymore.

"Lunch is ready." Jillian shouted, setting up the plates beside the barbeque. The children scrambled from the pool, running for the barbeque with their dripping wet hair. Nick climbed out then grabbed Greg's hands pulling him out of the water beside him. They held one another's hands walking off towards the barbeque, being served a variety of beef burgers, steaks, sausages, kebabs, ribs and chicken along with a variety of potato salads, coleslaw and fruit salads.

Mindy insisted on sitting between Nick and Greg, getting up for three full helpings of potato salad. "Seems my Mindy's really taken a shine to you." Kayla laughed, sitting down beside Greg as Mindy ran back with her fourth helping.

"I told him he'd be good with kids." Nick smiled.

"That's your last helpin' Mind." Her mother warned her. Mindy pouted her lip at her mother, giving her an evil glare. "I don't want you throwin' up everywhere missy." She scolded her.

"Uncle Greg will let me." She flashed her pouty lip in his direction.

"I don't want you getting sick either Mindy." Greg smiled at her. "You won't be able to play anymore if your tummy hurts." Nick smiled at how fatherly his partner sounded.

"See listen to your Uncle Greg." Kayla smiled.

"Uncle Nicky, why are you and Greg wearin' t-shirts?" Kevin asked, hovering around their table.

"We didn't want to get sunburn. We're used to the really hot weather in Vegas." Nick explained. Kevin looked at him funny then smiled.

"Uncle Nicky, can you come play Simon says." He pleaded.

"Okay little man." Nick wiped his fingers on his napkin, climbing to his feet.

"Don't go Greg." Mindy pleaded, holding his hand in place. For a four year she was very demanding.

"I won't." He smiled, watching Nick being led away by the excited children to a larger open area of the garden away from the picnic tables and barbeque.

"You enjoyin' your stay with us?" Kayla asked now they were alone.

"Yeah, everyone's really nice." Kayla laughed, watching Nick instructing the children to touch their nose, jump in the air then drop to their knee's using the Simon says commands. "They really love Nicky, huh?" Greg asked her.

"Yeah, they never see him. So whenever he's over he's always their favourite Uncle." She chuckled. "Except for Mindy of course. She's taken a shine to you. Haven't you sweetheart?" Mindy nodded with potato salad sauce all around her mouth. "Wonna see some pictures of little Nicky?" Kayla asked. Greg barely had time to answer as she pulled him from his seat, heading inside to a large family room. "We'll be right back Mind, finish your food." Her mother winked.

Kayla sat Greg down on the large sofa in the family room. He felt like a child on it as his knees didn't reach the edge to place his feet on the floor. Kayla pulled out some photo albums then dropped onto the sofa beside him. "There he is, that's baby Nicky." Greg looked at the adorable little baby sat on a blanket in the middle of the room. He could easily tell it was Nick from the eyes. Nick had such lovely eyes.

"There's Nicky, I think he's about four there. He looks like Kevin huh?"

"He's so sweet." Greg smiled. "He's even got a little mohawk."

"He loved that mohawk." Kayla chuckled. "Mama and Daddy hated it though. He got rid of it later." She flipped the page showing a picture of Nick sat on a horse with a little cowboy hat perched on his head. "He was such a smiley child."

Kayla flipped to the next page, showing Greg a picture of Nick when he was around nine or ten. Greg immediately noticed something in Nick's eyes. The light was gone in them; he looked almost scared, completely different than the previous photos.

They continued through the books to Nick's teen years then to a photo of him in his police uniform. Kayla put the albums back then returned to the barbeque. Greg excused himself to the bathroom going for a wander around the house, alone. He walked through the large halls, full of family photos. His house was filled with pictures of him, like a shrine of his life, but Nick's was full of love, children, grandchildren, even multiples of the many pets they had.

Greg stopped at one photo, looking directly at Nick's eyes. Inside he could see a scared little child. Greg took the photo off the wall to read the date on the back.

_Exactly 3 weeks after. _Greg sighed. Nick didn't even mean to tell Greg about him being molested. It was shortly after his experience in the grave. Nick had a habit of drinking too much to try and drown out his memories of the coffin so he could get some sleep. Greg was with him after he found Cassie McBride; Nick drank so much that he was answering all of Greg's questions, which included telling him about the babysitter. Greg swore to never tell anyone and he hasn't, but he was still curious about the details.

He replaced the photo then saw Nick down the hall. "Hi. Whatcha doin'?"

"Nothing." Greg stuffed his hands in his pockets as Nick approached him. Nick looked at the photo Greg was looking at then looked into Greg's eyes.

"What's up?"

"Nothing." Greg said again, avoiding eye contact with Nick, but he could feel his eyes burning into the side of his head.

"C'mon Greg."

"This is when..." Greg sharply sucked in a breath. "_It_ happened, right?" Nick looked at the photo again then nodded slightly at Greg.

"How can you tell?"

"Your eyes." He whispered softly. "Your eyes always show your emotion." Greg looked up into Nick's eyes, watching his lower lip trembling.

"Can't hide anythin' from you can I?" Greg shook his head looking back at the photo. Nick wrapped his arms around Greg's waist from behind, resting his chin on Greg's shoulder. "I can barely remember any of that . . . I seemed to just breeze through life after that." Nick fell silent, staring into the frightened child's eyes in the picture, barely recognising himself.

"You can talk about it with me Nicky."

"I don't wonna talk about it. If I talk about it . . . it means it really happened."

"But it did really happen Nicky, talking about it could help you."

"I don't want to talk about it!" Nick shouted at him, taking a step back. He rubbed his temples looking at Greg's hurt expression. "I'm doin' it again aren't I?"

"You don't have to talk about it." Greg started towards the stairs, but Nick grabbed his wrist, pulling him back towards him. He pulled Greg into his arms, clutching him close.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout." He whispered against Greg's ear, hugging him tightly. Greg could feel Nick's body trembling against his own.

"It's okay Nicky, I shouldn't have..."

"No it's my fault Greg. Don't keep makin' excuses up for me." He whispered against Greg's mouth. "I wonna tell you . . . I do . . . but not here . . . I can't deal with it now."

"Okay." Greg nodded. Nick held him a moment longer then wiped his eyes, stopping the tears from pooling out.

"C'mon, Mindy will be lookin' for yah." Nick immediately changed the subject, taking Greg by the hand to lead him down the stairs. Greg reluctantly followed Nick down the stairs, wondering if he really was going to talk to him later, or just shut him down again like he's used to. He thought after yesterday they were actually getting closer, but Nick still shut him out of his emotions.

* * *

Judge Stokes looked at the pictures of his kids in his office. He stopped by one of Nick, looking into his child's eyes. He glanced out the window at Nick swinging round one of his nieces in his arms. He had never seen Nick this happy on one of his visits home before. Something really had changed in him. He wished he could of found a better way to make him happy, but for now he'd accept that his happiness was because of Greg.

"Nicholas." He shouted from the back door. Nick instinctively spun round thinking he had done something wrong. The Judge waved him over heading into the house. Nick exchanged a look with Greg then rushed off into the house to find out what his father wanted. "You wonna walk with me Pancho?" He asked holding up the dog leeches.

"Um... Sure." Nick nodded. He followed his father to retrieve the dogs from the garden. Nick walked Rusty and Hondo the two Belgian Malinois twins, while his father walked Lucy and Suki the two black border collies and Kane the blood hound; a retired Police dog.

They walked a long way without exchanging words only the occasional glance when the other wasn't looking; both of them trying to think of something to break the thick layer of ice separating them.

The Judge stopped at the creek, letting the dogs off their leeches to run around and splash about in the water. Nick did the same then joined his father by a large fallen down tree to sit on.

They sat for five endless minutes in complete silence, breathing in the deep scents of flowers, tree moss and grass, listening to the gentle trickling of the water running from the creek.

"Pancho, I'm..." He turned to look his son in the eyes. "I'm really sorry, for the things I said to you yesterday. I'm sorry I said you traded one hell for another."

Nick remained silent, watching the dogs splashing about in the water.

"Nick, I'm tryin' here. You could at least..."

"Would you rather I died there dad?" Nick interrupted him, anger in his voice. His father remained silent. "Well would you?"

"No! Of course not Nicholas. I'm just tryin' to understand, why you'd do this to yourself."

"What am I doin'?" Nick shouted.

"You need to calm down Nick. I'm just tryin' to understand why after all this time you'd bring _him_ home and expect us all to fall in line..."

"I'm not expectin' you to do anythin' dad. I just wanted you to meet Greg. I haven't kissed him or touched him in front of you. As soon as I announced I was with him you were ready to throw me out the door without gettin' to know him. You haven't even tried!" Nick protested, trying to keep from crying as his father would see it as a weakness. "Why won't you give him a chance?"

"Okay! I'm sorry, okay! It's just a lot to handle. It's not him I hate . . . it's this whole situation. I mean first of all you bring him home to meet your family. We find out your gay, in a relationship and gettin' married all in one day! It's a lot to try and understand Nicholas."

"Dad, I'm not askin' you to understand or accept me straight away. I just wanted you to know. You're always gettin' down on me coz I'm alone and not married..."

"Doesn't mean you have to marry _him_!" The Judge boomed at him.

"His name is Greg dad." His father rolled his eyes looking out at the creek. "Dad . . . I thought you said we're supposed to marry the ones we love?" Nick asked in a calmer voice. "Greg is the one I love. I'm gay, I can't help it. I've always fallen for guys, not girls. I tried to hide it, but it wasn't workin'. I never told you before because I was afraid you'd be disappointed in me."

The Judge looked at the sadness in his sons eyes. He clutched the tree beneath him, looking out at the dogs. "Nicholas . . . you know I want you to be happy..."

"I am happy . . . with Greg. I've never felt anythin' like this before in my _entire_ life. I finally know what love is and I wonna hold onto it."

"I'm glad you found it Nicholas . . . but why with..."

"How did you fall for mom?" Nick retorted, folding his arms across his chest.

"Nicholas . . . that's different."

"How's it different? If Gwen or Kayla bought a girl home would you turn them away?"

"No no, but Nicholas, I didn't turn you away. I was . . . _am_ surprised!"

"I was too. But I love Greg. He makes me happy."

"You're gonna make me cry Nicholas." He chuckled slightly. "Nicky, I just want to protect you boy."

"Protect me from what? Happiness?" He asked. "There's nothin' wrong with me . . . I love Greg, he's helped me so much."

"That's not what I meant Pancho." The Judge gulped hard, looking up to meet his sons gaze. "I want to protect you from others Nicky. I've failed so many times. You may not be as big, athletic, successful or tough as Billy, but I was _never_ disappointed in you boy. You may by the youngest or the last child, but it doesn't make you less important. If anythin' . . . you were always my favourite. You loved my stories, readin' together, you always wanted to learn," He paused to look back at Nick. "I love you son, nothin' will ever change that. I'm not disappointed in you; I've never been disappointed in you. You make me proud . . . you should be disappointed in me, I failed you as a father."

"H-How?" Is all Nick managed to choke out, hearing his father say he was proud of him was a dream come true.

"The things you've been through. I let you down son."

"It wasn't your fault dad."

"Pancho, I didn't support you. You thought I was disappointed after the Kristie incident, really I was worried. Even after the stalker then the coffin. You're my youngest son; I should have been protectin' you." He took in a deep breath, turning to face his son completely. "Nick it was a bit of a shock to find out like that who you were marryin'. I shouldn't have handled it the way I did and spoke to you like that, but you know us Stokes, we're hot heads."

Nick nodded giving him a slight smile.

"My point is . . . I owe you an apology, both of you."

"Dad I wish I could make you proud and marry someone you'd approve of, but Greg's a really great guy and I really love him..."

"I'd be an idiot not to see that Nick." He chuckled.

"So you're okay with him bein' a guy?"

"I think I can get used to it." His father nodded. "The intimacy stuff would be especially hard. Maybe you can ease me into it." Nick smiled, blushing slightly from the awkwardness of the situation.

"Well dad let me put it this way. Try to imagine your parents gettin' it on in bed or Billy and his wife..."

"Okay, I get your point." His father cringed. "Maybe you could start with some light hand holdin' then . . . ease me up to the kiss at the ceremony. I'm still not used to your sisters freely makin' out with their husbands. I feel like shunnin' them away from my daughters tryin' to keep their innocence intact." They both laughed together. "You know, we used to be one big tight unit. Then you all started growin up, movin' away, keepin' secrets from us and gettin' on with your lives . . . your mother and I realised we were in this big ol house alone. I'm not goin' to turn you away because you're gay Nicholas. I didn't turn Gwen away because she married that kid straight from Highschool. Every fathers worst nightmare that boy." He chuckled. "C'mon . . . we should get back before the girls get too giggly. You know once they pop out the martinis they can't stop." He smirked, climbing to his feet to call the dogs over.

Nick bit his teeth into his bottom lip as he smiled widely. He never thought a conversation with his father about marrying Greg would turn out like this, but he was happy it did.

* * *

"Hey, you guys seen Greg?" Nick asked the girls sat around the table. They all giggled from the amount of martini's they had drank, shaking their heads. Nick had left Greg playing with the kids while he went for the long walk with his father and the dogs.

"Honey, I saw Greg down by the barn." Jillian pointed, serving up some more martinis for the giggling girls. "Honey, can I talk to you a second." She scrambled to her feet, linking arms with Nick heading down the garden. "Sweetie . . . is everythin' okay? With you and Greg?"

"Yeah . . . why do you ask?"

"I caught you earlier." She confessed. "When you shouted at him. I wasn't snoopin' . . . I wanted to know if everythin' was okay."

"It is . . . I just . . . I have a habit of shuttin' him down when he wants to talk about my feelin's." He confessed to her.

"I know that feelin' all too well." She chuckled regarding her own husband.

They stopped walking, leaning against the fence to watch the horses galloping around. "Mama . . . I have to tell you somethin'. Somethin' I shoulda told you a long time ago."

"You can tell me anythin' sweetie." Jillian placed her hand on his, looking into his eyes.

Nick sighed heavily, turning back to the horses. "This is gonna be harder than I thought."

"It can't be worse then what your sisters revealed to me yesterday. I thought we taught you kids to be honest."

"You did . . . you did a good job raisin' us Mama." He smiled to her.

"Thank you sweetie. I did my best. No one prepares you for parenthood, but your father and I tried our best. So what did you want to tell me?"

"Okay . . . this isn't your fault Mama . . . so please don't blame yourself." Jillian nodded looking at the fear in her sons eyes. A tear gently rolled down his cheek as he gripped the fence in front of him, trying to find his words to finally tell his mother the biggest secret he's been keeping from her all these years.

"Mama, you remember that Thanksgiving . . . when everyone went to the game then stayed over their friends houses? You and dad stayed out all night?" Jillian nodded, hearing the fear in her son's voice as his lower lip started to quiver. "Do you remember the babysitter?"

"Not by name, she was last minute. Your daddy surprised me with an evenin' out." Jillian watched her son's lower lip quivering even more. His eyes were starting to puff up filling with tears. "What is it sweetie? Why do you ask?"

"Mama . . . she," Nick choked up, looking into his mothers eyes. "She did things to me Mama." He gulped hard watching the shock spread across her face. "I was only nine . . . I didn't understand at the time. She made me..."

"No! What are you sayin'?" Jillian gasped, tears pooling from her eyes.

Nick gulped hard, feeling his body starting to tremble. "She molested me Mama. All I remember is sitting in my room after . . . waitin' for you and dad to come home. I was scared she was goin' to come back . . . do you remember you held me in your arms while I cried that night?" Jillian covered her shaky hands over her mouth, nodding as the tears continued to flow. She remembered how quiet Nick was after that night. She thought he was just feeling left out as everyone else was out for the night.

"Oh Nicky . . . my baby. I'm so sorry." She threw her arms around him, clutching him close. More than anything she wanted to curl him up in her arms and protect him from the world.

* * *

Nick continued up the trail, taking in deep breaths of fresh air when a familiar voice cut through the silence. He stepped through the woods seeing Greg sprawled out on the grass with a cell phone pressed to his ear. He stepped up beside a tree so Greg couldn't see him, watching Greg laughing on the phone to whoever he was talking to. After long emotional conversations with his father and mother, it was a nice relief to hear Greg's sweet laughter after all the emotional baggage he let go of.

"Okay . . . I will . . . Bye Mom . . . I know I love you too." Greg smiled wider. "Okay bye." He snapped his phone shut, stuffing it in his pocket then relaxed back on the grass starting to miss Nick. Just as he was thinking of him, he appeared above him. "Hey, you're blocking my sun." He teased. Nick rolled his eyes, dropping to the grass at Greg's side. "When did you get back?"

"Few minutes ago." Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's forehead then propped himself up on his elbow, looking down into Greg's eyes. "You'd be proud of me."

"Why? What'd you do?"

"I had a long talk with my dad. He told me he's _never_ been disappointed in me and I told him how much I love you. He said he can get used to the fact you're a guy too. He'll even come to our weddin'."

"He will?" Greg asked surprised.

"Yep, I talked to my Mama too. I told her about the babysitter."

"You did?" Greg asked shocked as Nick hadn't even told him all the details.

"Yep . . . I let it all out." Nick rested his head on Greg's shoulder, feeling Greg's arms wrapping around him. Without even thinking about it he suddenly started to cry against Greg's shoulder. Greg clutched him close, softly soothing his hands up and down Nick's back. This was a very rare occasion to have Nick in a complete emotional breakdown. Greg decided to remain silent, just letting him cry it out until he felt like talking.

Nick's finally stopped, wiping his eyes then held the one he loved most tightly in his arms. "Thank you." He whispered against Greg's neck.

"For what?"

"Everythin'." He raised his head to kiss Greg's jaw line. "See, I told you you're stronger than me."

"You're not weak coz you cried Nicky." He held his fiancés head closer to his chest, running his fingers smoothly through Nick's hair. "You are allowed to cry Nick; no one will think you're weak or less of a man."

Nick closed his eyes, listening to Greg's breathing as his hands softly rubbed up and down his back, making him feel slightly better. "Greg . . . ask me anythin', I know you've been dyin' to ask so . . . I'm an open book."

"Seriously?"

"Yep, ask me anythin' . . . I'll tell you the complete honest truth." He admitted, cuddling up closer.

"Complete honesty?" Greg asked with a grin on his face.

"Yes." Nick wrapped an arm round Greg's waist, kissing him on the chin. "I won't lie to you I swear."

"Okay . . . what do you really think of my mom?"

"That's your question?"

"Warm up question." Greg giggled. "You said complete honesty."

Nick rolled his eyes, laughing as Greg was taking advantage of the situation. "I think she's _nice_ . . . in small doses. Why do you ask?"

"Well . . . Jean suggested that we ask your parents down to their house sometime. They've gotta meet sometime and Jean's already planning a big engagement party... why are you turning up your nose?"

"No reason . . . just, they've only just accepted me. You really wonna throw them in the deep end with your parents?"

"You think it would be that bad?"

"We'll ask em okay baby. Don't give your hopes up though."

"But I think this weekend's going pretty good . . . minus all the tears, but even that's good. We're more open with each other." Greg smiled.

"True, it is good. Even though I'm cryin' more . . . I feel like a huge weight is bein' lifted off my shoulders. I actually feel like I can breathe easier."

"I told you you'd feel better." Greg smirked.

"Right, I shoulda listened to you genius." Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's cheek, resting against his shoulder again.

"See your families not so bad after all, huh?" Greg giggled.

"Yeah, and they all love you." Nick smiled back, trailing his fingertips across Greg's chest. "Don't see why they shouldn't, you're perfect." He whispered. "What's your next question Einstein?"

"Do you think it would turn out like 'Meet the Fockers'?" Nick laughed shaking his head at him. "Well if you think about it, our families are kinda like them. Yours are kinda like the Byrnes family and mine are kinda like the Fockers."

"You recon huh?"

"That wasn't my real question." Greg chuckled.

"Kinda figured. So what's your real question?" Greg chewed his lip looking down into his fiancés eyes. "C'mon G, anythin' you wonna know."

"Okay . . . this isn't a question. More of a request." Nick raised one eyebrow looking up at him. "I want you to talk to me, tell me what you're feeling. You can't keep shutting me down when I ask you stuff. If you need time I'll give it . . . but I wonna know how you're feeling."

Nick took a deep breath looking into Greg's eyes then nodded. "Okay."

"Promise me Nick." Greg requested.

"I promise you Greg. I'll tell you what I'm feelin' from now on." He placed a gentle kiss to Greg's lips. "You know what I'm feelin' right now?"

"What?"

"Hungry." Nick smiled.

"Always thinking of your stomach." Greg giggled, being pulled to his feet, crashing into Nick's body.

"Yep. When I'm not thinkin' about you that is. C'mon, I'll race you down." He winked.

"Wait." Greg took hold of Nick's hands, looking into his eyes. "I love you Nicky."

"I love you too baby." Greg backed Nick up towards a tree, joining their lips for their first kiss all day. When Nick closed his eyes, allowing the kiss to sink deeper, Greg took off running down the path. "That's the oldest trick in the book." Nick laughed after him.

"You know I can't _really_ win, so I have to cheat." He giggled. "Geeks Rule!" He shouted then took off down the trail with Nick running behind him trying to catch up.

* * *

**Please Review**

**Greg's finally getting Nick to open up!**

**This chapter was really hard for me to write. I hope its okay, sorry if it made you cry.**


	34. Chapter 34: Acceptance

**Without You**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Acceptance**

"Of course, we'd love to." Jillian smiled round at the boys. "As long as it's alright with your family Greg?"

"My mother would be more than happy." He smiled back.

"Well I can't wait to meet her." She nudged her husband as he hadn't spoken yet.

"Thank you Greg, we'd love to meet your parents." He finally smiled. "Pancho, are you alright with this?" Nick nodded; smiling at the fact his father used his nickname again. "Alright, we're all goin' out tonight, so don't make any plans." He told them, heading out the backdoor to play with his grandchildren again.

"Where are we goin'?" Nick queried his mother.

"It's a surprise." She winked, following after her husband. Greg turned to Nick who had a confused look on his face.

"What?" Greg asked.

"Nothin' . . . this is all just a little surreal." Nick walked over to the kitchen breakfast bar, taking a seat on one of the stools. Greg walked round the other side, resting his head in his hands.

"What's up Nicky? You're supposed to be happy it turned out okay."

"I am happy." He smiled taking Greg's hands in his own across the table. "I've got you and most of my family now . . . it's just a little overwhelmin'." He chuckled.

"Unbelievable." Greg laughed rolling his eyes. "No pleasing you is there?"

"There is one thing that pleases me." He leant across the bar, joining their lips for a sweet sensual kiss, sending butterflies straight to Greg's stomach.

Judge Stokes loudly cleared his throat from the back door, startling both Nick and Greg. "Sorry, we're startin' up a game if you wanted to join in." He smiled, heading back out the door, without looking back at them.

Nick and Greg looked at each other, both guiltily blushing bright red, giggling softly with each other. Nick leant back across the bar, kissing Greg again. "C'mon, don't wonna keep them waitin'." He kissed Greg on the forehead then climbed off his stool, taking Greg's hand as they walked outside together.

The whole family joined in the game of football, dividing into equal teams. Greg didn't know much about football as he never played and rarely ever watched a game. Back home when Nick was sat in front of the TV, he'd be sitting between his legs with a book in his hands. He could never get into the game, even if Nick explained it to him so many times.

The Judge divided everyone's partners into different teams so Nick was on a separate team to Greg. "Greg you're half back – running back." Gwen's eldest Zack instructed him, which left Greg completely clueless. Luckily Nick picked up on his partner's confused face and ran over to his aid while everyone else was getting into position.

"Behind Kayla Greg, she's the full back." He whispered to him then returned to his position. Greg nodded then got into position a few paces behind Kayla. Somehow he ended up with the ball, hearing his team shouting at him to run. Greg took off running, being light on his feet he managed to out run most of the bulky Texans, but eventually got grabbed half way by Nick and ten year old Lauren.

Nick pulled Greg to his feet giving him a wide smile. "I hate sports." Greg groaned.

"Why? You're so good at it." Nick smirked.

"I feel pressured." Greg tossed the ball back to the Judge then returned to his position. This time Kayla got the ball, she wasn't as quick on her feet as Greg, getting caught by her husband Marcus and her nephew Peter.

They played a few more games until everyone was exhausted, collapsing back on the grass or deck chairs with some refreshments. Nick sat on one of the deck chairs, pulling Greg onto his lap, taking him completely by surprise. No one gave them a second look as they were all doing it with their partners. Greg managed to relax back against Nick's chest, feeling his heart pounding against his back.

The women then separated off to the kitchen, gossiping while they prepared the children's dinners. Judge Stokes drove Nick and Greg back to their hotel to get ready for the night. They both sat in the back of his father's truck, in a deafening silence, holding hands across the middle seat as they looked out opposite windows of the car.

Bill Stokes looked in his rear view mirror, feeling beads of sweat dripping from his head from the tension in the air. He desperately tried to think of something to clear the air. Upon a second look he noticed the boys holding hands across the middle seat. Instead of feeling sick, he felt warm tingles in his heart. His mind flashed back to when he and Jillian were teenagers. They were caught out late by his father after curfew. His father didn't shout at them, just loaded them in the back of the car, driving them home in the same deafening silence that had erupted in this very same car. He remembered holding Jillian's hand across the middle seat to calm their nerves. He didn't want his son or Greg to feel like that.

He loudly cleared his throat getting both of their attentions. "So... How long have you been seein' each other?"

Nick smiled looking at Greg. "About 5 months . . . but we've known each other for eight years."

"I remember." The Judge smiled, recalling a conversation with Nick a few years ago about a lab-tech named Greg. Nick spoke so highly of him; if he wasn't completely clueless back then he could have easily seen that his son was head over heels for Greg. "What brought you . . . you know together?"

"I um..." Nick looked at Greg then turned back to his father. "Greg was gonna leave . . . I tried to convince him to stay . . . then I kissed him." The Judge smiled at the sparkle in his sons eyes.

Something he hadn't seen in a very long time.

"Well I hope you're a dancer Greg. That's all I'm allowed to reveal." He smiled to them, parking outside the hotel. "I'll pick you up in about..." He glanced at his watch his wife had given him on their first anniversary. "Two hours." Nick nodded then climbed out the car waiting for Greg.

They both stood outside the hotel watching the Judge driving away then looked at each other. "That was weird." Nick said looking at Greg stood beside him. Greg laughed heading into the hotel with Nick close behind him. "It's not funny Greg, it's weird."

"That he actually accepts you? It's not that weird Nicky." Greg grinned, stepping into the elevator. "For the record I'm not a dancer."

"Catherine and Grissom say different." Nick smirked at him, stepping in the elevator beside him, hitting the button for their floor. "Apparently you're quite the dancer." He chuckled.

"That's just... me goofballing. That's not something I want your whole family to see." Nick's mouth curved into a smile looking round at Greg. "Can you dance?"

"Yep, it's actually one of my favourite things to do."

"How come you haven't danced with me?" Greg asked with a pouting lip.

Nick looked at him with a guilty expression. "I don't know . . . I didn't think you wanted to." Nick took Greg by the hand, leading him towards their room. "C'mon, don't worry about it."

"Don't you wonna dance with me?" Greg pouted still.

"Course I do." Nick pushed open the hotel room door, looking at Greg's adorable pouting lip. "C'mon G, I'll show you a few moves." He pulled Greg through the hotel door; kicking it shut with his foot then grabbed the CD player remote, putting on a slow song. Greg felt warm tingles in his stomach as Nick shed his coat, stepping towards him. He took Greg's hands in his own, pulling Greg closer towards his own body as the music softly started.

Nick moved Greg's shaky left hand to his right shoulder, holding Greg's right hand in his left out to the side of them. He slid his free right hand to the small of Greg's back, slowly beginning to sway to the music.

Greg nervously bit his lip looking into his confident dance partner's eyes as he took the lead around the room. He looked down at their feet, following Nick's movements carefully; surprised he could actually do it.

"See." Nick smiled at him. "You're not so bad after all G." He slid his hands down to Greg's hips pulling him closer still against his body, swaying in slow motion.

"As long as they only do slow songs, I'll be okay. You're family don't go to those cowboy barn dances do they?"

Nick chuckled shaking his head. "My dad's not a barn dancer, so I doubt that's the big surprise. Besides those are easy, you just stand at the back of the crowd, copyin' what everyone else is doin'." He explained, watching Greg looking down at their feet again. "Hey G, the trick is to stare into your partners eyes, just follow their movements."

"Says the expert." Greg smirked at him. Nick suddenly spun him round, tilting him to the side to look down in his eyes. "You coulda thrown out my back."

"You're not that old." Nick smiled then initiated a kiss to Greg' lips, supporting his weight with both arms before he spun him round to his feet again. "In fact, you're more flexible then me."

"Next time, warn me before you do it."

"Okay." He smiled, replacing Greg's hand to his shoulder. "Think you could dance at our weddin'?" Nick asked, resting his chin on Greg's shoulder and pressing the side of his face against Greg's. "If you want to."

"You want the traditional first dance?" Greg asked surprised.

"Well . . . we don't have to do that, but I'm sure there will be music at the after party. We could dance then . . . if you want to." Greg shrugged looking down at their feet again. "Hey," Nick lifted Greg's chin to look into his eyes. "You know I wouldn't make you do anythin' you didn't want to."

"I know."

"Then what's the matter baby?"

"Aren't you worried about the way people will look at us? Even tonight? They won't look twice at your sisters dancing with their partners or your brother with his, but us..." Greg looked back down at their feet, trying to hold back his emotion.

"Hey G . . . this feelin's stuff has to work both ways you know." Greg pulled out of Nick's arms, crashing back onto the bed on his back. He covered his hands over his eyes, staring up at the ceiling. Nick crawled onto the bed beside him, softly kissing the backs of Greg's hands. "Baby please don't cry, you know I'll cry too." Nick whispered, softly soothing his palm down Greg's chest. "C'mon G, talk to me." Greg removed his hands from his face to look up at Nick. "Was it somethin' I said . . . or did?"

"No . . . don't you worry how they'll look at us?"

"We don't have to go, I'll call them." Nick went to sit up but Greg pulled him back down onto the bed before he could grab his phone.

"You can't cancel; they've all been so excited about it."

"I don't wonna do anythin' that upsets you though." Nick softly caressed Greg's cheek, looking into his eyes at the tears threatening to spill.

"It won't."

"They won't look at us differently baby, they didn't act differently when we were holdin' hands at the ranch or even when you were sittin' in my arms on the deck chair did they?" Greg shook his head. "What do we care anyway? We don't care what other people think of us G; we love each other, that's all that matters, right?"

"Right."

"I'm gonna have to kiss you now, you're poutin' is just too adorable." Nick swung his leg over Greg, straddling his waist to run his hands across Greg's body, engaging in a sweet passionate kiss. Greg smiled against Nick's lips, sliding his hands under Nick's shirt to caress the strong muscles beneath it. "Better?" Nick smiled, softly kissing Greg's jaw line.

"Much." He nodded.

"C'mon, we got two hours practice." Nick climbed off the bed, pulling Greg into his arms again.

"Where did you learn to dance anyway?"

"My mother." Nick smiled. "She taught me and my brother how to dance. She drilled gentlemen manners into our heads too." He chuckled.

"I'll remember to thank her." He smiled. "What am I gonna wear though?" Greg suddenly gasped.

Nick chuckled slightly. "You don't have to worry about your outfit too much G."

"But all my t-shirts are a joke..."

"Don't sell yourself short. I love your t-shirts. You must have somethin' smart to wear?" Nick stopped dancing heading over to the closet, pulling Greg along with him. Greg stood back with a smile on his face, watching Nick going through his clothes. He picked out some smart black jeans with a dark t-shirt and one of his suit jackets. "There you go, see you do have some smart stuff." Nick looked up at the grin on Greg's face. "What?"

"Nothing, I love how possessive you are over me."

"You do, do you?" Nick smiled, stepping closer to Greg, placing his hands on his hips with a devious glint in his eye. "I can think of somethin' else that's very possessive and doesn't require any clothin'." He rasped, backing Greg up towards the bed.

Greg sweetly giggled as their bodies entwined crashing back onto the bed. "I thought we were supposed to be practicing dance moves?"

"I think you've got that down fine." Nick rasped pressing his lips to Greg's then stripped their clothing in record time, grinding their heated flesh together with a shower of kisses across one another's bodies. They softly moaned, grinding their hips against each other, pawing at one another's flesh.

Greg felt the familiar tingles building up in his stomach. Nick held him closer, softly sucking and nipping at the skin from behind Greg's ear to his shoulders. Greg's hands explored Nick's back as their legs entwined with each other, grinding their erections into each other. They both started to shudder against each other, spilling their warm seed between them, rolling together on the bed as though they were one.

Nick spread his legs, raising up his knees for Greg to settle between them. Greg collapsed onto Nick's chest, panting heavily against Nick's sweaty chesty. Greg loved the musky after smells. He breathed them in deep, feeling the sticky warm seed against his stomach, looking up to see Nick had fallen asleep. More than anything Greg wanted to stay put, but he couldn't fall asleep himself as the Judge would be back in two hours.

Greg managed to wriggle from Nick's arms, reaching for the wipes on the bedside table to clean them both off. He tossed the wipes into the trash then lay on the bed beside Nick watching him sleep. Nick had a tough day, but he still held it together to comfort Greg.

Greg ran his eyes across Nick's body; there was no part of him he didn't love, even the tiny scars from the ant bites that went deep enough to leave a mark. They showed what Nick had survived to be here today.

Greg brushed his index finger over a few of them down towards the blue veins showing in Nick's wrist. He had never felt so close to someone in his entire life. Now he was closest to his best friend and lover, he never wanted to turn back. Nick was everything to him.

He had always liked Nick from his very first day in the lab, but back then he would have never thought that eight years later he'd be lying naked in the same bed as him, being engaged to be married.

"_Nick, you met the new lab tech Greg Sanders?" Grissom asked. Nick shook his head then looked at the charming young man stood before him. He stood speechless, gazing at the young man's stunning head of hair; dark brown with lighter brown patches throughout. He had boyishly thick long lashes, gorgeous thick eyebrows. A very young and pale complexion with smooth soft pinkish lips._

_Nick stood in awe, admiring all the features at the beautiful creature stood before him. It was as though he stepped into a fairy tale land, Greg was more beautiful than words could describe._

"_Nicky!" Catherine softly patted him on the shoulder giving him a wide smirk. "This is Greg Sanders."_

"_Oh . . . Hi." Nick extended his left hand into the heavenly touch of the younger man, watching his adorable mouth spread into a thousand watt smile that made his heart soar through the roof. He stared into those luscious brown eyes, swearing he could see the moon in them._

"_I'm... I'm..." He suddenly found himself lost for words, unable to remember his own name. The young man's grin increased wider, his eyes were more full of life, twinkling under the lights in the break room. Greg's eyes were like a passage to his soul._

_Nick had never seen anything more beautiful in his life._

Greg gazed down at the key around his neck, bringing a smile to his face as he held it in his hand. He had never felt more full in his life. So full of love, he almost didn't know how to express it. He cursed himself for not noticing Nick's love for him the first time they met, usually he was quite good at reading peoples body language, but he completely missed the obvious clues that day.

Greg looked at the time over his shoulder, frowning angrily. Nick's father would be here soon to take them out to their surprise. He looked back at Nick, not wanting to wake him for the world as he'd had a really tough emotional day, but he knew Nick wouldn't want to disappoint his father by being late.

Greg softly kissed Nick's forehead, his eyelids, his cheeks; covering his face in gentle licks and kisses, slowly waking him up. Nick blinked his eyes open a few times then immediately smiled looking up at Greg as he continued his gentle licks and kisses across his face.

"What are you doin' G, tryin' to drown me?" He chuckled.

"No, I love you Nicky." Nick opened his eyes wider to look up at Greg. "You're my everything." Nick looked up seeing tears in Greg's eyes.

"What's the matter baby?" Nick ran his thumb under Greg's eye, catching the tear before it fell.

"Nothing's wrong, I just love you so much Nicky. It's a happy tear." He smiled wider, resuming his kissing to Nick's face. "I really, really, really, really, really love you Nicky."

"Whoa there boy." Nick chuckled, cupping Greg's face in his hands. "I love you too, but you don't have to eat me." Greg sweetly giggled, climbing on top of Nick to deepen his kiss to Nick's lips. Nick circled his hands around Greg's body, pulling him closer, kissing him hungrily as if he wanted to devour him.

They finally pulled apart for air, looking into one another's eyes.

"C'mon, your dad will be here soon." Greg gave him one last peck, scrambling off the bed to find his clothing.

"Hey G." Nick called from the bed. Greg looked round at him seeing his wide smile. "I can't wait to marry you."

"I can't wait to marry you either." Greg winked back.

They both got dressed and ready, right on time for the Judge's arrival.

* * *

The Judge parked outside a club, nicely lit by the moon and stars above. He gave them both a warm smile leading them through the quiet front door. As they entered into the darkness all of Nick's family jumped out at once, clicking the lights on yelling "Surprise."

Nick and Greg gasped looking round at the bar. There were tables all around the outside with all of Nick's family stood around them; a band on the stage and a large dance floor with the banner 'Congratulations Nick and Greg' written across it.

The Judge stepped up behind them, placing one hand on Nick's shoulder and the other on Greg's. "We threw all your sisters and brother a surprise engagement party." He whispered. "You're no different." He lightly tapped them both on the back then signalled to the band to start while he went to find his wife.

"If I tell Jean about this she'll be so jealous." Greg whispered to Nick.

"She'll probably try and out do it." Nick chuckled, taking Greg by the hand as they walked through the crowd of family members, even spotting some of his aunts, uncles and cousins amongst the crowd. He walked Greg round to introduce him to them then gave his mother a big hug. She tried her best to hold back her tears, but she had never seen her son so happy before.

"We got you some gifts." Kayla excitedly announced, giving Greg a big hug then her baby brother Nick.

"Kayla, would you relax sweetie. She's been crazy hyper all evenin'." Her mother chuckled. "Boys come sit over here." She ushered them to their seats, sitting down beside Greg while her husband sat beside Nick. "We didn't know what to get you. I hope you don't mind Greg, but I called your mother and she faxed over some of your baby pictures," Jillian handed over a box to them from under the table. Greg gripped Nick's hand under the table nervously, fearing how his mother was going to embarrass him now. They both anxiously pulled off the wrapping paper from the box, lifting the lid together to reveal personalised mugs with pictures of each of them as babies collaged all over them.

"Nicky always said how much you love your coffee Greg." Jillian smiled at him.

"Wow." Nick and Greg both gasped, lifting the mugs to examine the pictures more carefully. Greg frantically searched through the collage of pictures, making sure his mother didn't send over any embarrassing ones. He sighed in relief then smiled up at Nick, trying to think of something to say to Nick's parents, but he was utterly speechless.

"Wow thanks Mama; you guys didn't have to do this." Nick finally spoke.

"We've done it for everyone else Nicky. Kayla still has her personalised mouse mats of her and Marcus." Jillian chuckled then looked at Greg's confused expression. "Oh they met at a computer software company. Kayla was a customer, she dropped a mouse mat she was looking at and Marcus went to help her pick it up. Love at first sight." She smiled.

"Wow, thank you Mrs Stokes." Greg finally found his words, admiring the coffee mug in his hands.

"I told you to call me Jillian dear." She smiled, lightly tapping his hand. "We're family now after all." Greg looked round at Nick who had a wide smile on his face.

A few more family members lined up to congratulate them, giving them small gifts then started ordering in the drinks and getting up on the dance floor.

Greg stepped outside a moment while Nick was talking with his sisters. He was a little overwhelmed and he didn't want them all to see him cry. Greg sat on the porch swing outside the bar, slowly rocking backwards and forwards. He pulled his cell phone out dialling his mother, sniffing back his tears so she couldn't hear it in his voice.

"_Hello sweetie, what's wrong? Shouldn't you be partying right now?"_

"I am." Greg nodded, sniffing still. "We're here now. They threw a huge engagement party, with banners and dancing..."

"_It's not very polite to use your phone in the middle of a party sweetie. They'll think you're very unsociable."_

Greg chuckled slightly. "I stepped outside Jean. I do remember the manners you drilled into my head."

"_That's my boy. So why are you calling me? What's wrong? Why would you step outside during the middle of a party of people who you thought were going to throttle you?"_

"One question at a time mom." He giggled. "I needed some air..."

"_Uh oh, I sense a case of OCD NOSS."_

"What the hell is OCD noss?" Greg asked confused.

"_Only Child Desperate Need Of Space Syndrome. It must be weird to be over there with Nick's six other siblings, their partners and all the nieces and nephews..."_

"I sense a hint of jealously there mother."

"_Why would I be jealous? I mean I'm here all alone, curled up on the sofa with a snoring husband, while my mother's dancing in her night gown under the stars and my father's playing checkers with some kid in Thailand over the internet." _Greg laughed shaking his head. "_I mean I'd love to have some children to fawn over or even some grandchildren to play or cook with..."_

"Mom." He groaned.

"_I'm just saying sweetheart. Don't worry; I know what you're going through. As a fellow only child, I remember my engagement party with all of your father's family there. I only had my mom and dad, even though his family were all so friendly you do sometimes feel like the loneliest person in the world. So I understand sweetheart, have you been crying?"_

"No."

"_You have, I can hear it in your voice. Why are you crying baby? Was it something Nicky did? I'll ring his neck if he hurt you..."_

"He hasn't . . . it's nothing to do with Nick." Greg rested his head in his hands, looking down at the ground. "They're all so nice and loving . . . and we've such an emotional drain. Nick told his parents some things, there hasn't been an hour gone by that we haven't cried. It's all a little overwhelming."

"_Oh sweetie, are you okay?"_

"I'm fine." He sighed heavily. "Thanks for not embarrassing me with the baby pictures."

"_You thought I'd embarrass you sweetie?" _She chuckled. "_I wouldn't do that. I love you honey, your father managed to stop me from sending one of you in the bath though." _Greg rolled his eyes, leaning back on the bench. "_I don't know how it slipped into the pile." _She innocently defended herself.

"I love you mom, even for your quirks."

"_I love you too sweetheart." _Jean felt tears welling up in her eyes. "_Nicky better take care of you sweetheart, he doesn't know how lucky he is to have found you."_

"About half as lucky as me to have found him." Greg replied. "Did I tell you he took me horse riding?"

"_WHAT?" _She shrieked in fright, waking her husband. "_Greg, horses are dangerous. I thought I told Nicky to look after you..."_

"He is." Greg chuckled. "Horses aren't dangerous Mom, stirrups are."

"_Huh? What the hell's a stirrup?"_

"The things you put your feet in. Nick said it was coz I was wearing trainers, you're supposed to wear boots so your foot won't get caught..."

"_You broke your foot?"_

"No, I'm fine." Greg chuckled. "I got my foot stuck and I twisted my ankle."

"_Did you get it checked out? Can you walk on it okay?"_

"Mom, I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt."

"_How can I trust him to look after you if he's putting you on a horse?" _Jean shrieked again.

"Mom, relax okay. The horses didn't eat me, I'm perfectly fine. They're really friendly. Like a big dog." He giggled. "Nick does protect me; he was even willing to cancel tonight to protect my feelings."

"_I'm still having words with him." _She warned. "_You know how I feel about horses Gregory."_

"I don't know why Mom. Horses aren't dangerous, unless they stand on your foot." He added.

"_Gregory, I can't bare any more heart ache of you being rushed into hospital __**again!!!**__"_

"I'm not going to hospital Mom; believe me I don't wonna end up there again either. I'm fine, stop worrying okay. Nothing bads gonna happen to me . . . not again. I've finally turned a corner and it's time for good things to happen."

"_I hope so sweetheart."_

"They already are happening." Greg smiled. "I better go before everyone starts to wonder where I am. After all there's like forty or so of them and only one of me."

"_Okay sweetie, call me tomorrow. You're father says hello, it was more of a grunt actually."_

Greg giggled shaking his head. "You and I are so alike its scary Mom. I love you; tell dad I love him too."

"_Will do, I love you honey. Be careful."_

"I will." Greg snapped his phone shut then looked up seeing Nick leant against one of the poles holding up the canopy outside the bar. "How long you been standing there?"

"Not long." He walked towards him plopping down on the swing beside him. "You're moms worried I'm not lookin' after you?"

"I told her we went horse riding." Greg giggled. Nick smiled putting his arm round Greg's shoulder, pulling him closer.

"Nothin' bads gonna happen to you G."

"Weren't standing there long huh?" He chuckled, looking up at him.

"I wondered where you went. You coulda told me you were havin' only child syndrome." He smiled kissing his forehead.

"You know what OCD NOSS is?" Greg asked surprised.

"Course, Jean told me about it when we were first goin' out." He chuckled, kissing Greg on the forehead. "You okay now?"

"Yeah, I just didn't wonna announce it in front of all your sisters. They already looked at me funny when I geeked out over all the presents."

"They thought you were adorable, don't worry." Nick chuckled. "You wonna go back in yet?"

"Yep." Greg jumped to his feet, pulling Nick with him. "Did you know your cousin Clay is gay?" Nick shook his head shocked. "He brought his boyfriend along with him. His parents knew, but they were keeping it a secret."

"How do you learn this stuff?" Nick laughed, following him back into the bar.

"I just have an honest face." He flashed his adorable grin to Nick.

"Yeah I think that's it." He laughed.

"Greg." Gwen called running through the crowd. "Come show my friend Anna your key." Before Greg could answer she whisked him away from Nick's side, towards some giggling girls, eager to see his romantic engagement key.

An hour later Nick walked over to where Greg was sat with his three sisters Kayla, Gwen and Lily along with Bill's wife Vanessa and Gwen's friend Anna. He smiled to himself realising Greg was very popular with the ladies this past weekend. Little Mindy always wanted him around and whenever Nick looked round Greg was always with the girls.

_And people call me the ladies man. _He chuckled to himself.

Nick walked closer to the table and held out his hand to Greg with a wide smile on his face. Greg looked round at the table of Nick's family then smiled, taking Nick's hand, allowing him to pull him from his chair. Nick led him through the tables towards the dance floor, slowly wrapping his hands around Greg's body, softly swaying to the music. He could feel Greg trembling slightly, but people were only looking on in awe, instead of disgust like Greg had feared.

The flow of conversation continued around them as if it was perfectly normal. Greg began to relax, remembering the moves Nick had taught him, following his lead. Nick felt warm tingles in the pit of his stomach. Usually at family gatherings he sat in the back, watching his sisters or brother dancing with their partner, feeling so alone and empty.

Now he had Greg in his arms, while his family were looking on at him.

"I love you Greg." He whispered against his ear, pulling him closer. "More than anythin' in the world." Greg had to bury his face into Nick's neck so no one could see his tears of joy pooling in his eyes.

"I love you too Nicky." His muffled voice sniffled back. "Being with you makes my life worth living." Nick smiled softly pressing a kiss to Greg's cheek.

Jillian and Bill looked on at the boys then turned to each other with wide smiles on their faces. They could immediately tell what the other was thinking without saying a word.

_Nick had finally found his happy ever after!_

* * *

**Please Review, I hope you enjoyed it :D**

**Guide to Stokes (extended) Family: (20 nieces and nephews) In case any of you were confused, just to give you a rough idea of the Stokes family.**

**Jillian & Judge Bill Stokes, parents**

**Bill junior & wife Vanessa, kids - Carla=14, Charlie&Chris=8, Cameron=6**

**Lillian & husband Anthony, kids - Lauren=10, Nathan=8, Ben=7, Emily=4**

**Gwen & husband Damian, kids - Zack=16, Denise=10, Charlotte=8, Bobby=6**

**Ronnie & husband Jason, kids - Xander=9, Kevin=6**

**Vicki & husband Lucas, kids - Peter=14, Justin=12, Robert=9**

**Kayla & husband Marcus, kids - Freddie=11, Tyler=7, Mindy=4**


	35. Chapter 35: Bless You

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Bless You**

Greg shook himself away, shooting up to a sitting position. He felt the sweat dripping beneath his clothes. Realising he was in strange surroundings, he scrambled off the bed, stumbling over a discarded suit jacket on the floor to reach the light switch against the wall.

Nick heard the crash of furniture as Greg stumbled into the chest of draws, immediately waking up to see Greg sweating and panting by the far wall. "Hey, hey, what's wrong baby?" He scrambled off the bed to pull Greg's trembling body into his embrace. "Did you have another nightmare sweetie?" He whispered softly, smoothing his hands up and down Greg's sweat soaked clothes.

Greg nodded against Nick's shoulder, trying to slow his breathing. "Where are we?"

"Guest bedroom at the ranch. You fell asleep in the car, so my mom made up the guestroom for us." Nick softly kissed Greg on the forehead, feeling his panic breathing beginning to slow against his own chest.

"Are you okay baby?" Greg nodded, slowly beginning to relax in Nick's arms. "C'mon." He slowly guided their bodies back towards the bed, laying Greg down carefully then cuddling up behind him, pulling the covers around them again. He held Greg's body close to his own, placing a gentle kiss on the back of his neck.

Greg slowly dozed off again, feeling safer with Nick's arms securely wrapped around him.

* * *

Nick slowly awoke a few hours later. He stretched out, looking for his partner's warm body, but he was all alone. Nick reached for Greg's side, feeling the cold sheets, meaning he had been gone for a while. Since being with Greg he had never woken up alone, so it was a weird experience.

Nick showered and got dressed, wandering round the house to look for Greg. He arrived at the kitchen watching his mother rushing around to clean the kitchen of dirty dishes and things. "Hey Mama."

"Nicky! Good mornin' honey." She smiled warmly. "Would you like some breakfast? You slept later then everyone else, but I saved you some." She pulled open the grill presenting his favourite breakfast egg bake with a side of bacon and sausages. She set it down at the breakfast bar, handing him some cutlery.

"Have you seen Greg?" He asked, sitting down on the stool.

"I think he went to feed the horses, I gave him a couple of carrots."

"Did he eat?"

She thought about it then shook her head. "No, he said he wasn't hungry." Jillian continued to clean up round the kitchen, not noticing the concerned look on Nick's face. Nick knew from experience that after Greg had his usual nightmares, he forgot to take care of himself; like eating for example.

Nick quickly finished his breakfast then went to go find Greg outside. "Howdy." Nick smiled to his dad and brother.

"Nicky." Bill slapped his brother on the back giving him a warm smile. "Mornin' bro."

"Pancho, sleep well?"

"Yep." Nick nodded, looking over at Greg sat on the fence, stroking a horse he was too scared to go near the other day.

"You know Hunter's only ever taken a shine to you." His father smirked. "Now he loves Greg too." Nick nodded watching the oldest horse brushing up against Greg's extended hand. "Hunter hates me and Billy."

"True." Billy nodded, flinching as he remembered the pain of the horse bucking him off.

"He's kicked me hundreds of times." Nick's father added.

"Don't let Greg know he kicked you though." Nick smiled at him. "He'll never go near a horse again." The Judge and his brother watched Nick walking round the outside of the horse field towards Greg.

"Hey." Nick swung his leg over the fence to sit on it beside Greg.

"What's this one's name?" Greg asked, stroking the white nose of the black horse.

"Hunter. He's the oldest."

"How old?"

"Nineteen, nearly twenty. We don't ride him much anymore." Nick looked at Greg then back at the horse he was softly stroking.

"Think I should offer him a tic-tac?" Greg giggled as the horse breathed all over them. Nick nodded giving Greg a smile.

"I missed you this mornin'."

"Sorry, I went for a walk . . . Rusty followed me everywhere." He smiled, running his hand through the horse's long mane.

"You hungry Greg?" Greg shook his head without looking round at him. "Wonna go for a walk?"

"Sure." Greg swung his legs round, jumping off the fence. Nick joined him leading him in the right direction.

* * *

"C'mon Greg."

"You hicks, is walking all you do?" Greg panted, holding his sides as he trailed along behind Nick. "My legs are still stiff and my sides are aching."

"Is moanin' all you do?" Nick laughed back to him. Greg gave him an evil scowl, stopping to take a breathier.

"I can't walk any further."

"C'mon, gimme your hands." Nick stepped up onto a large boulder, reaching his hands down towards Greg. "C'mon." Nick smiled widely.

Greg took a few more steps forward, reaching up for his partners hands, being pulled up beside him onto the large boulder. Nick wrapped his arms around Greg's waist as they looked down at the lake below.

"Wow." Greg gasped in amazement. Nick smiled wider looking at the sparkle in Greg's eyes. "That's beautiful."

"Yep, I wanted to show it to you." He pulled Greg closer pressing the side of his head against Greg's, looking out at the lake across the way, with woods just beyond that.

"Where's the ranch?" Nick pointed past the woods, Greg was just able to make out the horses field, watching them running around in the morning sunshine. "We really walked all that way?"

"Yep. And you didn't stop moanin' once." Nick laughed, poking Greg in the ribs.

"You danced my feet off last night." Greg chuckled.

"Sorry baby."

"Don't be . . . I loved it." He winked at him. "So this is your favourite spot in the world, huh?"

"Yep, I used to sit right here when I was kid . . . it was my escape from the world. I used to sit here for hours . . . just thinkin'." Greg looked up into Nick's eyes, giving him a soft smile. "What?"

"Nothing," Greg grinned wider. "I was just imagining a little Nicky sitting right here. My escape from my mother was the linen closet, only place she never found me." Nick laughed shaking his head.

"You couldn't go outside?"

"She had bolts on all the doors, too high for me to reach, even if I stood on a chair. Even the windows had locks so I couldn't squeeze out of them." Nick widened his eyes looking down at him. "Yep, I felt like a prisoner in my own home sometimes. She eased up in my teens though."

"So you hid in the linen closet?"

"Only place she never looked." Greg grinned.

"Why weren't you allowed outside?"

"I was under adult supervision. She was worried about bugs or wild animals attacking me."

"Okay." Nick tried not to laugh. "Wonna sit down?" Nick sat down on a smooth surface of the boulder; Greg sat between his legs, resting his back against Nick's chest, with Nick's arms wrapped around his waist. "See Texas ain't so bad is it?"

"Not so bad." Greg agreed. "Think California's gonna be a disaster with both of our families?"

"As long as your mother behaves herself, it shouldn't be." Nick chuckled. "I'm not sure my dad could tolerate her hyperness."

"How do you tolerate mine?"

"Coz I love you." Nick rested his chin on Greg's shoulder, kissing the soft spot below his ear. "Now if you wanted to walk a little further, there's this tree swing not far along. Me and my dad put it up."

"How far exactly?" Greg grumbled.

"Not too far." Nick smiled. "We can sit here a little longer if you want."

"I wonna stay here forever with you." Nick kissed Greg's cheek, smiling as they looked around at the scenery. Greg leant back into Nick's embrace, feeling completely at peace with Nick's arms tightly around his body and his knees either side of him.

"Greg, what's the matter? You've been quiet all mornin', except for your moanin' that is." He chuckled slightly.

"Nothing."

"C'mon G, I know when somethin's up, if you want me to think its nothin' you have to do a better job at coverin' it up." He wrapped his arms tighter around Greg's body, softly kissing his neck again. "C'mon baby, talk to me."

"I wish they would stop. I just start getting better then they start up again."

"Your dreams?" Greg nodded. "It's been almost two years for me, but I still have nightmares. They do get easier Greg. You may not think it, but you are doin' better."

"I wish I could have a beer." Greg chuckled.

"You can if you want. But I don't think that will solve your problems." He smiled softly. "You wonna tell me about it?"

"It was just the usual . . . dragged from the car thing. Only this time I wasn't driving the Denali and there were kids in the back."

"Kids?"

"Think they were ours." Greg pulled his knees closer to his chest, looking down at the lake below. "I couldn't even protect our own kids."

"It's just a nightmare baby." He gently rocked Greg in his arms, softly kissing the back of his neck. "Have I told you how much I love you today?"

"Not yet."

"I love you so much Greg." He tickled Greg, softly sucking his neck making him giggle and squirm. He tilted Greg's head back to give him a passionate kiss, staring down into his eyes. "I really do love you baby."

"I love you too Nicky." He kissed him back with a wide smile on his face. "So how far away is this swing?"

"Not that far, you realise we have to walk all the way back eventually though."

"I won't moan, I swear." Greg smiled innocently.

"I'll hold you to it." He chuckled, climbing to his feet, taking Greg's hand in his.

"Oh, wait . . . I have a cramp."

"Not even two seconds and you're complainin'." Nick laughed.

"I have a cramp in my leg." Greg protested, leaning against Nick allowing the blood to rush back through his leg.

"You need to exercise more and eat right G." Nick chuckled.

"The cramp in my leg has nothing to do with what I eat." Greg scowled him. "It has to do with the big lummox sitting on me."

"Hey." Nick laughed poking him in the side. "Don't tease me Sanders."

"You teased me."

"I just said you need to exercise more and eat right. You're too skinny as it is and you skipped breakfast again."

Greg rolled his eyes, feeling his leg coming back to life. "I do eat right."

"Pot noodles aren't healthy for you and all that sugar you eat doesn't agree with you."

"Sorry Mr. Controlling." He said sarcastically.

"You teasin' me again?"

"Might be." Greg flashed a grin Nick's way. "So what I'm not as health conscious as you. Do you not like my body?"

"I looovve your body." He rasped, wrapping his hands around Greg's waist. "I just don't want you to waste away G. There's barely anythin' left of you as it is."

"I'll eat when we get back okay? Would you stop worrying?"

"Sorry." Nick sweetly kissed him then laced his fingers with Greg's continuing on down the path towards the swing.

"My feet hurt." Greg complained with a wide cheeky grin.

"Ugh Greg." He laughed, tickling him.

"I was kidding." Greg laughed, squirming away. "No Nicky." He giggled as Nick swept him off his feet into his arms, bridal style.

"I'm gonna have to carry you to shut you up." Nick smiled at him.

"You think that's gonna stop me? I can keep going all..." Nick cut him off, pressing his lips against Greg's. Nick softly broke the kiss, looking into Greg's eyes. "Well that's not gonna work forever." Greg chuckled.

"Doesn't bother me. I can kiss you all day if I have to."

"By all means, go ahead." Greg grinned wider, giggling as Nick joined their lips again.

* * *

"Here it is." Nick carefully lowered Greg to the grass, lacing his fingers with Greg's; leading him through the trees towards a swing sat overlooking the beautiful lake. "See." Nick pulled Greg closer showing him the engraved names in the bench.

"Pancho and Cisco?" Greg asked, examining it.

"Yeah, from the Cisco kid." He smiled, leading Greg towards a large tree. He jumped up to grab the rope, pulling it from the branch it was latched around.

"Now you want me to climb a rope?" Greg asked, folding his arms across his chest. Nick glared at him with a wide grin then climbed the rope himself, using the tree branches to climb up, disappearing into the canopy of leaves above. "You know I never made you do any of this stuff at my house. We just chilled out and relaxed!" Greg shouted up to him.

"Would you quit moanin' and get your sweet little ass up here!" Nick shouted down to him. Greg looked at the rope in front of him then reluctantly started to climb it.

"I'm not a climber Nick."

"It's easy, just give it go." Greg pulled himself up the rope, walking the tree with his legs. As he reached closer to the top a hand extended down to him, pulling him into a tree house; a very carefully crafted tree house, adult size; painted in a wildlife green colour, completely camouflaging it against the trees.

"You never said anything about a tree house." Greg gasped, stepping inside. The interior was even better, a single mattress sat against the far wall with posters and books everywhere, along with binoculars and fishing equipment. Everyone little adventurers dream house.

Nick sat down on the mattress, watching Greg looking round at everything. "It was a surprise. Me and my dad built it. No one else knows about it, except my nephew Xander, but he's sworn to secrecy."

"Xander . . . the one collecting bugs in those little jars?" Greg queried. Nick nodded watching as Greg picked up a photo of him and his dad in fishing gear. "I woulda loved to have more of a relationship with my dad then my mom."

"Cmere." Nick pulled Greg down onto the mattress, lying down with Greg in his arms. "I've never been in here with anyone else before . . . I was always alone."

"You'll never be alone again Nicky . . . unless you get sick of me."

"I'd never get sick of you baby. Even when you're moanin' I love you." He pulled Greg closer, feeling Greg's heartbeat against his own as he placed a soft kiss to Greg's forehead.

"I love you too." Greg leant up on his elbow to softly kiss Nick's lips. They both smiled into the kiss, running their hands down one another's sides. "So this didn't turn out how you expected, huh Nicky?"

"Nothin' like what I expected."

"Everyone's been so accepting and supportive. Except Vicki . . . she still looks at me funny."

"She's a hard core Christian. Don't take any notice of her. She said she's comin' to the weddin' though . . . I think she's just worried how the family will treat her if she doesn't accept me. Gwen and Kayla have already been bitin' her head off about it." Nick chuckled slightly.

"Do you think our mom's will get on?" Greg asked, circling his fingertips across Nick's arm round his waist.

"As long as your mother tones down the sex talk . . . I'm pretty sure they will." Nick smiled, pressing a kiss to Greg's forehead again, softly ruffling his hair. "And your Papa Olaf, I think your Nana and dad will get on with my parents. They seem more normal." He chuckled.

"My Nana only seems normal because she's getting senile and my dad is the most normal of us, even he feels out of place with us sometimes."

"Well with your dad bein' very liberal and my dad bein' extremely conservative . . . there's bound to be some buttin' heads. Don't worry about it baby, I'm sure it'll be fine and my Mama's been really excited about it."

"I hope so." Greg snuggled closer to Nick, listening to the sounds of the lake and the birds chirping around them.

"Tell me if you get hungry sweetie. I don't want you passin' out."

"Are you seriously gonna run all the way back to the house to get some food for me?" Greg asked with a wide grin.

"For you I'd do anythin'." He trailed his fingertips down the side of Greg's face, softly joining their lips for a sweet kiss. "You're my world."

* * *

"Hi Mama." Nick announced, startling his mother from the pictures she was holding in her hands. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay sweetheart." She smiled looking down at the photos of her baby in her hands. "Nicky, I'm so very sorry. Will you ever forgive me?"

"I already have." Nick stepped closer to see she was holding pictures of him as a child. "It's not your fault Mama."

"But I left you here with her. I didn't know her and I left her here alone with you. What kind of mother does that to her baby boy?"

"Mama, it's not your fault..."

"But it is! I was always so careful before. I checked their background, references and things. Why didn't I do it for her? You must have thought I was a monster."

"I didn't." Nick looked down at a spot on the carpet. "I never hated you Mama . . . I know it wasn't your fault . . . I never wanted to disappoint you."

Suddenly Nick's behaviour to always try and impress his father made sense.

"You thought you disappointed us? Oh baby, if anythin' it's us who's disappointed you. How could I do this to you?" She started to sob, clutching his baby pictures close to her chest. "How could I do this to you my baby boy?"

"Mama." Nick stepped closer, taking the sobbing woman into his arms. "It's not your fault." He whispered, clutching her close.

"But I knew somethin' was wrong, I should have picked up on it. You weren't the same after that..."

"I hid it well. I'm good at that."

She smiled slightly. "You shouldn't have had to hide it though baby."

"I know, I should have told you."

"This isn't your fault baby. Don't think that we'd love you less or be disappointed in you. We love you . . . so much. This is _all my_ fault."

"Mama Stop! It's not your fault, don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known. I've seen this all the time on the job. It's not your fault, not at all. It's the babysitters. Put the blame where it belongs; don't let this eat away at you." Jillian sobbed harder against her baby boy's shoulder. They both held each other, softly swaying as they cried into each other's shoulders softly.

"Why aren't you with Greg?" She queried, wiping her eyes.

"I left him in the kitchen with Kayla. She's fixin' him a Stokes sized snack." He chuckled making her smile too.

"He's not used to the big meals, huh? He is very skinny."

"He's just not as well built as us Texans."

"I've seen girls with more meat on them then him." She chortled. "I'm so glad you found someone honey. Greg seems like a really great guy. I can't wait to meet his parents. Even though I don't get on with most of the in-laws . . . I'm sure I'll get on with Jean and..."

"Daniel." Nick finished for her. "I think you will. I'm worried about dad. Jean and Daniel are very liberal."

"I'll talk to him honey. You should go rescue Greg from Kayla; she'll talk his ears off." She chuckled, wiping her eyes with a tissue.

"Thanks Mama." He smiled, walking off to look for Greg.

* * *

Nick chuckled softly as he saw Greg in the library, blowing the dust off the thick books that have rarely ever been touched, let alone opened. "Figured I'd find you in a library." Nick smirked.

"Geeks don't feel at home unless they're in a big stuffy library." Greg giggled, blowing the dust off another book.

"Whatcha readin' then Einstein?" Nick leant over Greg's shoulder, wrapping his arms around his waist. "The Shinnin'." Nick read off the front cover. "My dad used to read me that when I was a kid. You seen the film for it?"

"Nope . . . have you?"

"Yeah, I'm sure we have it somewhere."

"I noticed the Oliver Twist book looks a little battered." Greg pointed out.

"Yep, I think that's an all time favourite amongst the Stokes kids." He grinned. "Did you eat?"

"The snack you mean?" Greg chuckled. "Yes I ate the beef and turkey sandwiches, grapes, crackers and cheese, carrot sticks, doughnuts, cornbread, coleslaw, beetroots, tomatoes . . . I think there was something else too." Greg tried to think. "Oh, celery sticks and an avocado dip. Think I'm full for next Friday now." He smirked, patting his full belly.

"At least they're lookin' after you." Nick chuckled, wrapping his arms around him. "You ready to go to California tomorrow?"

"Are you?"

"I think it would be nice to hear your Papa O's jokes after all the emotional drainage here . . . And to get you away from all the ladies. Is one Stokes kid not good enough for yah?" He chuckled, tickling Greg slightly.

"I was just being friendly. Don't tell me you're jealous." Greg laughed.

"Yeah I'm a little jealous. People call me the ladies man back in Vegas; no one's ever seen you in action." He chuckled, poking Greg playfully in the ribs.

"Maybe your losing yah mojo there cowboy." He teased.

"Me? Losin' my mojo? Dream on sweetheart." Nick laughed. "I just don't feel the need to pretend to date women now. I have you now and I love you. I'm one hundred percent loyal and I always will be." Nick went to kiss him, but laughed as Greg pulled back to sneeze. "That's what books will do to yah." He chuckled.

"That's what mistreated books will do to me." Greg corrected with another sneeze.

"Bless you."

"No Bless you Nicky, none of this would be happening if you hadn't of kissed me that day."

"I'm glad I did." Nick kissed Greg this time, pulling him closer against his body. "Are you sleepy honey?" He asked as Greg yawned against his neck.

"A little. All that walking today."

"C'mon . . . we can sleep here again. No one will mind." Nick led Greg by the hand, off towards the guest bedroom again. He kicked his shoes off; helping Greg with his then eased their bodies onto the bed, spooning Greg from behind.

"You don't always have to fuss over me Nicky." Greg yawned, shifting slightly into a comfier position.

"I love fussin' over you." Nick spread his hands across Greg's chest, placing a kiss to his neck. "I love you baby." When he didn't get a response he saw Greg was already peacefully asleep. He looked so young and innocent when he slept. When Greg was awake he was always smiling and bouncing around like a hyper puppy. Nick could barely keep up with him. But while Greg was sleeping he was so quiet, peaceful and still.

* * *

**Back home to the Sanders family**

**Please Review**


	36. Chapter 36: I Love My Son

**Chapter Thirty Six: I love my Son**

**Author Lolly4Holly / Beta NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan**

"Oh No." Greg rolled his eyes, looking out the side window. Nick leant over Greg to see Jean jumping up and down holding a large banner reading 'I love my son!' "Shoot me please." Greg whimpered, sinking lower in his chair with embarrassment.

"Relax baby." Nick laughed softly. "We'll slip through the crowd like we don't know her. No one will know you're related." He chuckled.

"She'll chase me down." Greg rolled his eyes, covering his face with his hands.

"C'mon baby, you've lasted 31 years of her torture."

"But she said she'd behave." Greg groaned, pulling his hands from his face.

"She just loves you." Nick smiled, poking Greg in the stomach. "I don't blame her for goin' crazy for you." He smirked.

Greg rolled his eyes at him, folding his arms across his chest. "You keep your parents busy while I rip it from her hands."

"No G." He chuckled. "Suck it up." Nick climbed to his feet, grabbing the bags from their overhead storage. He dragged a reluctant Greg towards the doors of the plane, leading him down towards his family. Greg's Nana and Mother immediately threw their arms around him, hugging and kissing him tightly. While Nick stood back with Dan waiting for Nick's parents to come down the steps.

"Nice flight?" Dan asked turning to Nick.

"Yeah, except Greg's moanin'." He smirked knowing Greg would moan again.

"I almost choked on that fish bone then the heating broke and then the air con wouldn't work and I was sweating buckets, and I have a splitting headache." Greg retorted to him. Dan nodded thinking how Jean always does the same thing when they're on a long flights together.

Nick gulped hard as his parents walked down the flight steps. Dan saw the tension suddenly change in his face, noticing the posh looking tourists climbing off the plane together.

"Best behaviour mom." Greg whispered to his mother, hiding the sign she was holding behind his back. She nodded to him innocently, pretending to zip her lips shut. Greg rolled his eyes at her, smiling towards Nick.

"Mama, Dad this is Daniel and Jean Sanders and this is Greg's Papa and Nana Olaf." Nick introduced them. "This is my dad Judge Bill Stokes and my mother Jillian." Nick stood back while they all shook hands, giving each other warm smiles.

"Welcome to the family Jilly and Billy." Jean snickered to herself at the rhyming names. Greg rolled his eyes, clutching his head in his hands. "Well come on then, let's get everyone back for some lunch. Gregory, don't just sand there. Take their bags!" She scolded her son, embarrassing him already. Nick and Greg helped Nick's parents with their bags, off towards the cars.

Jean and Dan drove back with the Judge and Jillian in the back of their car while Nana and Papa Olaf drove back with Nick and Greg in the back. Greg was nervously biting his lip, gripping his fingernails into his seatbelt, watching his parent's car in front of them through the middle of the seats anxiously.

"Greg, why are you so worried?" Nick asked him.

"Have you met my mother?"

"We made her take a Valium before she left the house Greggy." Papa Olaf informed him.

"After one Valium I get giggly and talkative though . . . even more talkative than usual. She's already calling them Jilly and Billy. God knows what she's torturing them with now."

"She had two." His Papa Olaf corrected. "Relax Greggy, we've all told her not to embarrass you or over talk."

"I'll relax when she isn't telling Jillian how to climax properly or asking about her first time." Greg said, nervously chewing his fingernails again.

"G." Nick pulled his hands away, placing them in his lap. "Relax baby; I'm sure it will be fine."

"I'll relax when your parents are on the flight home."

* * *

They arrived at the Sanders residence shortly after, unloading everyone's luggage. While Dan and Nick showed Bill and Jillian around the house, Greg rushed off to find his mother in the kitchen. "Mom, where are you putting them?"

"The guest house, that way they'll have their own privacy and bathroom. I moved Papa Olaf back upstairs, while you and Nick can take the games room again." She smiled at him.

"You didn't say anything incredibly embarrassing in the car did you?"

"No, I was on my best behaviour." She promised. "Oh and your realtor sent these over." She presented him with some housing booklets from under the cabinet. "Why's there one book here for New York?" Greg shrugged innocently. "Gregory!" She scolded in her tone of voice that he hated.

"It was just an idea. Nick's always wanted to live there and so have I."

"Why's there one for Philadelphia too?" She asked, stuffing her hands on her hips. "You already live in Vegas which is four hours away from me . . . why do you want to live all the way out there?"

"Because we're thinking of starting of a family together mom. We want to live in a safer environment."

"Do you really want to though sweetie? You're not letting him push you into it are you?"

"He didn't push me into anything. We made the decision together. Just to look though . . . we'd have to find jobs over there too."

"Gregory, you live four hours away as it is. I can't handle you moving over to New York."

"I said it was just an idea." Greg informed her again. "I've lived in New York before."

"I know and I hated it."

"You are gonna have to loosen the umbilical cord eventually mom. I'm getting married soon. Did you want your parents around when you were married?"

"Yes . . . not all the time though, but they always made me check in daily, just like I do with you."

"Did they freak when you missed 2 out of those 365 days?"

"Don't get smart with me boy." She slapped him upside the head, while preparing their lunch. "I can't bare you living too far away..."

"Well it's not about you mom!" He snapped. "It's about me and Nick, spending our lives together."

"Gregory, I just worry about you."

"Well you don't have to; I'm not a child anymore. I _can_ take care of myself." He huffed, dropping to a bar stool, holding his head in his hands. Jean looked at her son a moment, returning to the fridge for some salad things.

"You know I want you to be happy honey. Nothing would make me happier then to see you happy sweetheart. I'll try and back off as much as I can."

"Just don't smoother me in front of the Stokes's or embarrass me in anyway and we'll be good." Greg smiled at her.

"I'll do my very best." She smiled back, walking round the counter to press a kiss to his cheek. "But I can still smoother you when they're not here, right?" She teased, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"Only to a level that's acceptable in _normal_ society though mother." He giggled, pulling out of her arms.

"You telling me mothers don't love and kiss their sons still?"

"Not as much as you do when their son is 31 years old." He teased her. "Most mothers stop the constant cuddles and kisses when their boys hit puberty."

"I'll never stop loving you baby." She pulled him tighter into her arms, smothering him with kisses. "I'll love you forever and ever..." She continued as he squirmed in her arms.

"Mom stop," He laughed. "I love you too, but you're suffocating me."

"Sorry sweetheart." She ruffled his hair then returned to making lunch. "What?" She asked looking up at him.

"What, what?" He said back.

"You've got that look in your eyes like you wonna tell me something but you're not sure how I'll react." She smiled looking up at him.

"I don't have anything to tell." He slyly smiled. "Unless you wanted to know that Nick and I danced together, in a romantic setting, shared back massaging techniques, rode horses in the sunset, sat in Nick's thinking spot, one of those porch swings and he showed me his tree house where we..."

"Okay, I get it." She interrupted laughing. "How are you going to top all that for the honeymoon?"

"We've still got plenty to do." Greg beamed a smile up at her.

"You're adorable when you're in love sweetheart." She giggled, ruffling his hair then walked round the breakfast bar to give him another hug. "I love you sweetie, I hope everything works out. I know it will, Nicky's a good boy. That reminds me..." She pulled back grabbing some things from the cupboard. "I've got some wedding portfolios for you two to go through." She watched him roll his eyes. "Come on Gregory, you have to start planning. Do you even know when you want to get married yet?"

"Not exactly."

"See exactly, you have to start planning. Are we talking a year or a few months?" She walked towards one of the cupboards in the hall, grabbing more stacks of wedding magazines along with a large white book.

"What's that?"

"It's a wedding planner book. It's empty; you and Nicky have to fill it with your ideas. I've talked to some wedding planners and they all suggested this." She pulled out a piece of paper pressed between the front pages. "Here is a list of wedding planners for LGBT marriages."

"LGBT?" He asked confused.

"Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals sweetheart. Gotta brush up on your lingo." She smirked at him.

Greg rolled his eyes, reading down the list of names. "Dick Banger? Why's he highlighted?"

"Oh, I liked the name." She chortled getting back to making the food. Greg rolled his eyes again. "And one of the P-FLAG members fully recommended him. They hired him for their son's wedding. This week's session she's bringing in their photos from the wedding and their planning book for me to look through." Greg raised his eyebrows as he started to flip through the stacks of wedding magazines. One of the covers caught his eye of a gay couple holding hands, both in tuxedos. He flipped it over to see another couple; one of the men was in drag, being carried in his husband's arms. "You and Nicky should start looking through these."

"I thought we were going for a small wedding?"

"Small weddings need planning too honey, you have to plan the catering, suit rental, whether you're going to have ice sculptures and flowers. You need to pick out your ushers, bridesmaids, best man . . . or men." She giggled.

"We're having bridesmaids and best men now?" Greg leant on his elbow as he flipped through one magazine. "I suppose you want us to have flower girls, ring bearers and have dad give me away."

"Oh that's a good idea." Greg glanced up at her through his long eyelashes, wondering if she was serious. "But it's completely up to you and Nicky." She smiled, getting back to making the salad.

"You've really been planning all this?"

Jean nodded. "Since you first started dating I always had a plan how your wedding was going to be. But now you're getting married to Nicky..."

"Are you still squicked I'm with Nick?"

"Oh No sweetheart, I was just gonna say now that your with Nicky it seems more real . . . and right."

"Thanks mom . . . you know gay marriage is legal in New York, we'd have more rights there."

"You said it was just an idea." She snapped at him.

"Just an idea . . . that we might end up doing. In the very distant future." He assured her.

"Why are you so desperate to move away from me?"

"It's not about moving away from you. You have to let me grow up some time mom. I'm 31, about to get married and planning my future with someone that actually wants to spend it with me. You've gotta let go a little."

"Can't I at least plan your wedding?" She pouted. "It's every mothers dream to plan their children's wedding."

"Here I thought it was every mothers dream to finally be rid of their children." He smirked, ducking as she tried to slap him round the head again.

"Oh, that reminds me. What did he propose with?" She bounced up and down, grabbing her camera.

"Do you always keep a camera handy?" He laughed at her, raising the key necklace from under his t-shirt.

"Oh my gosh!" She squealed with excitement, pulling it closer to examine it.

"Yeah it's attached to me yah know." He winced.

"Wow . . . so are you exchanging rings at the ceremony?"

"Probably."

"Have you talked about your wedding at all?" She asked glaring at him.

"No, but we've got the honey moon planned." He chuckled, getting slapped upside the head again. "Ouch, would yah quit doing that."

"Quit being a smart mouth then." She laughed, poking him in the ribs. "So what _have_ you planned for your honeymoon then?"

"We're going to relive our first date and ride horses up the beach in the sunset."

"This is a honeymoon, not a fairytale." She laughed at him.

"My life with Nick is a fairytale." He retorted, climbing off the stool.

"Where are you going?"

"To lie down, I feel a little dizzy."

"Take the wedding planner and magazines with you." She waved it to him.

Greg grabbed the heavy book, stacking the magazines on top of it. "Do I really have to look through all of these?"

"Yes sweetheart, make sure Nicky does too. You two need to decide everything together." She smiled to him, heading back to the fridge for the salad dressing. Greg huffed loudly, carrying everything upstairs to the games room while his dad was showing the Stokes family around the garden.

Greg dropped the books onto the side table, rolling onto the sofa bed where his relationship with Nick all started. He gazed up through the skylight above at the clear blue sky above, slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"Okay everyone! Lunch is served." Jean cheerily announced, setting up the spread on the table in the garden. Bill and Jillian took their seats with Papa and Nana Olaf while Dan helped his wife out with the food.

"Where's Greg?" Nick asked from the doorway.

"I think he's upstairs sweetheart." Jean smiled to him then returned to the table, taking her seat.

Nick ran up the stairs, trying not to get lost as he made his way through the maze like halls to the games room. He stopped at the doors as he saw Greg fast asleep on the sofa bed where they spent most of their time together. He crept towards him, trying not to wake him then leant over Greg to kiss his forehead, deciding to let him sleep as he was exhausted since their flight over.

Nick returned downstairs to eat lunch with everyone else, leaving Greg to sleep.

"This is a lovely spread Jean." Jillian smiled, trying to be polite.

"Oh thank you Jilly . . . has Gregory eaten at all today Nicky?" Jean asked concerned.

"He had half a fish meal on the plane . . . not since then though."

"Maybe we should save him some." Jean panicked.

"He'll be fine, don't panic honey." Dan calmed her down, turning back to Bill and Jillian to get to know them a little more. Nick sat back smiling as their parents were talking as though they've known each other for years. He and Greg never imagined their parents meeting would go down this well.

"So Nicky, do you have any plans how you want you're wedding to be?" Jean asked, changing the subject back to the wedding.

"Well we haven't really discussed it that much; I want us to exchange rings so it feels more real..."

"Will they allow you to do that? Surely not in a church though?" Jillian asked confused.

"Oh there are churches that accept homosexual relations Jilly; they can do the whole ceremony in a church if they wanted to." Jean explained. Nick looked at his parents seeing their disapproval.

Dan obviously caught on as he raised the jug of lemonade. "Anyone for more lemonade or can I get you something stronger?"

"Lemonades fine." Nick's father smiled. "So they actually allow homosexuals to marry in churches now?"

"Oh yes Billy, they're finally allowed to marry, within a few years I'm hoping they'll be allowed the same rights as heterosexual couples. God forbid something happened to Nicky or Gregory, what if they had children, the other one wouldn't have any rights," Jean rambled. Nick watched his parent's eyes widening as Jean continued to ramble about them having children.

"Nicholas, you're not thinkin' of bringin' kids into your setup are you?" His father asked with an accusing glare.

"Well I-I..." He nervously stammered trying to think.

"What do you mean by setup?" Jean asked, turning it around on Nick's father. "You think there's something wrong with Nicky and Greg's relationship?"

"No . . . just, committin' yourself into an abnormal relationship is one thing Nicholas, but forcin' children into it is selfish." The narrow minded father replied, still staring angrily at his son.

"Abnormal?" Jean shrieked.

"Honey, why don't you go get some more..." Dan looked around the table, trying to think of something. "Bread, yeah? Who wants more bread?" Papa and Nana Olaf nodded, they had managed to keep their mouths shut the whole lunch, besides eating of course, watching the banter between the parents, reminding them so much of when Jean announced to them she was getting married. It was very different to see it all from an outsider's perspective.

Jean climbed to her feet, heading into the house to cut up some more bread as her husband pleaded her to go with his eyes.

"Excuse me." Nick climbed to his feet, leaving Dan to talk business with his father. He returned to the kitchen to help Jean with the bread. "Jean, do yah need any help?"

"Oh, hello Nicky." She smiled round at him. "I can manage, don't worry about it."

"Okay, I just wanted to talk to you a sec. I know my parents are a little narrow minded..."

"Little? They called your relationship abnormal Nicky."

"I know." Nick sighed heavily, leaning on the counter to look into her eyes. "My parents are very traditional Jean. They still want to believe my sisters are still virgins even though they've had kids of their own. They even believe that the men should work while the women stay at home to take care of the house and look after the children."

"Oh." Jean sighed, looking into the garden at his parents.

"Can we just keep the marriage and baby talk quiet for a little while? They've only just accepted my sexuality . . . and barely my relationship with Greg; I don't think they're ready to start thinkin' about us raisin' a kid together and gettin' married in a church."

"Okay Nicky . . . I'll be on my best behaviour." She smiled. "You know I could always bring them along to the P-FLAG meeting?" She suggested.

"That's very thoughtful, but I don't think they're ready just yet."

"Oh but it's exactly what they need. There's this very Christian couple there that just found out their daughters a lesbian, they're very narrow minded people, but they love their daughter so much that they agreed to come along. I'm sure after a few sessions with other concerned parents with their outted children, it really could help."

"Okay . . . but just for this weekend though . . . can we try and keep the talk minimal?" Nick requested again. Jean looked into his puppy dog eyes giving him a wide smile.

"Of course sweetheart." She smiled, pecking him on the cheek. "I'm so glad my son found you." She stepped past him, heading out into the garden with a fresh batch of chopped bread. Nick sighed heavily then returned to his seat, listening to Dan talking about his boat with his father. Nick's father loved fishing so they finally found a subject they could both talk about and enjoy.

The rest of the lunch continued peacefully, talking about everything but the upcoming wedding. Jillian and Jean retreated to the front room with a glass of wine each, flipping through some of Greg's childhood pictures while Dan took Bill down to the docks to show him his boat.

Nick relaxed back on a deck chair by the pool, playing 'Go Fish' with Nana and Papa Olaf. He laughed every time they bickered between themselves, showing each other their cards as they argued to prove they didn't have any of the cards requested.

* * *

Greg fluttered his eyes open to a series of butterfly kisses to his face, seeing Nick sat beside him. "Hey." Greg smiled.

"Hi sleepy head." Nick softly sucked Greg's lower lip, teasing his lips open for a deeper kiss.

"Have you been eating seafood?"

"Well done CSI Sanders." He chuckled. "You've been asleep over four hour's baby."

"Oh." Greg gave out a wide yawn then rubbed his eyes open to look at Nick more clearly. "How was lunch then?"

"Good, your parents and grandparents behaved themselves. Your mom did however invite my parents to the P-FLAG group and bring up the baby stuff."

"Oh, how'd they take it?"

"Awkward silence, just like when Jean was runnin' through the weddin' plan list. I don't think they're completely on board with that part of our relationship yet."

"They'll come around Nicky."

"I hope so." Nick trailed one hand up the side of Greg's body, making him shiver slightly.

"You sure you wonna leave your parents alone with mine?" Greg groggily asked, holding his head with one hand.

"They're gettin' on fine." Nick said, softly kissing the nape of Greg's neck. Nick's hands slowly crept their way under Greg's shirt, caressing his slender figure beneath the fabric staring down into Greg's gleaming eyes.

"What are you looking at Nicky?" He smiled up at his fiancé.

"You, you're gorgeous." He smiled. "Are you okay honey?" Nick placed his hand on Greg's forehead, looking into his eyes. "You feel hot, do you have a fever."

"I feel fine." Greg smiled up at his concerned fiancé.

"You're really hot though." Nick checked Greg's forehead with his other hand. "What other symptoms do you have?"

"I don't have any symptoms." Greg protested.

"You do, you have a loss of appetite, you have for the past few days and you complained of a headache yesterday and on the flight. You could have caught somethin'." Nick panicked.

"Where are you going?" Greg shouted after him.

"I'll be right back, stay there!"

* * *

"Thank you Jilly." Jean smiled as she brought in the rest of the plates to wash up. Jillian gave the woman an evil scowl. She was trying her best to get on with yet another mother in law, but this woman was seriously pushing her. Talking about her son's relationship with her freely like it was normal and constantly calling her Jilly. None of her friends or her husband had ever given her that nickname, and so far she really hated it.

"So Jilly, how are you doing?"

"Excuse me?"

"With your son being gay I mean."

Jillian widened her eyes at the woman as she dried the plates being handed to her. "Well . . . I don't know."

"It's perfectly natural for you to feel it's your fault Jilly, but trust me. It's not your fault. Nicky was born this way. There was nothing you could have done to change him."

"Does your internet research prove that? Or do you have hard facts?" She snapped at her.

"Why don't you come to the P-FLAG meeting with me Jilly? They can help you to understand your son better. They all experienced the same confusion as you when their son's or daughter's came out to them. Believe me, I'm no different. I despised your son when he first came over here. I thought he was corrupting my child."

"My son?" She almost shrieked at her. "Nicky would never do such a thing. If anythin' it's your son who's changed mine."

"Jilly . . . I understand what you're going through. Nick was the one who came onto Greg."

"My Nick?"

"Yes dear." Jean smiled, handing her another plate. "Greg was absolutely distraught when Nicky first kissed him. He came rushing home immediately. But Nick must really love him to come all this way to convince him they were meant to be together." Jillian gripped the counter behind her. All along she had been thinking Greg was the one who tempted her son into the gay lifestyle. "Jillian are you alright dear? You look a little pale."

"I can't believe my son lied to me."

"He's been lying to himself a lot longer dear. It's never easy to tell your parents about your sexuality. It's hard enough to tell your parents you're pregnant or getting married, let alone gay."

"That's true." She agreed. "How did you take it?"

"Not too well . . . I may have said some things to Gregory that I didn't mean. But I can't change who he likes and to be honest with you . . . I don't want to. I've never seen my son this happy before."

"Me either." Jillian agreed. "You know before he came home I was so worried about him bein' all alone in that city, wishin' he could find happiness like my other children." Jillian looked up at the future mother in law she was starting to like now. "Now I realise he is happy. Although I do wish he had found a better way..."

"He can't, he was born this way. He's probably been wishing he could be normal like your other children for years . . . he is normal though. He's just in love with his own sex. It's tough to deal with, but it's perfectly natural Jilly."

"How is it perfectly natural? He's..." She stopped midsentence watching her husband laughing with Dan Sanders outside. "He's not normal though..."

"Nicky is perfectly normal . . . probably more normal then me." She laughed trying to lighten the mood.

"There's nothin' normal about him. A man and a woman were built to love each other and make babies . . . two men is completely unnatural."

"Nick and Greg are healthy young men . . . completely in love. They do everything a normal couple would do; sharing a home, bed, kissing . . . they want to spend every waking second together, just like any other young couple in love. What's not normal about that?" Jean saw she was starting to get through to the conservative woman, so she continued. "I know what you're feeling Jilly, don't you want your son to be happy?"

"Yes, but why with a man? I must have done somethin' wrong..."

"Did you choose your son's eye colour?" Jean asked, turning completely to face her as she dried her soapy hands on a towel.

"No, but that's completely different."

"It's not. When you were pregnant with little Nicky, you couldn't choose his eye colour, hair colour, personality or any of that. Children are born hard wired. I never expected Greg to turn out the way he did, he was born hard wired to be a little monster." She giggled softly. "You couldn't have done anything differently to change Nick. The best thing you can do for him right now is to love and support him, just as you always have done."

"I'm tryin' . . . I just don't know if I can support this marriage of theirs."

"You think they don't have a right to it?" Jean asked, trying to keep her cool. "Your Nicky and my Gregory have as much right to marry as every other couple who love each other unconditionally. How would you feel if you were denied the right to marry your Billy?" Jillian sat down on one of the bar stools, trying to think about it.

"They really are happy aren't they?" Jillian asked, looking up at Jean.

"Yes they are." She nodded then saw Nick running down the stairs. "What's wrong sweetheart?"

"Um... do you have a thermometer?" He awkwardly asked, knowing how panicked Jean could get.

"Yes . . . what do you need a thermometer for?" Jean asked confused. Jillian turned to look at her son with the same confusion.

"Um... for Greg . . . he feels a little hot."

"How hot?" Jean panicked.

"Just a little. Do you have a thermometer?" He asked again. Jean nodded, pulling open a cupboard full of medical supplies, presenting him with a thermometer.

"Does he have any other symptoms?" Jean asked, pulling out some books.

"Well he's had a loss of appetite the past few days, headaches yesterday and he's really tired all the time." Nick told her as Jean flipped through one of her medical books, looking up the symptoms.

"You go take his temperature, if it's above 100 let me know." Jean instructed. Nick nodded running back up the stairs to Greg. "Sorry Jilly, I worry because Greg always get's the worst of colds."

"Don't worry; I panicked if my children even had the slightest sniffle." She chuckled. "I'm sure he's fine, Nick will take great care of him. He was always a big help whenever anyone got sick back home. He stayed in hospital with his sister Kayla all night when she had her tonsils out."

"Aww, he is a sweet boy." Jean smiled as Nick came running back down the stairs, reporting the temperate to her.

"102." He informed her. "Is that bad?" Jean held her finger up silencing him as she read through the book in front of her.

"Okay, start him off on some paracetamol." Jean instructed, handing the box over. "I'll call his GP for a prescription." Nick grabbed a water bottle from the fridge then ran upstairs, returning to Greg. Jean reached for her cell phone, hitting the doctors speed dial.

Jillian sat on the bar stool feeling as though she might actually get on with this mother in law, more than the others, for a change.

* * *

**Please Review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it. :D**


	37. Chapter 37: Family Affairs

**Chapter Thirty Seven: Family Affairs**

"Gregory you look awful." Jean observed as she assaulted her son in a bone crushing hug. "You should have stayed in bed sweetheart."

"Where's Nick?" Greg groggily asked, gulping for air from his mother's tight embrace. "Mom can't... breathe." He choked, pulling back from her arms.

"Oh." She giggled softly, releasing him from her grasp. "Nick's gone out to get your prescription honey, sit down." She instructed, guiding him over to the sofa.

"Mom, I don't feel too bad."

"You look like death honey. Just sit down." She pushed her reluctant son onto the sofa, placing her hand on his forehead. "I'll go get you a glass of water and a cloth, stay right there." She instructed, running off through the house. Greg lay back on the sofa, holding his hand over his head. He closed his eyes then jumped as he heard Jillian's voice.

"I'm not gonna tell them." Jillian whispered to her husband. "You tell them, these are your issues." Greg remained on the sofa as they were behind it, coming in from the garden and they hadn't seen him yet.

"You don't agree with me on this? Your youngest son is goin' to be a big joke, not only is he gay but he's marryin' a lab dork..."

"Shh." Jillian hissed at her husband. "Greg is not a lab dork, he's a sweet boy and he loves our son Nicky, I don't have a problem with them bein' together, or the weddin'."

"Your son is gettin' married to a _man_ Jill."

"So, it's no big deal."

"No big deal? Your son is a fag and you say no big deal?" The Judge asked in his commanding voice. "Jillian, they're gettin' married. Do you realise what effect this would have on the rest of our family?" Bill asked, following his wife out the other door towards the staircase.

Greg sat up once they were gone, completely shocked by what he had just heard. He wondered if perhaps he should tell Nick about it or keep what he heard to himself. "Here we go." His mother cheerily announced, re-entering the room. "What's wrong honey?"

"Nothing." Greg shook his head taking the glass of ice water from his mother's hands. Jean sat down beside him, holding the cold cloth to his moist forehead. "Mom, do you think we're making a mistake getting married so soon?"

"No baby . . . you can be engaged as long as you like you know. I was engaged just over a year before I married your father. You don't have to rush it. I think you two are perfect for each other anyway. Nick loves you very much."

"I love him too."

"I know you do sweetheart, anyone can tell you two are perfect for each other." She smiled softly.

"Nick's dad doesn't think so." Greg blurted. Jean looked at him confused. "He called Nick a fag . . . in front of his wife... no mother." Greg quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her back on the sofa before she stormed off to find him. "You can't say anything. They don't know I heard them."

"I'm not having you two being bullied in _my_ house sweetie." The overprotective mother shook her head in anger. "How could he say that about his son? That's an awful thing to say."

"Mom, don't cry." Greg pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. "We don't care what other people think of us. We're spending the rest of our lives together, that's all that matters."

"Oh, you're so romantic honey." She chuckled, drying the tears from her face. "I can't wait for you kids to get married." The supportive hug from his mother put all doubts out of his mind. "I love you honey."

"Love you too mom." They both looked up at the door as they heard someone clearing their throat. "Hi Dad." Greg smiled in his direction.

"Hi." Dan smiled walking into the room. "Feeling better son?" Greg looked at his mother then nodded. "What's wrong?" He asked the two of them as they both had tear stroked cheeks.

"Nothing." Greg shook his head.

"Get down here Daniel." Jean instructed. He sat down the other side of Greg, being pulled into the tight family hug. "Our little boys growing up." Jean sighed happily, pressing a kiss to Greg's moist forehead. "Our little families finally growing, soon we'll have..."

"Jean, don't start with the babies talk again." Dan warned her, being thanked by his son. Jean smiled at him innocently, clutching her little boy close. "The Stokes's are gonna think we're a bunch of emotional wrecks if they see us all crying." Dan chuckled.

"We are emotional wrecks!" Jean chortled. "Who gave you the right to grow up, Gregory?" She asked, pulling him tighter into her bone crushing hug.

"I'm not that grown up." Greg laughed.

"True." Jean teased him by ruffling his hair. "But you are growing older honey."

"Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional." Greg joked.

"I'd like it if you stop now baby." She whispered, clutching him tighter.

Nick walked into the room looking at the three Sanders family members engaged in a tight family hug with Greg sandwiched in the middle. He smiled softly to himself looking at them all together, before he loudly cleared his throat to alert them that he was there.

"Nicky." Greg immediately cheered.

"Hi." Nick smiled at the adorable smile across his lovers face.

"We were just looking after the patient for you." Dan chuckled, climbing to his feet.

"I feel fine." Greg mumbled.

"You don't look fine Greg." Nick added with concern in his voice.

"See, listen to your fiancé." Jean smirked, patting her sons arm. "Drink plenty of fluids and lots of rest." She ordered as Dan pulled her to her feet. "Want me to get you some soup?" She asked from the door.

"Nana's chicken soup?" Greg requested.

"Of course honey." Jean smiled, walking out the room with her husband dragging her to give the boys some peace and quiet.

Nick set down the prescription medicines on the coffee table, sitting down beside Greg. "Do you feel any better?" Nick asked, pulling Greg into his arms, resting his head softly against his shoulder.

"I'm not sick Nicky." He mumbled.

"You had a temperature of 102 Greg and you really do look like death." Nick opened the bag of the prescribed medication, reading the instructions before he gave it to Greg.

"Nicky, I love you." Greg whispered, clutching him tightly.

"I know you do, I love you too baby." Nick looked into Greg's eyes, sensing he wasn't telling him something. "What's up?"

"Nothing."

"You can't hide anythin' from me Greg."

"Okay." Greg sighed heavily, leaning back against the sofa cushions with the cold glass of ice water pressed to the side of his forehead. "I overheard your mom and dad talking."

"About what?" Nick turned to face Greg.

"Us . . . your dad called me a lab dork and he doesn't want us to marry because of the effect it will have on the Stokes family."

"He actually said that?" Nick asked shocked.

Greg nodded, watching the hurt in his lover's eyes. "Your mom likes me though..."

"W-Wait, my dad doesn't like you? He said he was okay with us." Greg wrapped his arms around Nick, pulling him against his own chest. "So he was lyin' when he said he was okay with us? What about my mom?"

"She's okay with us." Greg softly soothed his hands up and down Nick's back. "I love you Nicky, my family loves you and you said we'd get married and be together no matter what anybody else said."

"I did and I meant it." Nick circled his arms around Greg's waist, listening to his heartbeat. "You're not a lab dork Greg." He whispered softly.

"Kinda am."

"Yeah?" He looked up into Greg's eyes. "But you're my lab dork."

Greg pulled back before Nick kissed him. "Wait."

"What? What's wrong?"

"You can't kiss me . . . you'll get sick too." Greg groggily answered.

Nick grinned advancing closer to his lover's lips. "I don't care." He cupped Greg's face in his hands, kissing him passionately. As his forehead touched Greg's he felt his hot forehead again, he quickly pulled back remembering the medicine he hadn't given to him yet.

Greg looked at him shocked as Nick pulled back. He watched Nick going for the bag of medicine again, reading the directions one more time. "Now G, you have to take this so you can get better. You still feel really feverish." Nick opened the medicine, giving Greg the correct dosage then held the cold cloth to his forehead for him. "Do you have any other symptoms?"

"My throats kinda sore and I've got a headache still." Nick repositioned himself against the arm of the chair, pulling Greg against his body so he was laying flat on top of him. "Nicky, you don't have to stay with me."

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be." He admitted to him.

"Soups here." Jean cheerily announced, bringing it over to the coffee table. "Careful it's hot." She warned him.

"Thanks mom." Jean smiled at the two boys before she head back out the room. Nick propped Greg up slightly against his chest, handing him the bowl of soup. He kissed his forehead softly, watching him eating.

"Mmm, I'm so glad we're back here." Nick smiled, snuggling closer to the warm body on top of him.

"Me too . . . but I can't wait to be home again . . . just the two of us." Greg said between mouthfuls.

"Mmm, I'd like that." Nick rasped against his lover's ear. "We can start lookin' for a place of our own..."

"Oh, they arrived." Greg remembered, turning to look at him. "The realtor sent them and my mom sorta noticed the ones to Philadelphia and New York. I left em upstairs."

"Oh . . . was she mad?"

"Kinda, she's threatening to tighten the restraints on the umbilical cord." Greg joked.

"Well we're just lookin', we don't know for sure, right?"

"I thought you really wanted to?" Greg asked, licking his fingers as some soup trickled down them.

"Well I did . . . but what about our friends and family?" Nick reached for a Kleenex tissue from the box on the table to wipe Greg's hand for him. "If we move over there we won't have anybody."

"I thought you wanted a fresh slate? A place where you're not known for being the guy that got kidnapped and stuffed in a box underground, while I'm the racist murderer."

"You make a good argument." Nick chuckled, mopping up some more soup Greg spilled down his chin. "Can you try and get this spoonful in your mouth please?" He requested as noticed more down his own shirt. "We're wearin' more than you've actually put in your mouth." Greg slowly raised a spoonful to his mouth without spilling it this time. "Better." Nick rolled his eyes, scrubbing the soup from his shirt.

"Have you changed your mind completely, I thought you always wanted to live in New York?"

"I'll go where ever you wonna go."

"That wasn't an answer Nick."

"Greg!" Nick moaned as he spilt more down his shirt. "Are you done with the soup?"

"Not yet." Greg muttered, licking his lips. "You don't wonna move to New York?"

"I said I'll go where ever you wonna go Greg. As long as I'm with you . . . I'll be happy." Nick grabbed another tissue to wipe Greg's chin again. "You know I've got a conference in New York in April I could..."

"You do?" Greg interrupted shocked, tipping the bowl slightly, accidentally pouring soup down Nick's front.

"Greg!" Nick moaned, taking the bowl of soup from him, setting it down on the coffee table before he spilt anymore.

"Opps." Nick pushed Greg off his lap slightly to mop up the liquid with some tissues. "Why are you going to New York though?"

"It's not till next year. It's only for a week and it could earn me a promotion, so more money for us." Nick climbed to his feet to mop the rest of the soup up. "Anyway what I was gonna say before you decided to drown me in soup was; I could see what jobs we could get over there, maybe the crime lab or somethin' if they've got any vacancies. I could see what the areas like too. It would be a great place for our kids to grow up, rather than sin city, if we're still plan on havin' any."

Greg looked up at him completely shocked with his jaw dropped, "You're going away for a week?"

Nick smiled at Greg's stunned expression. "I said all that and that's the only part you heard?"

"How longs a week, like a full week or working days?"

"Only five days . . . you can't cope without me for five days?" Nick chuckled, tossing all the soggy tissue into the bin. "How are you goin' to cope when your books done and you start tourin' round the world?"

Greg frowned as he thought about it. "I never thought about that . . . I wasn't engaged to be married when I started writing it. Do you really have to go?"

"You might be sick of me by April, Greg." He chuckled. "It's only August, we got plenty of time to be with each other until then baby. I'll be back in a sec." Nick grabbed the bowl of soup, heading off to the kitchen to scrub the soup from his shirt before it stained.

Greg climbed up from the sofa, following him off towards the kitchen. "I don't want you to go away for a week Nicky." Greg moaned, leaning against the sink beside him.

"I told you I'll be back in a sec. You shouldn't be walkin' around Greg."

"I'm fine." He mumbled. "Why do you have to go away for a week?"

"It's a conference. Me, Catherine and Grissom are all going. It's on body decompositions when bugs are involved. Griss thinks Cath and I should know more about it."

"He planning on leaving us?"

"Don't know." Nick shrugged, scrubbing the front of his shirt still. "You'll be fine Greg. It's just a few days. I'll call you lots . . . just you try and stop me." He teased, poking Greg in the stomach.

"I can't believe your gonna leave me for a week." Greg pouted.

"I'm not leavin' you baby, it's just a week and it's not until April. We have plenty of time before then." He assured him. "You should go get some sleep baby."

"And you should put that in the wash." Greg giggled pointing to his shirt.

"Maybe I should get you to wear a bib next time you eat around me." Nick teased him. "C'mon, you gotta get some sleep. Don't worry your pretty little head about this conference anymore." Nick directed him off back to the sofa, propping some pillows at the end so Greg could lay down.

"You won't ever leave me, will you?" Greg insecurely asked.

"Never . . . I love you too much." He tucked a blanket around Greg's body, kissing him softly on the forehead. "Get some sleep, I'll be back to check on you in a bit." Greg nodded as he closed his eyes. Nick watched Greg sleepily repositioned himself against the pillows to a comfier position before he climbed to his feet, quietly creeping out the room to leave Greg to sleep.

Nick walked back into the kitchen, finding Jean cleaning up. "Hello Nicky, Oh my!" She gasped looking at his shirt. "What happened?"

"Greg got a little bit excited." He smirked.

"Well take it off; I'll throw it in the wash for you." She insisted. Nick un-tucked his shirt then slowly started to unbutton it, handing it over to her. He watched as she scrubbed some cleaning products into it before she threw it into the washing machine.

Nick headed upstairs to his suitcase, pulling on one of his dark blue t-shirts. He sat on the edge of the bed as he started flipping through the housing booklets for Philadelphia, trying to picture himself and Greg living in one of the houses there.

* * *

Daniel Sanders watched his wife tiptoeing out of the front room, carefully clicking the door shut behind her. "How's the patient?" He asked making her jump.

"He's sleeping. Nicky's not in there though." She whispered, heading back towards the kitchen. Dan looked round at her, watching as she started to clean an already spotless kitchen.

"What's wrong honey?" He asked, leaning on the counter behind her.

"Greg said Nick's father called him a fag."

"Called Greg?"

"No Nicky." She whispered over to him.

"How did he say it?" Dan asked, resting on his elbow.

"I don't know. Greg overheard them talking. I can't have people like that living in my house with me Daniel. I'm going to have to say something..."

"And how do you plan on confronting him if it was something Greg overheard?" He asked her. Jean bit her lip trying to think. "See you didn't think that one through did you honey? I'll talk to him. We're both fathers going through the same thing..."

"Except your liberal and he's very old fashioned. He loves football; he's not very open about his love for his children, let alone his wife and his work takes priority over his life. Whereas you..."

"I get your point." Daniel cut her off. "But we're both fathers of gay son's. And our son's are getting married. We have something in common." He smirked. "I think it's more difficult for a conservative man to accept the fact his youngest son is gay and marrying another man than it is for a liberal man to accept them."

"That's no excuse and that's like one out of a million things that you don't have in common!" She shouted after him. Daniel nodded closing the doors behind him as he walked off down the garden path. Jean turned back around seeing Nick coming down the stairs. "Nicky, hello sweetheart. I just checked on Greg.

"How is he?"

"He's okay. He's sleeping still. Can I get you anything?" Nick shook his head, sitting down on one of the bar stools. Jean followed his gaze towards the back garden. "What's up sweetheart?"

"Nothin'." He shook his head, but he wasn't fooling her.

"Is this about what your father said?" She dried her hands on a towel, leaning on the opposite side of the bar.

"Greg told you?"

"There's not much Greg doesn't tell me." She smiled slightly. "I think it's difficult for a conservative man to accept the fact his youngest son is marrying another man." She directly quoted her husband.

"I know that." Nick nodded, sighing heavily. "I've always wanted my dad to be proud of me though . . . I guess I'm just an even bigger disappointment now."

"Oh honey." Jean's heart broke for him. "I'm sure your father's not disappointed in you. He's here to support you after all. How could anyone be disappointed in you? Any father would be proud to call you their son. Daniel for one is so excited your joining the family."

"Really?"

"Of course . . . we all are. We've wanted Gregory to be happy and find someone who loves him for who he is for a long time. I'm so glad he found you."

"I'm glad to." Nick smiled up at her.

"I'll have you know that your mother agreed to accompany me to my P-FLAG meeting though and she's onboard for the wedding. If you and Greg don't mind we'd love to help you plan for it."

"Just nothin' too big." Nick pleaded with his puppy dog eyes.

"Of course not sweetheart. It's just going to be both of your families and any friends you want to invite . . . you're father will come around sweetheart. Just give him time." She smiled softly.

"Ready." Jillian announced, entering the room. "Hello sweetheart."

"Hi Mama, where are you ladies off to?"

"Late night shopping." Jean grinned at him, tapping her nose.

"Have fun." He smiled at them both curiously.

"We will." Jillian smiled at her new favourite mother in law. Jean grabbed her purse off the side, rushing outside to give her husband a goodbye kiss. "Sweetheart, is everythin' okay?" Jillian asked, patting her son's hand across the counter.

"Yep, I can't believe you guys are gettin' on so good."

"Jean's a very nice person and surprisingly easy to get along with, despite her quirks." She chuckled, looking out the window as Jean and Daniel were hugging. "There's a lot of love in this family and they're not afraid to show it unlike ours." Jillian smiled at her son. "I think it's goin' to take a little longer for your father to adjust, but he's tryin' his best sweetheart."

"Thank you for doin' this Mama."

"Thank you for tellin' me . . . I know how difficult this must of been, especially with all the other crap you've been through . . . you certainly deserve some happiness sweetheart. You and Greg both." She smiled, pecking him on the cheek as Jean returned through the doors.

"We ready to go?" Jean asked with a wide smile on her face.

"Yep." Jillian smiled. "See you later sweetheart."

"Goodbye Nicky, help yourself to any food or beers in the fridge. And make sure Gregory drinks plenty of fluids when he wakes up." Jean said as she pecked him on the cheek.

"I will." He smiled, watching Jean leading Jillian off out the front door. Nick waved them off then looked out the back garden to see what Dan and his father were doing. He wanted to confront his father alone about what he said, but now wasn't the time. Greg was so lucky to have such a loving and supportive family.

Nick jumped off the bar stool he was sat on, heading back to the front room to see Greg was still fast asleep. He tucked the blanket around him, gently placing his hand on Greg's forehead.

"Nick." Papa Olaf whispered, startling him. "Sorry."

"No it's okay." Nick whispered back, slowly climbing to his feet so he wouldn't wake Greg up. Papa Olaf poured himself a whisky then crept back out to sit down by the pool again. Nick followed him out, carefully clicking the door shut behind him.

"How's Greggy?" Papa Olaf asked, sitting back down on his chair by the pool, watching his wife star gazing down the other end of the garden.

"Sleepin', he insists he's not sick though." Nick smirked, sitting down in the empty seat beside him.

"He's just like his mother." He smirked. "You will look after him won't you Nicky? Even if he annoys the hell outta you?" The concerned grandfather asked.

"I will." Nick nodded. "I love Greg more than anythin' the world, even when he's annoyin' me." They both shared a laugh.

"Good." Papa Olaf smiled. "That'll hold yah together through the tough times." He said looking directly towards Nick's father. Nick followed his gaze. His father was now alone at the table with a cigar in his hand. Nick watched as a tear rolled down his father's cheek. Never before had he seen his father cry. It pained him as he realised he was the reason behind his tears.

* * *

**Please Review**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it took so long to write. I hope it's worth it :D**


	38. Chapter 38: Love & Support

**Chapter Thirty Eight: Love & Support**

Nick rolled on the bed, searching for Greg's warm body. He looked over at the other sofa, seeing Greg had moved over to it. Nick had carried Greg up the stairs when he went to bed. He didn't want Greg to be sleeping downstairs alone, but Greg was worried Nick might catch his cold so he moved over to the other sofa while Nick was asleep.

Nick scrambled off the bed, scratching himself through his shorts as he made his way over to Greg. He knelt down on the floor in front of him, checking his forehead with the back of his hand. He still felt hot and he was gently wheezing from the fluid on his lungs. Nick checked his watch seeing it was time to take his anti-biotic medicine again. As much as he wanted to let Greg continue sleeping, he wanted him to get better too.

He softly shook him but there was no response. "Greg baby." He whispered, softly shaking his snoozing lover. "You can go right back to sleep, but you gotta take some of this." Nick indicated to the anti-biotic bottle in his hands. Greg softly moaned as he slowly woke up. He leant up on his elbows to take the medication from Nick's hands. "Do you need anythin' sweetie?" Greg shook his head lying back against the pillows under his head. "Do you wonna come back to bed?"

Greg shook his head. "No Nicky . . . I don't want you to get sick." He closed his eyes dozing off back to sleep; completely missing Nick's pouting lip. He didn't want to go back to bed by himself. He wanted to sleep beside Greg.

Nick carefully climbed over Greg onto the sofa behind him, lying on his side against Greg's body. He wrapped his arms around his snoozing lover, watching a smile spread across Greg's face while his eyes were still shut. "What's so funny?" Nick whispered.

"You really can't sleep without me, can yah?" He giggled softly, opening his eyes to look up at Nick. "If you get sick it's all your fault."

"Your fault for bein' so adorable." Nick corrected, cuddling up closer. "I can't sleep without you by my side." He pressed a kiss to Greg's cheek, resting his head on the crock of his neck. "Are you comin' on the boat with us tomorrow?"

"I don't know." Greg sleepily mumbled. "You can go if you want. I won't mind."

"Huh." Nick laughed slightly. "You want me to go on a boat alone with our dads and my claustrophobia? They'll think I'm a total wuss if I start freakin' out."

"The boats not so bad Nicky. It's either that or go with our moms to the P-FLAG meeting."

"No thank you. I wonna stay with you." Greg smiled in awe, softly stroking his fingers through Nick's hair.

* * *

"What's all that?" Daniel asked walking into the kitchen where Jillian and Jean were preparing a picnic basket lunch for the men.

"It's lunch for you guys. Just some little things we threw together. If Greg decides to go make sure he stays in bed." Jean warned him.

"Where's the fun in that?" Daniel laughed, getting swatted on the arm. "C'mon, I can take care of our son. You still don't trust me?" He laughed. Jillian looked between the two of them confused.

"Oh it all started when Greg was seven. Daniel said he'd look after him while he was on the boat. But back then Greg was a little fire cracker. You had to keep your eye on him all the time. You second you turn your back he's getting his head stuck or something worse. Anyway Daniel here took him out on the boat for the first time, just the two of them alone. Little Greg ends up getting knocked overboard..."

"He didn't secure the boom properly." Daniel interrupted.

"You should have checked it. Anyway Greg got knocked overboard and Daniel didn't even notice. Poor Greggy wasn't a strong swimmer and he almost froze to death."

"He was okay." Daniel defended himself.

"Oh my goodness." Jillian gasped. "How did you get him out?"

"Luckily there was another boat sailing past. They picked him up and brought him home. Daniel didn't even have the nerve to call me. He met the other people at the dock and took Greg straight to the hospital. He hid it from me for weeks before I read it on one of Greg's English assignments. The teacher told them to write about an activity they recently did with their family." Jean scowled a glare in the direction of her husband.

"Was he okay?" Jillian asked.

Daniel nodded. "Yep, they were just concerned he was in the cold water a little bit too long. He had a cold for a couple of weeks..."

"But you never told me where he caught it." Jean laughed, pointing her finger at her husband. "I can't believe you kept that from me. How did you Greg to agree to it?"

Daniel shrugged, grabbing a bottle of water. "I may have told him I'd get him a new computer." Daniel coughed into his fist. Jean laughed shaking her head at him. "I never did buy him one. Now I feel guilty."

"No, but you did teach him how to sail properly. That's a relief." Jean sighed, loading some more water bottles into the picnic hamper. "Don't forget this Daniel."

"I won't."

"I better go and wake Nicky and Greg." Jean noted looking at her watch. "What time are you leaving?"

"We won't leave until they're awake. We'll let em sleep a bit more." Daniel smiled round at her. "You ladies have fun."

"You're just happy you don't have to come to this month's meeting." Jean laughed, grabbing her purse.

"No, would I ever?" He smirked. Jillian laughed as she watched the banter between the two. She wished she was that close with her husband. They never joke around or mock each other. Jean and Daniel were a perfect couple and she was completely envious of them.

* * *

Greg opened his eyes slowly, looking up at Nick smiling face. He was wide awake watching him sleeping. "Morning." Greg murmured.

"Mornin' Sunshine. How do you feel?"

"I have a dead arm." Greg smirked as Nick was lying on it. Nick lifted Greg's arm out from under him. Greg could instantly feel it coming back to life giving Nick a wide grin.

"How's your cold Einstein?"

"A little better." Greg nodded. "What time is it?"

"Almost ten. You wonna get up?" Greg shook his head, lazily cuddling up against Nick's body to go back to sleep.

"I gotta pee though." He mumbled.

"Well you'll have to get up to do that G." He laughed, rolling Greg off him to stand up. He pulled a sleepy Greg to his feet, guiding him off towards the bathroom down the end of the hall. "I forgot to tell yah, last night . . . I saw my dad cryin'."

"Why?" Greg asked. Nick shrugged grabbing his toothbrush to brush his teeth. "My mom didn't make him cry did she?" Greg pushed past Nick to wash his hands.

"No, she was nowhere near him. He didn't know I saw him either." Nick handed Greg his toothbrush, leaning against the left side while Greg took up the right. "Maybe we should get those his and her sinks installed in our bathroom?"

"His and his." Greg corrected with a smirk. "Maybe we can look through those housing books for one?"

"Oh I looked through them and I picked a few favourites."

"You looked without me?" Greg asked shocked.

"You were asleep baby. I didn't pick one favourite. I picked like one in every district." He smirked. "We'll look through em together later." He smiled softly. "Do you feel up to goin' out today?"

"I guess, as long as I can lie down." Nick nodded washing his toothbrush off for him.

"You wonna get dressed or shower?"

"I don't feel like standing." Greg mumbled. Nick smiled, leading Greg off down the hall to find some clothes to wear. Greg sleepily lay back on the bed watching Nick get dressed. Nick tightened a belt around his waist then grabbed some jeans and a t-shirt for Greg. He helped Greg dress, flattening his hair slightly so he didn't look quite so messy.

"Do you need a sweatshirt or anythin'?" Greg shook his head. Nick grabbed his A&M sweatshirt just in case, helping Greg off down the stairs.

"Morning boys." Daniel smiled from behind the kitchen counter.

"Morning." They both said together.

"Where's mom?" Greg asked, leaning on the counter as he sat down on one of the bar stools.

"Already gone. We were just waiting for you. Coffee?" He gestured to them. They both nodded poking their noses through the picnic hamper left on the side. "Your mom made that for our trip." He chuckled.

"Could feed an army." Greg laughed. "How many days we going for?"

"Just a couple of hours." Daniel chuckled, handing Nick and Greg a coffee each. "You want anything to eat before we go?"

Nick looked at Greg who immediately shook his head. "You sure G?"

"I'm not hungry."

"We can go another day if you don't feel up to it?" Daniel suggested.

"No, I'm fine." Greg smiled at them. Nick and Daniel exchanged a concerned look just as Judge Stokes walked in.

"Mornin' Dad." Nick smiled.

"Good Mornin'." He smiled at them both. "Feelin' better Greg?"

"A little bit." He nodded.

"We ready to go then?" The Judge asked curiously. Nick could tell he was excited to get out on the boat. His father always loved to fish. He liked to be alone out in the middle of nowhere too, just him on his boat.

Daniel looked at Nick and Greg who both nodded simultaneously again, making him smile. They hadn't been together that long as a couple, but they were already acting like a couple who had been together a lot longer.

"Right, I'll start packing up the car. Don't forget a sweater Greg or yah mother would kill me." Daniel chortled, picking up the picnic hamper in front of him.

"I got him a sweater." Nick smiled, holding up the sweatshirt in his hands. Judge Stokes looked at the A&M sweatshirt as a symbol of commitment. He himself never let anyone wear it until Jillian was literally freezing his death. His son Bill junior wouldn't even let his wife wear his, let alone touch it, but there his youngest son was, freely letting the one he loved wear it. If he was looking for a sure sign of love between his son and this other man, there was his proof.

* * *

Jean Sanders excitedly jumped out of the car, leading Jillian off towards the hall where the P-FLAG group met every few weeks. She directed the nervous mother in law off through the halls, entering a much larger hall until it opened up to the centre of the town hall. "Good Morning Everyone." Jean cheerily announced.

"Morning Jean." They all smiled round at her.

"This is my son's, boyfriends mother in law." She indicated to the woman beside her. "Jillian Stokes."

"Good Morning Jillian." They all said at the same time, making her even more nervous. She politely waved, hanging her coat up alongside Jean's as they joined the small group sat in a circle with a coffee in their hands.

Jillian sat down getting to know everyone by name while Jean fetched them both a coffee from the machine in the corner.

"Good Morning, Jillian Stokes." Georgina Harris welcomed the newest member of the P-FLAG group, handing her some brochures and things. "Jean said your son is marrying Jean Sanders son?"

"Yes." She smiled proudly. "I've just gotten to know Greg, now I'm meetin' his parents."

"Well you're taking it very well dear." Christian mother Susanne Ferris of a lesbian daughter told her. "I don't know what I'd do if my daughter wanted to marry her partner."

"Well it was a bit of a shock at first." Jillian admitted, thanking Jean as she handed her a coffee. "But after I got to know Greg and saw how he was with my son, I didn't really see anythin' wrong with the fact his partner was a man."

"Oh that's just like me." Nora Hamilton added. "I didn't even know my son was gay when he told me he was getting married. Here I expected to see him bringing some busty blonde through the door; instead he brings a hairy drag queen."

"Nora." Her husband scolded her. "Martin is not a drag queen!"

"He is too. He told me he even thought about getting breasts." Nora informed him.

Jean looked at Jillian seeing the discomfort in her eyes. "Jilly, would you like your free P-FLAG?" Jean awkwardly changed the subject, handing Jillian a multi coloured flag.

"Thank you." Jillian looked at the multi coloured flag in her hands, wondering what on earth it was for.

"You're welcome dear. Well this is Georgina Harris and her husband Karl. Their son is bisexual." Jean introduced them to Jillian. "This is Susanne and Jack Ferris. They're the Christians I told you about. See you're not alone." She smiled warmly at her. "You've met Nora and Carter Hamilton. This is Mellissa Sheldon; she's a single mother of a gay son. This is Victoria and Maxwell Wilson, they're son is the one that just got married."

"Oh yes, I brought in the albums for you." Victoria smiled. "We just got all the photos printed and I brought their wedding planner book for you to look at."

"Thank you dear." Jean smiled. "Oh and this is Judith and her sister Francesca. Their brother is engaged to marry his best friend... what was his name again?" Jean asked with a slight chuckle.

"My brother's name is Charles. He's marrying Larry." Judith giggled. "I know that sounds just like that film... oh what was it called?" She asked turning to her sister.

"I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry?" Francesca asked.

"That's the one." She laughed at herself as it was so simple. "We've known our brother was gay since he was a teenager. But he never told our parents." Judith continued. "Unfortunately they died before he and Larry got together though."

Jillian looked at Jean completely confused. "Have you not seen 'I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry' dear?" Susanne Ferris asked her. Jillian shook her head. "When I found out my daughter was a lesbian the P-FLAG group fully recommended that movie to me."

"I suggested 'Broke Back Mountain." Judith chortled, but Susanne didn't laugh.

"Broke Back Mountain?" Jillian asked confused.

"Oh it's a cowboy film starring Heath Ledger. It's probably not a good idea to watch if you've just accepted your son." Georgina informed her. "Your son is very lucky to have found someone he wants to spend the rest of his life with. My son Ben has had many girlfriends and boyfriends, but nothings stuck yet." Jillian nodded realising just how lucky her son was to have found Greg.

"Jean come look at these photos." Victoria waved her over. Maxwell rolled his eyes as they huddled around the photo album to look at his gay sons wedding.

"I take it you're not very comfortable with your sons sexuality?" Jillian noticed.

"Oh he hasn't been comfortable from the day my Charlie was born." Victoria smirked. "First of all he never wanted a son then he never wanted him to grow up. Now he doesn't want him to be gay."

"I love my son." Maxwell countered.

"You can still love him now." Victoria shouted back to him. "Grant really loves our son..."

"I don't have a problem with Grant. I have a problem with you."

"Me?" Victoria squealed. "What's wrong with me?"

"Everything! Where ever we go you always make a point of telling everyone that I haven't accepted our gay son. You make me out to be an awful father!"

"I do NOT!" She hissed at him.

"Yes you do. You just did it again to the newest member of our group! I don't have a problem with Charlie being gay or being married to Grant. I have a problem with you. I want a divorce!"

"You son of a..."

"More coffee?" Jean shouted over the top of their voices to break up their fight. Victoria and Maxwell folded their arms across their chests, averting their eyes from each other.

"So Jillian, you're a Christian from Texas?" Georgina smiled at her, trying to change the subject.

* * *

"Here we are. I'll go get us set up." Daniel smiled, parking the car.

"I'll help." Judge Stokes climbed out the car, carrying the picnic hamper after Daniel up the pier. Nick softly shook Greg awake as he was resting on his shoulder for the drive.

"Greg sweetie." Nick whispered.

"Five more minutes." He mumbled.

Nick laughed softly shaking him again. "C'mon G sweetie." Nick climbed out the car, carefully pulling Greg out with him. "Are you cold?" Greg shook his head. "Hot? You need some more water?"

"Nicky would you relax." Greg rubbed his eyes, sleepily crashing into Nick. "I'm sick . . . not dying."

"I know that Greg. I just wonna look after you." He smiled softly. "C'mon." Nick led Greg by the hand off towards the pier. He held his hands to step onto the boat because he was still a little wobbly.

"Greg why don't you go below deck and crash on the bed. Nick I'll show you how to take off." Daniel smiled. Nick nodded, helping Greg below deck. He looked around at the low ceilings and closed spaces of the rooms. Greg led him through to the main bedroom, kicking his sneakers off as he crawled back on the bed.

"You sure you're gonna be okay Greg?"

"Uh huh." He replied with his eyes clamped shut. He slowly opened them to look up at Nick. "Are you gonna be okay? There's no escape."

"Rub that in as much you like." Nick remarked sarcastically. "I'll be fine. In the coffin I was alone. As long as people are around me I'll be fine." Greg pulled Nick down to his level to hug him tightly.

"You remember everything I told you?" Greg asked, leaning up on his elbows as Nick sat beside him on the bed..

"Yep." Nick nodded.

"You better coz my dad's gonna test you on it." Greg giggled.

"I got everythin' down. The sail, jib, boom . . . port, starboard . . . right?"

"Except starboards the other way." Greg smirked.

"I knew that." He pressed a soft kiss to Greg's forehead, placing his sweatshirt on the bed beside him. "I'll come check on you in a bit."

"Okay." Greg crashed back against the bed, closing his eyes again. "I love you!" He shouted after him.

"I love you!" Nick shouted back as he exited the door leading back up top with Daniel. Nick didn't know it but his father was in the kitchen. He heard them shouting I love you to each other, pulling at his heart strings.

* * *

"Oh I don't want that to happen with me." Jillian told her new favourite mother in law as they walked through the park with their lattes.

"That was Victoria and Maxwell on a good day." Jean chuckled.

"No I meant fallin' out with my husband just because my son's gay. He's tryin' his best to accept him, but sometimes he says the harshest things." Jillian looked at Jean, watching her nodding. "Oh God, you heard him? I'm so sorry you heard that..."

"No, not me . . . Greg did . . . he was on the sofa when you two were arguing."

"Goodness." Jillian gasped dropping onto one of the benches. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. More worried about what your husband is going to do about this situation . . . maybe you and he should go to a P-FLAG meeting together in your area?" Jean suggested.

"What about what happened to Maxwell and Victoria."

"Oh Jilly, don't worry about them. They've been arguing even before their son was gay. They got married because Victoria got pregnant and Maxwell's father forced him to. If they had just used protection they'd be light years away from each other right now. Victoria is a very proper bought up girl. She's a lawyer herself. Maxwell's mother was arrested for murder when he was still very young and his father is a total potty mouth. Trust me; I went to school with him." She chuckled. "You and your husband hardly ever argue."

"That's the problem . . . we don't talk a whole lot anymore. The most we've ever talked is since Nick told us he was gay." She groaned, taking a slow sip of her latte.

"Can I ask you a question Jilly? Just between us girls?" Jillian looked up at Jean, nodding slightly. Jean knew Greg would strangle her if he caught her asking this question to Jillian, but curiosity was getting the better of her. "When was the last time you made love?"

Jillian choked on her latte, looking up into her eyes, trying to figure out if she was serious or not. "Well... Um... What does that have to do with anythin'?"

"Jilly sweetheart . . . just because you're older doesn't mean you can't still have sex with your husband. That's why you got married isn't it?"

"Older? I'm only . . . Fifty seven." She muttered.

"You're not dead are you?" Jean asked. Jillian shook her head, uncomfortably shifting on the bench. "Marriage is till death do you part, so why can't you have sex with your partner until you die?"

"Are you serious . . . you still?"

"I'm the same age as you dear." Jean chuckled. "My love life may not be the same as it was ten or twenty years ago but we still..."

"Shh." Jillian silenced her as some children walked by. "You're the same age as me?" Jillian gasped in shock. Jean looked much younger than her. "How old were you when you had Greg?"

"With Greg I was Twenty six."

"Did you marry Daniel because you were pregnant?"

"Goodness no." Jean shook her head. "We were Highschool sweethearts, in love right through to college. Daniel always wanted a big career, a boat and a few kids. I wanted to be a stay at home mother with lots of kids..."

"But you only had one?" Jillian asked confused.

"I had three children before Greg." Jean spoke softly. "I never told him before." Jean set her latte down on the bench beside her, clasping her hands in her lap. "I had three children before Greg was born. My first born was a little boy . . . Benjamin. He had the same eyes, ears and smile as Greg. He died when he was two . . . we didn't try again for another four years." Jillian placed her hand on top of Jeans, watching a tear pooling down her face. "Then we had Maccie . . . she looked just like me except she had Daniels eyes. She died of SIDS when she was four weeks old."

They sat a moment in silence until Jillian had to ask the question pressing on her mind. "You said three? What happened to the third one?"

"Still born . . . a little boy. I thought I must have done something terrible in a previous life to not deserve children. Daniel kept saying 'One more time . . . we'll try just one more time', but I didn't know if I could handle another child death. Then I got pregnant again. I saw hundreds of doctors, got plenty of rest, ate healthily . . . nine months later I finally got my little boy." Jean pulled a tissue from her purse to dry her eyes. "He's my little miracle child. He has no idea how happy he made me that day in the delivery room."

"You never told Greg?"

Jean shook her head. "When I found out he was gay, I was a little disappointed because I wanted grandchildren to smoother. But since Nicky's joining the family I realised a child doesn't have to be your own blood to smoother and love." She giggled softly. "Seeing my little boy happy makes up for all this guilt I have inside of me."

"Guilt over what?" Jillian asked curiously.

"I lost my first three children . . . I made up for it by smothering Greg. What mother doesn't allow her son to play in the garden, ride a bike . . . or even rushes him to the emergency room for the slightest paper cut or nose bleed?"

"Under the circumstances it's perfectly understandable." Jillian assured her. "Maybe you should tell Greg . . . he's old enough to know now. I'm sure he'd forgive you in a second for your guilt over smotherin' him. He's such a good boy . . . I'm so glad my Nicky found him. Seein' them together . . . I know my little boys where he's meant to be. I've never seen my Nicky so happy before."

Jean thought about it a moment then nodded. "You're absolutely right Jilly. Here I heard tales that mother in laws hate each other." She chuckled.

"That's true with many of the mother in laws I've gotten to know." Jillian chuckled back. "You maybe envious of me for the children I was blessed with, but I'm just as envious of you for all the love you have in your home. Bill wanted to be strict with the kids, teach them right from wrong, make them independent and high achievers and I went along with it because I thought it was for the best. But you love and support your son, no matter what he does. You have a friendship with your husband and son that I've only ever dreamed off . . . you are a very lucky woman Jean." She smiled warmly at her.

* * *

Bill Stokes looked over at his son and Greg sat side by side on the deck in each other's arms. Greg was awake now, wearing Nick's sweatshirt. He looked slightly better, better than he did yesterday when he saw him anyway. Greg had a little more colour in his cheeks and he was smiling as he was talking to Nick.

The Judge first saw their relationship as an abomination against the laws of nature. But seeing the two of them together, hearing them exchange 'I love you's', sharing the sacred clothing of an A&M athlete and planning a future together was a huge eye opened for him. Everything he had seen between them for the past few days was love and comfort between two people who love each other very much. Who was he to step in the way of that? When he looked at Nick and Greg he didn't see vial behaviour between two men like his father had taught him. He saw their love. Another thing his father said was also true.

People fear what they don't understand. Their fear turns to hatred and before you know it you've got a whole society fearing homosexuals because they don't understand them. Bill Stokes was living proof of that. He always feared his sons might become homosexuals so he pushed them to be masculine and high achievers. But now that he realised his son was homosexual, despite everything.

It didn't matter. He was his son and he loved him.

* * *

**Please Review**


	39. Chapter 39: Secrets Unearthed

**Chapter Thirty Nine: Secrets Unearthed**

Nick softly kissed the side of Greg's face as he sat in his arms. They were in the summer house, sat in front of a movie in each other's arms. Nick was sat up straight with his feet up on the coffee table while a still poorly Greg rested his head against Nick's chest with his legs draped across the rest of the sofa. "You okay baby?" Nick whispered, gently brushing his fingers through Greg's hair.

"Uh huh." He nodded. Nick pressed the back of his hand to Greg's forehead. He wasn't as hot as he was before but he was still very pale and fluey.

"Are you hungry yet?" Greg shook his head. "When was the last time you ate?" Greg shrugged. "So I don't get full answers now? You must be sick."

"My throat hurts." Greg turned to look up at Nick. "You know I can talk till the cows come home. But it hurts to talk." He croaked.

"We finally found a cure." Nick teased him.

"Shut up, meany." Greg pouted.

"I'm kiddin'." Nick chuckled. "Do you want any pain killers or anythin'?" Greg shook his head.

"Gregory, good news." Jean announced, rushing into the summer house. Nick paused the movie as she rushed over to them.

"I'm adopted?" Greg asked straight away. Nick struggled not to laugh. He may have been poorly but his mind was still working the hilarious comebacks like clockwork.

"Don't get cute with me." She scolded him, pointing her finger at him. "There's a minister at the local church that accepts homosexual relations. He'd be willing to do your ceremony for you."

"We're having a minister?" Greg asked confused. Nick looked at him just as confused.

"Yes, I told you this. He'll go through everything with us. Are you two going to write your own vows and exchange rings?" Greg looked up at Nick who was just as shocked as him. "You haven't thought about this?" She huffed throwing her arms down at her sides. "You can't go into marriage without thinking about this stuff."

"This is a wedding Mom." Greg corrected. "We've got the marriage stuff down."

"Really?" She snipped at them, still seeing them both as immature children. "Have you planned where you're going to live? How you're going to share your money and split the costs for utilities and food and children, even cars or how you'll split your pay cheques with each other? Have you talked about pets or children? You have to be respectful, thoughtful and caring of one another..."

"I think we've definitely got that part down." Greg smiled up at his significant other.

"Have you discussed your life goals?" She asked them both.

"I want to be with Nick until the day I die." Greg said then looked up at Nick who nodded in agreement.

"That's not a life goal." She huffed at him. "The Beatles may have said 'all you need is love', but you need a lot more than that if you want your marriage to last. How long have you been living together?"

"Five months." Nick spoke up first.

"You're aware that Greg's a slob?" She asked him.

"Yes, it doesn't bother me." Nick smiled at Greg.

"That's what I said when I married Daniel. Next thing I know I'm screaming at him at the top of my lungs to pick his damn socks up and load the dishwasher properly. You've got to think about these things boys."

"We have. Nick won't let me load the dishwasher because I do it wrong." Greg giggled then started choking. Nick carefully patted him on the back watching Jean rolling her eyes.

"You deserved that." She smirked. "You've got to take this seriously Greg . . . this way of dealing with things might work for now, but what happens when you're both really stressed out? You'll argue about the most insignificant things and it could split you up."

"I'm not gonna leave Greg if he loads the dishwasher wrong." Nick assured the concerned mother.

"Can you tolerate each other's habits? Daniel still gets annoyed with my over talking."

"I love Greg's over talking." Nick smiled.

Jean rolled her eyes at them; they were too blinded by love to answer the questions truthfully. "Remember there's no 'I' in marriage."

"There is actually." Greg spoke up with a cheeky grin on his face.

"Shut up you little monster!" She scolded him. "How are you going to discipline your children or decide what colour to paint your living room."

"Mom, you really don't have to worry. We've discussed all this together."

"Really?" She snapped at them both.

"Yes." They both said together.

"Children for example?" Jean asked.

"Nick offered to house the first five." Greg joked. Nick rolled his eyes at him, poking him in the ribs.

"That's mature Gregory." She scowled him evilly. "You have to plan for these things boys."

"We have. Nicky wants four kids, I want two. I want a dog, Nick's not so sure coz he's a neat freak and we're getting a bigger house." Greg smiled.

"That's not making decisions _together_." Jean hissed. "I said there's no 'I' in marriage for a reason."

"He's kiddin' Jean. We've been talkin' about this stuff a lot. Just not the weddin' part." Nick corrected for her. "We want kids and things in the future, we're gettin' a house together when we get back to Vegas and we've been thinkin' about gettin' a dog."

"We have?" Greg asked shocked. "I thought you said they were messy."

"What my baby wants my baby gets." Nick smiled down at him.

"Grrr." Jean moaned angrily, throwing her arms down at her sides. "You can't make decisions like that Nick. Who's going to pay for the dogs vet bills or scoop up its shit all over the yard?" They both immaturely pointed to each other. "See you're completely immature to get married."

"How does deciding who scrapes up the dog poop have anything to do with our marriage?" Greg croaked.

"It has everything to do with marriage. If you can't decide that then how are you going to be when it comes to children and neither of you want to change the baby's dirty diaper? Or the bin needs putting out and neither of you want to touch it?"

"We touch enough of that crap on the job; it's not going to affect us at home." Greg assured her. "Besides I can manipulate Nick into doing anything I want." He cheekily giggled.

"Hey." Nick moaned, poking Greg in the stomach.

Jean rolled her eyes for the hundredth time. "I give up. You need to stop joking around and start taking this seriously mister." She scolded her son.

"I am." He protested with an adorable pouting lip.

"You don't have a serious bone in your body." She laughed, shaking her head at him. He was so like her and Nick was so Daniel. Jean often used her pouting lip on her husband to get her own way too. She almost felt sorry for Nick for the years of Greg getting his own way ahead of them. "Nicky your parents are looking for you and Greg I need to talk to you a moment." Nick pecked Greg on the cheek, lifting him off his lap as he climbed to his feet to go find his parents.

Jean scooted onto the sofa, pulling an envelope from her jeans pockets.

"What's this?" Greg asked sitting up straight.

"Gregory I know I'm a pain in the arse sometimes..."

"Sometimes?" He laughed.

"Shut up mister. I'm trying to talk here. Sick or not I will hurt you!" She warned him while she tried not to laugh. Greg zipped his mouth shut, throwing a key over his shoulder as he waited for her to continue speaking. Jean rolled her eyes at him. "I really do feel sorry for Nicky." She chuckled.

"Why?" Greg pouted.

"Because he's going to give into you all the time. It's my fault, you inherited that from me." She giggled. "Anyway as I was saying . . . I know I'm a pain in the arse _sometimes_ . . . but I do it out of love sweetheart."

"You're a pain in the arse coz you love me?" Greg smirked.

"Yes mister." She laughed, poking him in the side. "I wanted to show you something too." She leant back on the sofa beside him, handing over the envelope.

Greg looked at her curiously then opened the envelope, pulling out some old pictures. "Who are these of?"

"Well . . . that one's your brother . . . and that one's your sister." Jean pointed, seeing the shock in Greg's eyes. "We told you we lost them..."

"I have a brother and sister?"

"No, they died sweetheart . . . just not when we told you they did." Greg looked up at her completely surprised. "Honey I'm sorry, we've never lied to you before, except about this." She assured him. "Oh and that story about the puppy we promised you." She remembered.

"He didn't really find his mother and move to Hawaii with her?" Greg asked shocked.

"No, the farmer that promised us the puppy accidentally ran him over." Greg looked at her wide eyed. "I'm sorry sweetheart . . . anyway about this..."

"How do I know you're telling the truth? How many other lies have you told me?"

"Have you met me? I can't keep secrets. This is the only one I've managed to keep. The puppy one was for your own good. You try telling a seven year old that his dog was sliced to piec..."

"Mom." Greg cringed, covering his ears.

"Sorry." She looked back at the pictures in his hands. "That's your brother Benjamin." Greg looked at the picture of the small boy; he looked just like him when he was little. "He died when he was two . . . he was born with a brain tumour. And that's your big sister Maccie. We had her four years later . . . she died of SIDS when she was four weeks old. The other little boy we never got a chance to name . . . he was still born . . . and then you came along. Our little miracle child!" She smiled warmly at him as a tear gently rolled down her cheek. "I'm so sorry we never told you sweetheart, we just wanted to protect you. We couldn't lose you too." Greg pulled his mother closer for a warm hug. "I didn't mean to smother you; I just couldn't lose you too." She softly whispered, holding him tightly.

"I'm sorry I'm such a pain in the arse." Greg whispered back, closing his eyes as the tears pooled from them.

"It's okay sweetie, I forgive you." She chuckled slightly. "I know where you get it anyway."

"I can't believe you never told me. You said they were all miscarriages."

"I know . . . I'm sorry. I hated lying to you . . . But after we lost Maccie, my parents moved down to be with us. We were taking it pretty rough. Your Nana told me to keep trying, not to give up hope." She softly pecked her boy on the cheek. "And here you are . . . we just wanted to protect you sweetheart. I wanted to watch you grow up safely, but you really are my little wild child huh?" They both laughed together, holding each other tightly.

"You're smothering me makes much more sense now." Greg smiled slightly. "I love you mom." He squeezed tighter, resting his head on her shoulder.

"I love you too sweetheart."

"This has been the most emotional week of my life." Greg giggled softly.

"Tell me about it." She smirked. "I'm so happy for you honey. Nicky doesn't know how lucky he is to spend the rest of his life with you."

"About half as lucky as I am to have him." They pulled back from each other's embrace, resting back on the sofa drying their eyes. "I always wondered what my brothers or sisters would look like if I had any." Greg said, looking at the pictures again.

"Well Benjamin kinda looks like you." She smiled, holding the picture up. "He was always so smiley. His first word was 'Mommy'. The first day he said it . . . I cried."

"What was mine?" He asked curiously.

"Dada." She smiled looking at her son. "You were about five or six months old. Your dad had been away on business since your birth, but the very second he held you . . . you said it." She smiled proudly. "I've never seen your father cry like that before . . . even though I took care of you for six months and carried you for nine months inside of me." She chuckled, poking him in the side making him squirm.

"Thanks mom, for everything. You're the best mom in the world, even though you are a pain in the arse . . . and you lied about my dog."

Jean smiled softly. "Thank you sweetie. I'm very sorry about the dog though." She pulled him back into her arms for another warm hug. "You're the best son in the world too . . . even if you are a pain the arse. I should get an award for the things you've put me through though." She teased.

"You're already the champion for smothering, embarrassment and your ability to make awkward situations even more awkward though." He teased back.

"You little..." She laughed, tickling him until he begged her to stop.

* * *

Nick walked into the front room where his mom and dad were sat in a very awkward silence. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked in, being instructed to sit between them. Nick hesitantly sat between them on the sofa, wondering what they were going to talk to him about.

Jillian spoke up first. "Honey . . . I told your father about the babysitt..."

"Momma!" Nick instantly moaned. He felt his father looking straight through him like the worthless child who couldn't stick up for himself.

"It's okay Nicky. He had to know." She assured him, gently tapping her son's knee. "You're fathers not mad . . . well except at the babysitter."

Judge Stokes smiled, putting his arm around his son's shoulders. "Nicholas you never disappointed me. This doesn't change anythin'. I still love you son. I'll love you no matter what you do . . . well unless you start wearin' drag."

"Bill!" His wife scolded him.

"What? I have enough daughters." He joked his way through it. Spending too much time with Daniel and Papa Olaf made him appreciate a good joke in awkward situations. "Nicholas . . . son I love you. Greg loves you too . . . I'm not goin' to stand in your way. I fully accept your weddin' and marriage. And I fully accept Greg into our family..."

"And Daniel and Jean." Jillian added.

"I was just gettin' to that." Bill smiled at his wife. "Listen Nick . . . what that babysitter did to you is unacceptable . . . it makes me sick to my stomach knowin' what she did to you . . . and who knows how many other kids..."

"Bill!" She scolded him again for going off topic.

"Honey please, I'm gettin' there. Nicholas you may be gay and in love with Greg or raisin' kids together in the future . . . but it really doesn't matter to me. You're my son . . . and I'm so proud of you no matter what you do. Now Greg is a very lucky man to have fallen for a Stokes . . . especially you. Don't tell the others but you were always my favourite." He winked at him. Nick smiled widely, feeling tingles in his heart. "I love you Nick. And I am one hundred percent on board for this weddin'."

"Me too." Jillian added.

"Thank you . . . it means a lot to me hearin' you guys sayin' that." Nick tried desperately not to cry, but as his mother and father pulled him into a bone crushing hug, it was hard not to.

* * *

"There you are." Nick walked towards Greg, leaning on the balcony overlooking the garden beside him. "Whatcha thinkin' bout G?"

"Nothing." Greg turned to face Nick with a smile on his face.

"What?"

"I love you Nicky."

"I know, I love you too." He inched closer, wrapping his arms around Greg's waist from behind him, resting his chin on Greg's shoulder. "Do you feel any better sweetie?"

"A little." He nodded. Nick immediately felt Greg's forehead to see if he was telling the truth. "So how's it look Doctor Stokes?" He teased.

"I'm just checkin' your temperature. You don't feel as hot. Are you hungry?" Greg shook his head. "Greg you haven't eaten for almost three days." Nick wrapped his arms tighter around the skinny little body in front of him. "You're wastin' away baby."

"I'm not hungry." Greg leant back against Nick's chest, staring up at the sky.

"What did you and your mom talk about then?"

"My mom's a liar for starters."

"Why?" Nick asked, pressing a kiss to Greg's cheek. "What'd she do?"

"She told me my puppy I was going to get when I was seven moved away to Hawaii to live with his mother."

"Oh." Nick looked at the adorable pout on his lovers face. "What happened to it?"

"Apparently it was sliced and diced by a farmer." Greg cringed, shivering in Nick's arms. "Oh and this." Greg pulled the envelope from his pocket, turning in Nick's arms to show it to him. Nick pulled open the envelope to look at the pictures of two little baby's.

"Who are they?"

"My brother and sister." Greg held up the pictures, looking down at their little faces. "That's my big brother Benjamin and this is Maccie." He showed Nick. "My mom never told me about them."

"What happened to them?" He sensed it was something bad from the tone of Greg's voice.

"They died . . . before I was born, but my mom never told me. I never knew they existed. I could have had a big brother and sister."

"Why didn't she tell you about them?"

"She didn't want to upset me. That's why she's so protective over me too . . . I finally understand why she's smothered me so much. If only she told me sooner, I wouldn't have acted like..."

"A little shit?" Nick chuckled. Greg smiled back looking down at the pictures. "My parents didn't tell me about the kids they lost until I was in college. I'm sure your mom just wanted to protect your innocence a little bit longer. Kid's aren't meant to know the truth about the world."

"I'm thirty one." Greg said, glaring up at Nick.

"Yeah, but you'll always be their little boy Greg."

Greg nodded wiping the tears from his cheeks. "God, I can't wait to go back to Vegas; these teary moments are killing me." He chuckled. "When we get back home, beers and sports." He joked, giggling softly. Nick joined him, kissing him softly on the forehead.

"I can't wait to pick _our _new house and move in with you." He smiled softly, trying to change to a happier subject.

"You know I never thought in a million years I'd be meeting all of my fiancés family and planning for a wedding."

"Well believe it baby." Nick winked at him. "I love you and I never wonna let go of yah." Nick pulled Greg into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"So what did you and your parents talk about?" Greg asked curiously, burying his face in Nick's neck.

"My mom told my dad about the babysitter." Nick whispered softly. "You don't think they had some sort of secrets revealin' session at this P-FLAG meetin' do yah?"

"I hope not. My mom knows far too much." Greg nervously chuckled. "They did seem oddly friendly when they came home yesterday though."

"Maybe they're just gettin' along?" Nick suggested. "Have you taken your medicine yet baby?"

"Nope."

"C'mon." Nick pulled out of the hug, leading Greg off towards the bed. "You look tired sweetie." Nick noted as he gave him the anti-biotic medicine. "The doctor said you gotta get plenty of sleep."

"Will you lay with me?"

"Okay." Nick set down the photos from Greg's hands on the side then helped him pull his sneakers off. Nick lifted Greg's weak body towards the middle of the bed, kicking his own shoes off as he crawled on beside him. Greg relaxed against Nick's chest, closing his eyes as he listened to the soft pounding of Nick's heartbeat.

"Hey Nick?" Greg sleepily murmured.

"Yeah?"

"Are we really getting a dog?" He whispered softly.

"If you want one." Nick nodded.

Greg nodded, readjusting to a comfier position. "Nicky?"

"Yes?"

"Would you really divorce me if I loaded the dishwasher wrong?"

Nick chuckled shaking his head. "I'm not that shallow minded Greg."

"Nick."

"Yeah?"

"Where do you see yourself in ten years?" Greg asked with his eyes still closed.

Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's cheek, snuggling closer. "In your arms." He whispered.

"Nick."

"Yes Greg."

"I love you." Nick smiled, tightly wrapping his arms around Greg's body.

"I love you too."

* * *

**Please Review if you liked it :D Another funny chapter coming up for the big Sanders Clan engagement party**


	40. Chapter 40: The Sanders Clan

**Chapter Forty: Sanders Clan**

"Greg sweetie." Nick pressed a kiss to his forehead, gently shaking him awake. "C'mon, you gotta get up now. You're families already startin' to arrive."

"Nooo... that's awful news." He moaned, trying to force his eyes open. "Can't I just stay in bed?" He pouted his adorable lip up at Nick, trying to get what he wanted again.

"That's not gonna work on me G." He chuckled not giving in. "You could if you were sick, but you're better today. You said it yourself this mornin' when you first woke up." Nick smiled, checking Greg's forehead again.

"Better safe than sorry, maybe I should stay up here all night?"

"No, C'mon G. It's just one night with your family." He smiled, trying not to give into Greg's adorable pouting lip. "Jades here too."

"She is?" Greg asked sitting up instantly.

"Her you get out of bed for?" Nick laughed.

"I didn't know she was coming over."

"Yep, she's downstairs. You gonna get up?" Greg pulled Nick closer to him, engaging in a ravenous lusty kiss while he slid his hand down the front of Nick's jeans. He kissed him hungrily as he massaged Nick through his jeans, feeling him hardening under his touch.

Greg smiled as he broke apart, leaving them both breathless. "Yep, I'm good now." Greg cheekily grinned, crawling out from underneath Nick, pulling his t-shirt off over his head.

"I feel so used." Nick joked, resting back on the bed with his hard on still present.

"I've been wanting to do that all weekend, but I've been too sick to do it." Greg deviously giggled.

"Well I'm glad you got it out of your system _before_ we were in front your family." Nick joked sarcastically. "What am I supposed to do now?" He laughed, indicating to his aroused area.

"You better take care of that cowboy; don't want my aunt Maria getting the wrong first impression." Greg cheekily grinned, winking at him.

"Good to have you back." Nick said sarcastically. "You could help me out here you little monster."

"I've gotta go take a shower." Greg giggled, heading off towards the door.

"That's mean!"

"You could join me if you wanted?" Greg suggested, fluttering his eyelashes at Nick.

"Thought you'd never ask." Nick scrambled off the bed, following Greg down the hall to the bathroom. "You're a tease Greg." Nick chuckled, closing the bathroom door behind him.

"You wouldn't love me if I wasn't." He grinned, pulling his jeans and boxers off so he was completely naked in front of a fully clothed Nick.

"I think I would." Nick smiled, admiring the naked form stood before him. Greg smiled widely, pressing his naked body up against Nick as he panted a hot breath across Nick's lips. "I'm glad you're feelin' better G." Nick grinned at his horny lover, trying to control his body from exploding on the spot. "I've missed you." Nick whimpered against Greg's parted lips as Greg's hand slid down the front of his jeans again.

"I've missed you too cowboy." He seductively whispered.

"Is it me you missed or my dick?" Nick chuckled.

"Both." He rasped, releasing Nick from his jeans while his tongue lingered across Nick's earlobe making him shiver.

"How'd I end up fallin' for such a horny lil perv?" Nick laughed, pulling his shirt up over his head. Greg covered his mouth with his own, sliding Nick's boxers down past his knees. He kissed Nick hungrily, pulling him back towards the shower as Nick stepped out of his jeans and boxers.

Nick lifted Greg onto his hips under the warm spray of the shower, feeling Greg wrapping his legs around his waist, bringing them closer together. Greg started to paw his fingers through Nick's silky wet hair while he continued to kiss him hungrily, grinding their aroused flesh together.

"I never want to get sick again." Greg whispered as he softly smoothed his fingertips down the side of Nick's face.

"I don't know, I kinda like it now your better." Nick chuckled softly. "You've never been this horny and needy of me before."

"You'll have to hold out on me more often if you want to see my wild side more." Greg rasped against Nick's lips as he playfully bit Nick's lower lip, softly sucking on it.

"I don't think I'd last." Nick admitted, panting breathlessly as Greg continued to grind against him. "Shh, keep it down." Nick whispered as Greg started moaning.

"They can't hear us."

"You don't know that . . . I just feel a little guilty." Nick admitted falling back against the shower wall as his knees started to weaken.

"Guilty?" Greg asked, licking a hot line up the side of Nick's face. "Can't have anything to do with you violating the youngest Sanders is it?" He teased him.

"More like you violatin' me." Nick smirked as he gripped Greg's hips in front of him, feeling his body starting to shudder. "You're ridin' me like a cowboy." Gazing into his lover's melted chocolate eyes full of desire; he started to moan against Greg's lips, feeling his body starting to shudder even more as the heat of ecstasy washed over him. "Oh my God Greg." Nick moaned, exploding his seed between them.

"You never cease to amaze me G." He panted breathlessly.

"Don't want you to get bored." Greg smirked, softly sucking on Nick's lower lip as they rode out their highs together.

* * *

Nick and Greg soon emerged from the bathroom, getting dressed then head downstairs to find Papa Olaf and Jade sitting in the kitchen while Daniel and Jean were unpacking the groceries together.

"Morning sleepy head." Jade laughed as she looked up at Greg. "We messing with your sleeping schedule or something?"

"No, I've been ill." Greg climbed onto one of the bar stools, resting his head in his hands. "Who invited you anyway?"

"Your mother actually." She grinned widely.

"That's right." Jean smiled. "I'm turning over a new leaf in my life."

"Now will you let me get a tattoo?" Greg teased.

"Not in a million years." She sternly warned him.

"I second that." Nick added, making Greg's parents proud. Greg flashed his pout round at Nick again. "No G, you've got beautiful skin, why would you wonna ruin it?"

"Yeah see, listen to your fiancé." Jean smiled, nudging her husband who was completely shocked that Nick could resist the adorable pouting that looked just like Jeans. "Greg you could help us out now you're all better, you know?"

"Papa O's just sitting there too." He pouted.

Jean cackled shaking her head at him. "He's older than you!"

"Hey!" Papa Olaf hissed at his daughter. "I'm not dead yet! I can still help."

"Well get off your lazy arse and do something." Jean laughed then looked up as the doorbell rang. "Oh that'll be your aunt Maria."

"I'm gonna get this meat on the grill." Daniel grabbed the bag with the barbeque food in it, heading off out the screen doors as Jean made her way to the front door to let Daniels sister in.

"I'll come with you." Papa Olaf grabbed a fresh beer off the counter, following Daniel out into the garden.

"Hello Maria. Come in." Jean ushered her through to the kitchen. "Well you know Jade obviously; this is Greg's fiancé Nicky I was telling you about."

"Oh, hello Nicky. Heard a lot about you." The polite woman smiled, shaking his hand. From what Greg had told him about his aunt Maria she was a lot like Daniel only she was a very quiet woman that lived a life of solitude.

"Nice to meet you." Nick smiled politely.

Jean ushered Maria out into the garden to see her brother then turned back to the kitchen. "Greg, can you take the rest of this meat out to your father then help me with the salads. Jade you're on door duty until I get back from the bathroom." Jade nodded, handing over the chicken wings to Greg. "Nicky you can go and have a beer with the boys if you want."

"Nicky gets to have a beer and relax while I have to work?" Greg pouted.

"Yes sweetheart, stop whinging!" She laughed. "I drilled these manners into your head before. Nicky's a guest in your house. Oh and Gregory, tell you're Papa Olaf to stop scratching himself." Jean rolled her eyes, heading off to the bathroom.

Greg turned up his nose as he watched his Papa Olaf scratching himself through his trousers as he made his way towards the door. "Ew." Greg cringed, stepping past him. Papa Olaf looked at his grandson confused then continued on towards the fridge to grab some beers. Nick and Jade stood still trying not to laugh as Greg returned still cringing.

Jean returned to the kitchen, rolling her eyes at her father. "Dad can you stop scratching yourself in front of people . . . and your flies are undone!" She pointed out to him as she grabbed the tray of knife and forks to go and set the table.

"Ah, the cage might be open, but the beast is still asleep." He chuckled, pulling them up as Greg dropped his head into his hands, shaking his head.

Jade looked over at Nick smiling. "Till death do us part comes with the family package too Nick." She whispered with a smug smile on her face.

"They're not so bad." Nick smirked, not believing his own statement as he watched Jean, Greg and Papa Olaf arguing amongst themselves as they made their way out the door. "In small doses." He corrected making them both laugh.

"Greg, I can do it! Stop fussing. I don't care which what goes where!" Jean shouted at him as she head back into the kitchen.

"But Nick's parents are very traditional. You can't just throw this stuff anywhere!" He complained, resetting the knives and forks correctly.

"Oh God. Why don't you just go and introduce Nicky to the family. Go on!" She shunned him away as she continued to set the table her way.

"C'mon G." Nick laced his hand with Greg's walking him away from Jean so she could continue with what she was doing.

"Thank you Nicky." Jean gasped in relief.

Greg walked Nick round the crowd of family, introducing him to his cousins, uncles and aunts. "I'm about to introduce you to the aunt and uncle I was telling you about." Greg whispered into Nick's ear.

"The bothersome rude ones?" Nick asked, remembering Greg's exact words of how he described them.

Greg nodded walking him over towards them. "Nicky this is my aunt Mildred and uncle Ted..." Greg looked down at the small dog at their feet. "Oh and that's Jocko." The small dog he completely loathed. Jocko was a small white westie that appeared to be friendly to everyone until he met Greg.

"This is my fiancé Nick Stokes." Greg gulped nervously as he introduced them, watching the evil look in the little westies eyes.

"Greg, are you still scared of him?" Mildred laughed in hysterics, patting her nephew on the shoulder. "Greggy's been scared of Jocko for years, ever since he bit his little finger." She explained to Nick.

"Yep." Ted nodded in agreement with his wife.

"You know he didn't mean it!" Mildred laughed again, tapping Greg yet again. Nick watched realising what Greg meant when he said you need to wear protection on the upper half of your body around Mildred. "So this is your boyfriend Nick, huh?"

"Fiancé." Greg corrected.

"Nice to meet you Nick." Ted smiled, shaking his hand first. "Strong handshake."

"A lot can be said about a man with a strong handshake. Is Nicky the top?" Mildred asked straight away. Greg felt himself withering away as they continued to talk. "Young Greggy here has always been a little on the skinny side, we never thought he'd be gay though did we?"

"No." Ted shook his head.

"Although he has always been quite dominant, does that mean you share the relationship qualities? I've never been sure how all this stuff works. Then again we've never known anybody that's been gay before have we?"

"Nope." Ted shook his head again. Nick looked at Greg realising what he meant when he said a conversation with these two makes you want to gauge out your eyes. He thought Greg was being melodramatic when he described them to him, but now he realised every word was true.

"Then again a lot of tops aren't actually the dominant partner. They call that versatile don't they?" Mildred asked.

Ted nodded, replying with the usual, "Yep."

"So you two are getting married? I didn't know they made that legal yet? But then again I don't see why it shouldn't be legal. I mean you are just like us. Only you can't have children. But I suppose you could through adoption. Is that legal? Maybe even surrogacy. That would be the best idea, right?"

"Yep." Nick glared at Ted as he spoke again, starting to wonder if the man actually had an opinion of his own or if he just agreed with his wife all the time.

"Greg!" Jean shouted, waving her arms around to get his attention. "I need your help in the kitchen sweetheart." Greg smiled in relief stepping around Ted and Mildred to head off towards the kitchen to help his mother. Nick gritted as teeth together as Greg left him to talk to his uncle Ted and aunt Mildred; the most annoying people he's ever encountered in his life.

"Maybe that's why Greg's the bottom. I once heard someone say that men who are smothered by their mothers are a lot more feminine then men that spend more time with their fathers. Granted they don't all turn gay. Tom Cruise, he was raised by a single mother." Mildred started to wonder. "Is that right?"

"Yep, that's true." Ted nodded.

"Do you have a strong relationship with your mother Nicky? You probably do, I heard Texan's have all that southern hospitality and stuff. Mind you I've never actually met a Texan, until you of course. Are you parents here?" Nick nodded, not sure if he wanted to point them out to them as he didn't want his parents to suffer through these people. "Wow, they're really supportive of your lifestyle? I thought they'd be very Christian. Aren't Texan's very traditional or something," She continued to trail off. Nick realised he didn't even need to speak as they were carrying the conversation out on their own. He started to chomp on his lower lip trying to think of something to say so he could leave. He was starting to think if he just walked away they wouldn't even notice though.

Then Mildred started to question him again. "So Nick have you met our son?"

"No not yet." _If he's anythin' like you I don't want to either!_

"Greg skipped two grades ahead of him when they were in school together." Mildred started to chuckle. "Didn't he Ted?"

"Yep." _Does she even need to ask for his opinion? He agrees with her all the time. _Nick thought to himself.

"Our Timothy was never quite as smart as Gregory." Mildred pointed over to a lean looking man stood by the pool. "That's our boy Timothy." Nick watched as the man turned to face them. He was as pale as a sheet, skinny as a stick insect and had huge inch thick glasses pressed against his face. "He's always been jealous of his cousin Greg."

"What does he do?" Nick asked curiously.

The question seemed to cause some misinterpretation with Mildred. "He's not gay if that's what you're thinking."

"No, no..." Nick rushed to clarify what he meant.

"Disgusting!" Mildred turned and walked away leaving Ted alone with Nick. Ted looked at Nick a moment then rushed off after his wife.

Jade laughed as she had been watching the whole thing. She jumped up from the step she was sat on, flicking her cigarette away as she joined Nick. "Timothy still lives at home with his parents. He's not the brightest boy in the world." She explained. Nick looked over at Timothy as he went to throw the ball for Jocko. The ball rebounded off the back of Daniels barbeque, hitting Papa Olaf on the head. Nick laughed looking back at Jade. "So you enjoying a conversation with Mildred and Ted?" She chuckled.

"They're a little..." Nick looked over at them again trying to think of the right word to describe them, but he couldn't think of anything nice to say. "Weird . . . is Timothy..."

"Yes, he's adopted." She said before he finished asking. Nick nodded as Timothy looked nothing like either of his parents. "You think they're weird now, wait until you're sat round the dinner table with them." She chuckled again.

"Can't wait." He smirked sarcastically.

Papa Olaf joined them, immediately smelling Jade. "God you stink like an ash tray."

"I'm stressed; I smoke when I'm stressed, okay? Stop fathering me, it's really starting to get annoying." She complained, lighting up another cigarette as she marched away.

"Nick, do you know why they call it PMS?" Papa Olaf asked. Nick shook his head, thinking this was a set up to one of his predictable jokes. "Because Mad Cow Disease was already taken." He chortled just as Jean looked over giving him an evil scowl. "You're lucky you won't have to deal with that." He chuckled looking over at Greg stood by Jean.

"Dad! Stop tormenting Nicky." Jean scolded him.

"I was just telling him the facts of life." Papa Olaf shouted back.

"You don't know the facts of life yourself!"

"Yes I do. The first half of your life is ruined by parents and the second by your children." He teased her.

"Don't think that's not coming back to bite you in the arse."

"Not in front of everybody." Greg whispered to her, trying to shut her up.

Papa Olaf turned to look at Nick, giving him a sly smile. "Wouldn't be the first time!"

* * *

"Oh you must be Jillian." Mildred smiled, shaking her hand as she stuffed a handful of peanuts in her mouth.

"Yes." Jillian nodded, watching in disgust as the woman beside her chewed with her mouth open.

"I'm Mildred Sanders." She smiled widely, revealing even more of the chewed up peanuts in her mouth. "You're sons a handsome one isn't he?"

"Yes, he takes after his father." Jillian smiled over at her son. "How are you related the family?" She asked curiously.

"My husband Ted is Daniels cousin. We've known little Greggy since he was born, we've always been his aunt and uncle as we live so close." She explained then looked over at Nick. "So how are you dealing with your son and Greg being together? That must have been a bit of a shock right?" She cackled loudly. "Not only is your son gay, but he's getting married to Jean's boy of all people."

"Greg isn't so bad. I was a little shocked at first." Jillian admitted, looking over at the happiness on her boys face. "But once you see them around each other you see they're meant to be."

"Here you go dear." Ted returned to his wife with a drink in his hand.

"We were just discussing Nick and Greg." Mildred informed him. "This is Nick's mother."

"Oh yes, I personally don't care if they're gay, straight or what have you." Ted smiled at Jillian. She looked back at him with confusion.

"Exactly, it's what's they're like as a person. Are any of your other children gay?" Mildred asked Jillian, completely shocking her.

"No." She gasped in shock. "It's not a genetic trait."

"Oh that's what my sister thought." Mildred laughed as she slapped her husband on the arm.

"Yep."

"She's got twin boys, just a few years older than Greggy; Jeffrey and Anthony. In 2005 Jeff comes out to her bringing home his boyfriend to dinner then last year the other one Tony comes home with his fiancé a very nice young man from England I believe."

"Ireland." Ted corrected.

"Right, that's what I meant. Anyway, come Jeff's wedding day he tells his parents he's having a sex change operation right after the honeymoon." She started to laugh hysterically.

"Yep." Ted nodded, laughing too.

"Now what's his name?" Mildred pondered as she looked up at the sky trying to think. "Jeff changed his name to something weird . . . can you remember what it was?" She asked turning to her husband.

"Jen."

"Right now they have a twin girl and boy, and Jeff's... sorry I mean Jen's husband left her for a real woman just a few months ago."

"Oh." Jillian gasped in shock.

"I know." Mildred and Ted both laughed together.

"The poor boy... I mean girl has been through hell." Mildred chuckled.

"Yep." Ted nodded. Jillian looked at the cackling couple, wondering how that's funny. She didn't understand these people, she wasn't sure she wanted to either.

* * *

"Are they getting along?" Jean asked her son as he was stood against the window to keep an eye on Nick. Jean stepped up behind him to look out the window at all of their family members interacting with one another.

"There's no broken glass . . . and Jade hasn't tried to kill anyone . . . yet! And Nick's not gauging his eyes out either . . . so I think it's going okay." Greg nodded uneasily as he saw Mildred and Ted with Jillian. "Mom?"

"Yes dear?" She asked as she head back to the cooker to check on the bread rolls.

"Can we _not_ invite Mildred and Ted to the wedding?"

"They're not so bad." She chuckled.

"Two seconds after meeting Nick they asked if he was the top."

"Oh . . . he is though isn't he?" Greg answered her with an evil scowl. "I'm sorry, curiosity." She smiled innocently. "You can't blame them though sweetheart; they've never met a gay man before." Jean said as she watched her father out of the window. "Is he scratching himself again? I swear that man has fleas."

"Ew." Greg cringed as he watched his Papa Olaf scratching his balls through his jeans again. "That's gross; he hasn't touched any of the food has he?"

Jean shook her head as she made her way over to the back door. "Dad! Would you stop that!" She shouted right out the back door so everyone could hear her. "You're embarrassing everyone here by doing that."

"No actually, no one had noticed until you pointed it out to them." He shouted back to her, blushing slightly.

"Nice mom." Greg said sarcastically.

"Did you want him to continue?" She asked, heading back towards the oven.

"No... but a subtle suggestion works just as well." He giggled softly. Jean rolled her eyes, getting back to cooking. "Nick's parents aren't used to the openness."

"You're telling me they wouldn't yell at someone for scratching themselves in public?"

"I think they'd use the subtle approach."

Papa Olaf walked in through the back door to moan at his daughter. "That was completely uncalled for Jeany."

Jean smiled at him. "Serves you right; reminds me of that time we were in New York..."

"Oh don't bring that up again." He rolled his eyes, grabbing another drink from the fridge. "I said I was sorry."

"What happened?" Greg asked, not sure if he wanted to know.

Papa Olaf smiled, turning to face his grandson. "Well it was a very cold winter Greggy and your mother was posing for a picture. I was about to take it when I noticed that your mother's brea..."

"I don't wonna hear it." Greg interrupted as he cringed, getting where it was going. Papa Olaf and Jean both righteously laughed as Greg covered his ears.

"Long story short he shouted it out to me in front of everyone. I was only fifteen at the time." Jean cackled.

"See, you can't talk like that around the Stoke's mom!" Greg scolded her.

"Everyone appreciates a good joke." She smirked, poking her head in the oven to check on the vegatables.

"Greggy can you take this to your Nana Olaf." Papa Olaf handed Greg the martini. "Gotta go to the bathroom again, think I ate something bad. My bowels are all..."

"Ew! Please stop talking!" Greg grabbed the drink from his Papa Olaf's hand, heading out the back door just as Jocko ran through his legs. He stumbled over the small dog, spilling half the drink down his arm, but he managed to stabilise himself before he went toppling to the ground.

"Nice one Einstein." Jade laughed, raising her beer to him.

"That dog has it in for me." He laughed back, heading over to his Nana Olaf.

"Oh thank you Greggy. You've got crumbs on your shirt." Nana Olaf brushed her hand across the front of Greg's shirt, embarrassing him in front of his aunt Maria and Nick's father. "What have you been eating, wear a bib next time Greggy."

"I was making bread." Greg stopped her from brushing his shirt down, giving a nervous smile to the Judge as he turned around just catching Nick's eye across the garden through the crowd as he made his way back towards the kitchen. Nick was talking to his cousins over by the pool. He hoped they weren't asking him a load of questions about their gay relationship.

"I thought you gave up smoking?" Greg asked, walking back towards Jade.

"I did . . . I started again."

"Obviously." He smirked, rolling his eyes. "Hey can you do me a really big favour?" Jade looked up at him a moment then nodded slightly, wondering what this big favour was. "Can you make sure no one gives Nick grief an..."

"Oh." Jade immediately jumped to her feet. "Do I get to bust some heads?" She asked excitedly, cracking her knuckles in her hand.

"As much as I'd like to see you punch my cousin Brandon . . . that would be brilliant." Greg thought about it a moment as a smile spread across his lips. "But he could probably do some damage to you too."

"P-lease." She huffed, flicking her cigarette away.

"Jade if you flick one more of those bloody cigarettes into my pansies patch I'm going to make you eat the butts for dinner!" Jean warned her through the open window.

"Sorry Mrs S." Jade smiled innocently then turned back to Greg. "Which ones Brandon?" She asked getting back on topic.

"The tall one beside Nick." Greg indicated. Jade looked over at Brandon. He was slightly larger than Nick, only a lot less sloppy. He wasn't so much toned as he was pudgy. His hair wasn't as well groomed as Nick and his face was covered in zits.

"No problem." She smiled, cracking the knuckles of her other hand.

"Don't hit him . . . just watch out for Nick." Greg warned her.

"I'm down with that." Jade smiled innocently at him, heading across the garden with her beer in hand to join in the conversation.

Greg watched nervously as she joined the conversation with Nick and his cousins, fully expecting her to punch Brandon right there. Jade only came up to Brandon's elbows but by the look on her face Greg could tell she wasn't at all intimidated. He sighed in relief that she didn't hit him straight away, giving Nick a soft smile as he looked over at him. He desperately wanted to kiss Nick again but he didn't feel comfortable doing it in front of other people and the Stoke's still weren't used to them kissing.

"Gregory can you take that bloody dog out of the kitchen, it stinks." Jean shouted over the music Papa Olaf had just put on in the background.

"I didn't put it there." Greg huffed, stepping into the kitchen again.

"Will you throw me out if I stink?" Papa Olaf asked.

"Yes, everybody out the kitchen. I'm trying to cook here." She ushered them with her hands just as Nana Olaf walked in. "Go on Dad, go and get a beer or something." She ushered him out of the back door, turning back to her stove.

"He still bothering you?" Nana Olaf chuckled, slapping her husband on the arm. "Have you seen the size of that Brandon? He's three years younger than Greggy but he's three times the size."

"I know, he looks awful. Has that Brandon got a girlfriend yet Greg?" Jean asked, looking towards Greg.

"Yeah, his right hand." Papa Olaf joked before Greg could answer.

"What does he do with that?" Nana Olaf asked, making Greg crack up with laughter.

Greg rolled his eyes shaking his head at them all. "Dinner at the Sanders household."

"That bloody dogs still there Greg and that music's far too loud!" Jean shouted towards her father.

"Papa O, turn the music down." Greg repeated in case he couldn't hear her.

"Your Nana said it was going to rain so I can't put the stereo outside." Papa Olaf shouted from the door.

"What does she know, take it out there." Jean instructed as her mother gave her an evil scowl. "I can't hear myself think in here!"

"You need to think to cook?" Greg chuckled to himself, getting slapped upside the head. "Ouch."

"Just get out, you little monster . . . go and find you're fiancé." Jean shouted.

"Take a chill pill Jeany." Papa Olaf chuckled, turning the volume down a bit finally.

"Greg the dog." Jean pointed.

"I can only do one thing at a time mother." Greg shouted back, trying to coax the dog into going outside. "How can I get it out?" Greg queried, not wanting to touch the little monster stood before him.

Jean laughed, shaking her head at her pathetic son. "How are you going to raise your own dog when you can't even get one to go out the back door?"

"How am I supposed to get it to go outside when it's just sitting there looking at me?" Greg shouted in frustration.

"Jeez, I can hear you all shouting from the barbeque." Daniel informed them, heading into the kitchen. "What's all the shouting about?"

"Well Jeany wants the music outside and Greg's afraid of the rat." Papa Olaf laughed.

"Am not!" Greg protested. "I just don't like it."

"Oh dear." Jean rolled her eyes, walking around the counter; she grabbed the dog's tennis balls off the floor, waving it around in front of his nose. "Here Jocko, here boy." She tossed it out the back door and the dog ran straight after it. Jean looked up at her son with a wide smile on her face. "See, easy as that." She smirked, heading back round the counter to continue preparing the different salads.

"That dog hates me." Greg mumbled.

"Course he does sweetheart. Dogs can sense fear you know. He probably still senses that you're afraid of him. He loves to torment you by staring at you." She teased him.

"I'm not afraid of him." Greg protested, angrily folding his arms across his chest.

"Course not son." Daniel remarked as he looked through the cupboards. "Where's the barbeque sauce?" Jean turned around to get it from the cupboard for him. "Thank you dear. Greg son don't be afraid of Jocko, he's ba..."

"I'm not afraid of him!" Greg protested again.

"Okay." Daniel smiled, pecking his wife on the cheek. He softly ruffled his son's hair as he made his way out the back door off towards the barbeque again.

"Oh my lord, what is he doing?" Jean rushed outside to stop her father from dragging the stereo through the house while it was still plugged in. "You've got to unplug to move it, honestly Dad!"

"I wondered what those wires were." He laughed stupidly. Jean rolled her eyes, doing it for him.

Greg sat down on one of the bar stools, watching as Jocko ran back in through the back door, holding the tennis ball in its mouth. The tennis ball was almost the size of its head yet it could still hold the ball in its tiny mouth. Jocko set it down by Greg's feet, wagging his little tail as he looked up at Greg, waiting for him to throw it.

Greg looked into the dog's devious little eyes, wondering if he was going to bite him as soon as he reached for the tennis ball in front of him. He hesitantly climbed off his stool, slowly bending down to his knees so he was eye level with little Jocko. "I'm gonna throw the ball for you okay? But if you bite me . . . just don't bite me." He warned him then slowly reached out his hand towards the tennis ball, immediately flinching back as Jocko started to growl. Greg looked up as he heard giggling laughter coming from the back door. "What's so funny?" He asked Jade the source of the laughter.

"You're still afraid of that thing?"

"It didn't bite _you_." He moaned.

"Greg that thing weighs less than twenty pounds; it's barely ten inches tall."

"It bit me really hard." Greg pouted.

"Everything you've dealt with and you're still scared of a ten inch terrier." She laughed.

"It's not funny." Greg frowned at her. "I'm not scared of it." He protested as she continued to laugh at him.

"Throw his ball then." She smiled widely.

Greg looked up at Jade then down at the tennis ball sat in front of an excitable little Jocko. He hesitantly reached for it again, quickly snatching it away then climbed to his feet away from Jocko's jaws. Jocko went up on his back legs as he stuck his tongue out, excitedly waiting for Greg to throw the ball for him.

Greg took a side step away from Jocko towards the back door; he threw it out in one sweep of his arm, completely unaware of the balls direction as it soared through the air hitting Timothy square in the head. Timothy fell straight down to the ground as though he had just been hit by a cannonball not a tennis ball.

Jocko yapped as he took off running for it. The tennis ball rolled into the swimming pool and Jocko dove in after it. "Opps." Greg quickly ducked behind the counter as everyone looked round to see where the ball came from as Mildred rushed to her dog's aid and not her son's.

"Smooth move Einstein!" Jade chuckled in hysterics.

* * *

Jean sat Timothy down on one of the bar stools in the kitchen, handing him an ice pack while Greg guiltily stood in the corner of the kitchen. "It doesn't look too bad sweetheart, what hit you?" She asked curiously, watching her own son blushing even brighter.

Timothy looked over at Greg as he held the ice pack to his forehead, watching Greg's cheeks flushing even brighter red. "I don't know." Timothy gulped hard as though he was scared of Greg.

"Jeany, Daniel said the barbeques almost done." Papa Olaf announced from the back door.

"Dad! What is wrong with you! Stop fiddling with yourself." Jean scolded him as he started scratching again.

"My balls are killing me! They're all purply and enflamed."

"Well what the hell have you been doing?"

"No! Don't ask him that." Greg cringed, trying not to throw up. He quickly head out into the garden to get a gulp of fresh air.

"Hey G, you okay?" Nick asked him as he almost bumped into him.

"No, I think I'm gonna throw up."

"Why? Do you feel sick again?" Nick's expression suddenly turned to concern as he checked over Greg.

"You don't wonna know. Trust me." Greg grabbed hold of Nick's hand, leading him off through the house to a quiet area so they could talk in private.

"What's up?" Nick asked as they stopped in the hallway.

"Nothing, I just miss you. You're normal." Greg smiled, wrapping his arms around Nick for a tight hug.

"You think I'm normal?" Nick smirked.

"More normal than these people." Greg nodded against Nick's chest. "That and I just threw a tennis ball at my cousin's head..."

"That was you?" Nick asked surprise.

"Uh huh, I didn't do it on purpose or anything."

"You were tryin' to drown the westie then?" He laughed, holding Greg in his arms.

"No, I don't have a grudge against either of them; I'm just an awful thrower. Is Jocko okay?"

"Yeah, Daniel fished him out with the pool net." Nick smirked as Greg sighed a breath of relief.

"I can't wait for it to just be the two of us again."

"Excuse me." Papa Olaf stepped past them, heading towards the bathroom. "Don't worry Greggy, not everyone's a pro athlete." He teased his grandson with a gentle shoulder pat. "But good aim." He winked.

"I wasn't aiming for him."

"Course, we all know how much you hate that dog." Papa Olaf chuckled as he head into the bathroom.

"Can we just skip out now? Before dinner?" Greg pleaded his fiancé with his pouting lip again.

"No G, they're not so bad." Nick smiled at his lover as he clutched him tightly. "I'm sure you can stand them for one dinner. I'm starvin'."

"You're always thinking of your stomach."

"Yours too, you haven't had a proper meal in days G, this'll be good for yah."

"Whoa-ho, take my advice and don't go in there for at least an hour." Papa Olaf said, re-emerging from the bathroom again. He smiled at Nick and Greg then walked off down the hall. Greg rolled his eyes, falling back against the wall behind him.

"My family are such freaks." He moaned, clutching his head in his hands.

"They're not." Nick struggled not to laugh. "I think they're great. They're all so open... except Mildred and Ted, I can't stand them."

"You and me both!"

"My parents don't seem to mind them either, which is a good thing. My dad's actually startin' to pick up some habits from your dad and Papa Olaf."

"Hopefully not the scratching." Greg muttered under his breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Greg smiled up at him. They both laughed as they heard Greg's stomach rumble.

"Still think you're not hungry?" Nick smirked at his lover.

"I suppose I could eat . . . and my god can we please move?" Greg asked as he suddenly smelt what his Papa Olaf was warning them about.

"Yeah." Nick pulled Greg off down the hall, stepping out into the front garden for some quiet and fresh air.

"I just wonna go home, Just the two of us again." Greg pouted.

"We will be tomorrow G." Nick pulled Greg into his arms, hugging him tightly again. "You're family aren't so bad Greg."

"You don't have to lie Nick."

"Okay they're a little . . . quirky."

"Quirky? Quirky doesn't even cover it." Greg laughed, burying his face in Nick's neck. "Even my aunt's dog hates me." Greg pointed over to the dog staring at him again. "I didn't mean for the ball to go in the pool." Nick turned around to look at the small terrier tilting its head to the side as it looked at Greg.

"What kinda name is Jocko for a dog that looks like a mop anyway?"

"I have no idea." Greg chuckled.

"Boys dinner!" Jean shouted out to them.

"Wait, I want a kiss." Greg pleaded before Nick head into the house. Nick cupped Greg's face in his hands, giving him a sweet savoury kiss to last him until their next one.

"Nicky and Greg sit there." Jean instructed to two seats between Jade and Papa Olaf. "Jilly and Billy over here." She ushered them off to their seats then started getting everyone more drinks while Daniel served out the meat to everyone, handing round the potato salads, coleslaws and things.

Jillian was very impressed that Daniel did most of the cooking while his wife prepared the salads and homemade bread. In her house it would be up to her to do everything at meal times, but in the Sanders household Jean's husband helped out with everything, even serving food and drink.

"Dad! Stop picking your nose!" Jean scolded him in front of everybody again.

"You shouldn't be concerned with me picking my nose. You should be more concerned of where I put the booger." Papa Olaf smirked. Greg cringed, dropping his head heavily to the edge of the table.

"That's a real good ice-breaker mom." Greg mumbled.

"Elbows off the table honey." Jean instructed. "Daniel would you like to propose the toast?" She urged him.

"Right." He nervously cleared his throat, raising his beer as he stood up. "First of all I want to thank you all for coming to Nick and Greg's engagement party dinner. It's been a long time since we've had so much family under one roof and we're about to welcome the Stokes family to join us." He smiled over at Nick then his parents. "I'm so happy that my Greg has found someone who loves him for who he is... and can tolerate him for his quirks. It's no easy task, let me tell you." He chuckled making everyone else laugh as he looked over at his wife Jean. "Having you as a son Greg has been one of life's greatest gifts. You've been the most important thing in your mother and mines life, I hope now that you're the most important thing in Nick's and that he knows how lucky he is to have found you. Please raise your glasses." Everyone raised their glasses. "To Nick and Greg, may the two of you find happiness beyond your wildest dreams."

"Nick and Greg." Everyone repeated, giving warm smiles to Nick and Greg.

"Now I'm gonna have to think of a better speech for the wedding." Daniel chuckled as he sat back down, making everyone laugh again.

"That was beautiful Daniel." Jean smiled, holding his hand on the table. "Right, let's eat. Unless you want to say grace first Billy?" She suggested, remembering how they wanted to say it at every other meal.

"Sure." The judge pulled out his chair, watching a hungry and disappointed Papa Olaf dropping his knife and fork to the table once again. "I'll keep this brief since Daniels speech was so well put." He smiled softly, raising his wine glass. "I would like to thank the whole Sanders family for your love and hospitality and welcomin' us and our son Nicholas into your family. We've only just met your son Greg, but we're learnin' that he is a wonderful young man and myself and Jillian are so happy to meet him and be here to share your love." He paused a moment to look at the happiness in his son's eyes. "Instead of quotin' the lord, I'd like to quote one of my wife's favourite movies . . . I believe it was 'the Notebook' movie that had the speech that went somethin' like 'the best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds, and that's what I see when I look at my son and his love for Greg . . . I wish you both the best for the future." Nick smiled widely, holding Greg's hand under the table tightly.

"Here, here... can we eat now?" Papa Olaf impatiently asked.

"Oh Dad!" Jean groaned at him then turned round to the Judge. "That was lovely Billy, you and your family are welcome over any time. I can't wait for our families to officially join together." She smiled widely, raising her glass. "To Family!"

"To Family!" Everyone cheered together.

* * *

Greg crashed back on the bed beside Nick, immediately closing his eyes. "Tired hun?" Nick chuckled, flipping his shoes off.

"I wonna scrub everything out of my mind that happened today." Greg muttered while holding his hand over his forehead. "I can't believe how much sarcasm and jokes my family can fit into one evening. And my aunt Mildred thinks I tried to kill her dog." He turned slightly to look round at Nick. "I only wonna forget the last four or five hours though."

"It was six hours ago that we," Nick smiled, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Best part of my day." He winked; kicking his sneakers off then crawled back towards the pillows with Nick. Greg sleepily fell back against the pillows while Nick removed his shirt and jeans then helped Greg with his, pulling the covers up around them. "This is the second best." Greg rolled into Nick's arms, resting his head on his shoulder as he snuggled closer.

"Mine too." Nick pressed a soft kiss to Greg's forehead, wrapping his arms around Greg's body.

"You're a big softie Nicky." He sweetly chuckled.

"Only when it comes to you Greg."

"I can't wait to head back home." Greg snuggled closer to Nick's warm body, feeling a soft kiss being placed to his forehead. "You haven't changed your mind about marrying me yet, have you?"

"Not a chance in hell G."

* * *

**Please Review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D**

**Mildred and Ted are actually based on an aunt of uncle of mine. I changed their names though :D**

**I hope you liked Papa Olaf in this chapter.**


	41. Chapter 41: No Place Like Home

**Chapter Forty One: No Place Like Home**

It was the final night of their stay at the Sanders household and Greg couldn't sleep. He knew he had to get some sleep as they were leaving early in the morning so they could avoid the rush and catch their flight on time in order to get home quicker, but no matter what position he tried, he just couldn't sleep.

Greg snuggled closer to Nick, watching his chest arching up and down with each breath. He couldn't understand why he couldn't sleep and Nick could. He hadn't drank caffeine, eaten too much, taken medication or eaten sugar so he should be able to sleep or so he kept telling himself.

Greg softly patted Nick's chest, trying to wake him up. "Nick." He whispered, but Nick remained unresponsive. "Nick." He tried again, shaking him this time, but Nick didn't even stir.

Greg looked up at the clock seeing they still had six hours worth of sleep and he wasn't getting any closer to it. "Nick. Nick." He tried again, but still no luck. "Nicky are you awake? Please wake up . . . I can't sleep."

Not even so much as a grunt.

"Nick, Nicholas Stokes . . . you have to wake up now please." Greg whispered between butterfly kisses.

"Go to sleep." Nick sleepily murmured.

"I can't . . . Nick." Greg moaned shaking him.

"Shh."

"I can't sleep," Greg pouted, swirling a fingertip across Nick's bare chest. "Nick, I can't sleep."

"Try." He huffed with his eyes firmly clamped shut.

"I have been, but I'm still awake. C'mon Nick, wake up."

Nick opened one eye to look up at his pouting lovers lip. "What do you want me to do about it?" He asked then felt Greg's hand slip beneath his boxers. "That?"

"Sex always makes me tired."

"I'm too tired." Nick yawned, reclosing his eyes.

"Maybe, but your bodies ready." Greg grinned, feeling Nick's body hardening under his touch.

"You cheated."

"Nick, I can't sleep." He whined again. "Is this what you're gonna do when we have kids? Just lie there like a log while I have to deal with it?" He might as well of been talking to himself as Nick was fast asleep again. "Nick . . . are you listening to me?"

Greg grumpily rolled onto his back, staring up at the midnight sky. He tried counting the stars to send himself off to sleep but it was no use. Greg cast an eye back to Nick seeing he was still fast asleep, but his lower half was wide awake. If Nick wasn't going to help him out he was just going to have to help himself.

Greg reached over for the nightstand, retrieving a condom and some lubricant. He stripped the lummox beside him of his clothes, sliding the condom down his hard shaft. He loosened himself up with slicked up fingers then slicked Nick up, realising he'd really have to do all the work himself since Nick was out cold.

Greg climbed on top of Nick, slowly easing himself down onto his hardened lubricated shaft. Greg bit his lip to stifle a moan as Nick's length slipped inside of him so smoothly. He lowered himself right to the base, resting his back against Nick's chest, splaying his thighs on top of Nick's as he got comfy on top of his lover.

Greg had to do all the thrusting himself as his partner was still out cold. Greg pulled Nick's arms up from his sides to wrap them around his waist as he began to grind against him, moaning quietly through clenched teeth from the sheer pleasure of Nick being inside of him.

"Greg . . . what are you doin'?" Nick asked, gradually beginning to wake up, feeling the warm body on top of him. "You really are a horny lil bastard." He chuckled as he realised what Greg was doing.

Greg leant back against Nick's shoulder with a devious grin on his face. "I told you I couldn't sleep, you wouldn't help me but Nick junior was more than helpful." He cheekily rasped.

"So you resorted to midnight rape." He smirked.

"It's not rape if you want it too."

Nick smiled pressing a warm kiss to Greg's neck, wrapping his arms tighter around him. "You need help there Einstein or can you do it all yourself?"

"You could help me out a little."

"You did put a condom on didn't you?"

"Yes." He groaned in response. "I'm not diseased Nick."

"I never said you were, I was just checkin'." Nick shifted his hips to get comfier and more power behind his thrusts as he tended to Greg's needs. It wasn't long before he lost complete control of his body, feeling his orgasm surging through his body.

Nick tried to move but the form on top of him was fast asleep. He struggled to pull the covers up around them, falling asleep himself still inside of Greg.

* * *

"God I am so glad to..." Greg stopped midsentence as he saw the look on his mothers face. "To... see the sun so shiny." He smirked as Nick loaded their bags into the back of their rental car.

"I know exactly what you were going to say Gregory." She laughed, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. "I'm going to miss you, you little monster!" She teased, squeezing him tighter.

"Ouch, you're crushing me."

"Serves you right! Don't forget to c..."

"As soon as we land, I know the drill mom." He smiled, pulling out of the hug, readjusting his scrunched up t-shirt.

"I'll make sure he does." Nick added, putting his arm around Greg's shoulder. "And as soon as we pick a new house, we're invitin' you guys over."

"We are?" Greg pouted, looking at his significant other.

"I don't know why I put up with you Gregory." Jean laughed, tickling him vigorously. "Thank you Nicky, see at least he has some manners, unlike you, yah little monster." Greg squirmed back into Nick's arms just as Daniel bought the last of their bags out the house.

"Thanks Daniel." Nick took the bags from him, loading it into the back of their car with the rest.

"Drive safely. Then have a safe flight." Daniel advised his son as he pulled him into his arms for a warm hug.

"We will." Greg assured him then winced as Jean threw her arms around him, sandwiching him between his parents. "Jeez I'm only going to Vegas." He panted, struggling to breath between his parents.

"We'll miss you though sweetheart." Jean squeezed him tighter then looked over at Nick, missing out on all the action. "C'mere Nicky, we'll miss you too." Nick walked over to them, being pulled into Jean's arms for an oxygen deprived hug. "You make sure you call too Nicky, you're part of our family now. Take care of my Greg and don't let him push you around."

"I won't." Nick chuckled.

"You're supposed to be on my side mom." Greg pouted at his mother.

"I am on your side honey, Nicky's too. I love you both." She pecked them both on the cheek then pulled out of the hug. "You better go then or you're going to miss your flight."

"Bye." Greg waved, heading off down the steps before she hugged him again. "I love you."

"We love you too." Jean smiled, waving to them both as they loaded into the car. Jean flicked away a tear in her eye watching her boy and Nick driving off down the drive together. Daniel pulled his wife into his arms, hugging her tightly as they watched the boys driving off down the road. "Our boy is happy, isn't he?" She asked turning to face her husband.

"Very. I know because Nick's just like me... and Greg's just like you. They've found their happy ever after, just like us." He assured her.

"I'm glad." She smiled just as another tear rolled down her cheek.

* * *

Greg turned to face the front of the car as he could no longer see his parents, slumping back in his seat. "You okay G?"

"Uh huh, this is nothing like the first time we left."

"True." Nick nodded. "You were high on alcohol and Valium then I believe." He chuckled, driving off towards the airport.

"I was also in Jades car yelling at her to hurry up because I thought I was going to lose you." Greg laughed at the memory.

Nick reached for Greg's hand, holding it tightly as they laced their fingers together. "I'm glad you came after me. You're never gonna lose me Greg. As far as I'm concerned we're already hitched, nothin' can pull us apart." He assured him with a soft smile.

"You're so romantic Nicky." Greg grinned widely. "We can start looking at those housing brochures since we both have a couple of days off. What kinda place are you looking for?"

"Anythin' you like I know I'll like too."

"My mom was right about one thing."

"What's that?"

"You always agree with me Nicky. Don't you have an opinion of your own or are we gonna end up like Mildred and Ted?" Greg asked cringing at their names.

Nick thought about it a moment then shook his head. "I don't agree with you on everythin' though G."

"So... what kinda house do you want?" Greg asked again.

Nick huffed a deep breath trying to think. The truth is he didn't care where he lived; just as long as he was with Greg he knew he'd be happy. "I suppose I'd like a two-story house. Big garden for our dog or kids... I guess we could have a pool too. Nice big livin' room would be good and I've always wanted a gym in the house."

"Ooh." Greg cooed.

"Yeah I thought you'd like that part." He chuckled. "What about you Greg?"

"Basically the same stuff. I'd like a huge bedroom for us so we can get one of those big deluxe beds with a bathroom suite. A Jacuzzi tub wouldn't be a bad idea either." He cheekily grinned at Nick. "I wouldn't mind a big kitchen... oh and an office so I can work on my book . . . maybe a conservatory dining room so we can look at the stars while we eat."

"Sounds good." Nick nodded.

"We could even get one of those porch swings to snuggle up on. Would you prefer an older or newer house?"

"I like the old Tudor houses . . . but I really don't care if it's new or old. I suppose older ones are usually cheaper, but we could have a lot of problems like roof leaks and things . . . what would you prefer?"

"I'd prefer a newer one. Like you said, older houses are usually more maintenance and newer things are more beautiful."

"Gotta agree with you there G." Nick nodded again, pulling into the airport. "We'll try and figure out a price range when we get back. I can't wait to get back either G, just the two of us again."

"Been craving me again, huh?" He cheekily grinned, licking his lips.

"Definitely." Nick rasped, leaning across the gear shaft to kiss Greg as he softly trailed his fingertips across Greg's chin. "I love you Greg . . . I seriously can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Me either." Greg unplugged his seatbelt, climbing across the middle to straddle Nick's thighs.

"Er G... what are yah doin'?"

"I believe a brief make out session is in order." Greg rasped, sliding his hands across Nick's body. "We have a few minutes to spare for our flight and I can't touch you the whole flight." Greg brushed his lips across Nick's with baited breath. "So whaddya say?"

Nick licked his lips as he looked around to see if anyone was about. There was a large van parked his side of the car and a brick wall the other so no one could see them anyway. "Okay." Nick nodded, sliding his hands across Greg's thighs. "I love your wild side G."

Greg licked his lips then pressed his lips to Nick's, kissing him hungrily while he pawed one hand through his hair and the other slid under Nick's t-shirt to caress his abs. Nick slid his hands to Greg's hips, sliding them round to the small of Greg's back beneath the fabric of his t-shirt, smoothing his fingertips across Greg's scars.

"Stop, stop." Nick panted.

"Why?"

"Because . . . this is no place to do this Greg," He breathlessly panted, trying to control himself. "You may be a horny little bastard but there is such a thing as public decency."

"You're right; we need a bathroom or something." Greg joked, watching the shock on Nick's face. "Relax . . . I was kidding Nicky. Besides, my ass is oddly sore today."

"That'll be the midnight rape for yah." Nick smirked. "C'mon, we got a flight to catch." Nick struggled to open his door, swinging Greg's leg over him to get him out the car first. "What?" He asked as he saw Greg's pouting lip.

"I have to wait until we get to Vegas to touch you?"

"It's four hours . . . tops. You can't hold out for that long? What are you some kinda sex crazed maniac?" Nick teased him, climbing out of the car.

"I don't wonna go back to Vegas." Greg leant against the brick wall behind him, folding his arms across his chest.

"Why?" Nick asked confused.

"Because." Greg shrugged, fiddling with a thread on the rim of his t-shirt.

"Because what?" Nick stepped in front of Greg, looking at him in confusion. "Greg, talk to me here. Because what?"

"Because we're getting married and that means we have to set a date, plan the catering, clothes, venue, ice sculptures, guests, flowers, table cloths; did you know there's a whole magazine completely dedicated to table cloths?"

"No, no I didn't know that... but Greg, that's part of the process. You're not gettin' cold feet already are yah?"

"No." Greg shook his head looking up into Nick's eyes. "I wonna get married . . . I just don't want the wedding part, it's too much."

"Greg, it'll all be okay. We'll keep it small. The weddin' thing is more for our families than us. My parents are really traditional and they want to see us get married in a church and your mom wants to see her only child's weddin' . . . it's not so bad G. We'll keep it really small." Nick held Greg's hands in his own; looking at Greg's adorable pouting lip. "Is that why you couldn't sleep last night?"

"No, yes, no . . . maybe. I had horrible dreams about it, one version one of your ex-girlfriends elbowed me out of the way when it was time to say 'I do.' Another one my mom wanted me to wear a white dress, don't laugh!" Greg moaned, looking up at Nick as he burst out laughing.

"Sorry, I'm not." Nick stopped himself, putting on a serious expression again. "It's gonna be okay baby, you'll see. No hostile ex-girlfriends and definitely no white weddin' dresses. Just you, me, I do's then cake."

"Do you promise?"

"I do." Nick smiled widely, looking into his adorable lover's puppy dog expression. "C'mon, we got twenty minutes until they start callin' our flight."

"Twenty minutes, huh?" Greg deviously licked his lips.

"No, Greg no, not here."

"Back seats big enough," Greg smiled widely. Nick rolled his eyes at him. "What?"

"You really are a horny lil perv Greg. Can't you wait until we get back to Vegas?"

"No." Greg pouted, pulling Nick off towards the back of the car. "No sex, I promise . . . I just want to kiss you."

Nick gave into the adorable pouting lip just like Greg knew he would. He pulled the back door open, climbing inside to lie down on the back seat. Greg climbed in on top of him, pulling the car door shut then kissed his Texan lover hungrily, sliding his hands across Nick's body in all the right places for a few tender loving minutes until they rushed off to their flight, making it just on time.

Greg slept the whole flight over to Vegas, being rudely awoken by Nick as the captain turned on the fasten seatbelt signal. Nick's truck was safe and sound waiting for him on the other end, ready for him to drive them home.

"I wonna say it." Greg eagerly jumped out of the truck, watching as Nick hauled all their bags out.

"You're so lazy Greg."

"I'm not lazy, I'm gifted." He smirked, unlocking the front door. "There's no place like home! And there's a massive spider." He almost shrieked, pointing to the monster in the middle of the room.

"Greg, it's tiny. I thought the best thing about bein' with a man was you didn't have to deal with the high pitched shrieks and squeals." Nick picked the spider up in his hands, watching Greg practically turn white as he walked it outside, tossing the tiny spider into one of the bushes. "There, all gone."

"Thank you. Wash your hands first." Greg warned him, feeling his skin still crawling.

"You can get the bags into the bedroom then so we can unpack." Nick pecked Greg on the cheek, heading off to the kitchen to wash his hands.

"Do we have to unpack now?" Greg moaned. "It all needs washing anyway."

"You are so lazy baby." Nick chuckled, cupping Greg's face in his hands. "What else are you gonna do then?"

"Sleep, I'm exhausted." Greg snatched a kiss then ducked out of Nick's arms heading off towards the bedroom. Nick followed him to the doorway, watching Greg collapse back onto the bed, immediately closing his eyes. Nick pulled Greg's shoes off for him, pulling him further onto the bed so he wouldn't fall off as he rolled in his sleep. He smiled as he saw Greg was already fast asleep in a matter of seconds.

Nick pulled his own shoes off, along with his t-shirt heading off into the bathroom. After a long week with the Stokes and Sanders family it was nice to finally be home, just the two of them again. Nick noticed the bathroom mirror was a little bit dusty, while Greg was fast asleep he decided to clean up the house a bit, since they were hoping to be moving soon he wanted to leave his place just as tidy as it was the day he bought it.

After three long hours of cleaning Nick checked on Greg again but he was still fast asleep, didn't even stir from the hoover going around.

Nick pulled the blinds closed, tossing his jeans then climbed onto the bed with Greg, pulling the covers up around them. He pressed a kiss to Greg's cheek, snuggling up closer to the warm body as he fell asleep himself.

* * *

Nick awoke a few hours later, yawning widely as he stretched out on the bed. Realising he was alone he immediately shot up to a sitting position. "Greg?"

"Do you wait until I'm gone, to wake up?" Greg appeared in the doorway holding two mugs of coffee. "I stayed with you for a whole hour waiting for you to wake up then as soon as I leave to get coffee, you decide to wake up."

"Sorry, maybe I sense that you're not near me." He chuckled, taking the mug offered to him, placing it on the bedside table. Greg set down his then crawled onto the bed, being pulled into Nick's arms. "I miss your warm body against mine." He smiled, pecking Greg on the cheek. "Feels like we've been away from home forever."

"It was only a week." Greg circled his arms around Nick, looking him in the eyes. "I'm glad we're home now."

"Me too." He smiled, slipping his hands beneath Greg's t-shirt. "We've got a lot to plan. Our house, weddin' invitations along with a date, a weddin' venue..."

"Can we have five minutes?" Greg chuckled, resting against Nick's chest. "Everyone's been crazy busy planning our futures. I wonna just kick back and relax for a while."

"Well we have two extra days off. I thought we could spend them in bed, looking through the housing brochures."

"Sounds perfect, could we lay in bed naked since it's just the two of us then?"

Nick chuckled giving Greg a nod. Greg sat up, shedding his t-shirt and sweat pants, along with his boxers. Nick swept back the covers, removing his boxers then pulled Greg against him, wrapping the covers back around them again.

"Better?" Nick asked.

"Much better." Greg lay back against Nick's chest, swirling his fingertips across his chest. "Remember when we left for Dallas?"

"Yep, I proposed to you . . . we were both so nervous of how this would turn out. It turned out pretty good doncha think?" He chuckled.

"Pretty Good?" Greg laughed. "You thought they'd be throwing the bible at you and rejecting you. When really they threw us that big engagement party, we went horse riding, your mom actually got on with my mom . . . and we danced together for the first time. Best vacation I ever took." Greg smiled up at him. "Where's these housing books then?"

"Over here." Nick scrambled off the bed to dig the books of houses from his bag. Greg lifted the comforter as Nick slid back underneath with him, opening the first book in front of them both.

"Ooh . . . I like that one." Greg snuggled up against Nick's chest reading through the details. "Oh . . . but only one bedroom."

"Doesn't have a pool either." Nick laughed. "It's weird..."

"The house?"

"No smart ass." Nick laughed again. "I feel as though this huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now our friends and family all know about us."

"Me too . . . I am kinda worried about your neighbours and the police force, when they find out about us it will all go to hell at work . . . but I feel as though a burden has been lifted too." They both smiled to each other then continued flipping through the pages, until one caught both of their eyes.

Greg looked at the pictures of the interior then read out the details. "Four bedrooms, two bathrooms, laundry room, grand kitchen, family room and dining room. Ooh look, it even has a Jacuzzi and swimming pool, along with a large garden, ideal for a family pet."

"Do we really need four bedrooms though G?"

"One for us, one for my office, one for your gym . . . and one for our child."

"We're down to one now? I thought you wanted three?" Nick asked surprised.

"I don't know." Greg shrugged. "I'm willing to give up my office if we change our minds though. So whaddya think?"

"Sounds perfect G." Nick smiled, picturing them living there. "It's not too far from the lab either..."

"And look there's three schools in the area along with a park and community centre."

"Sounds good to me G." He grinned snuggling closer. "I'll call the realtor about this one later; we can go and take a look before we decide."

"We sticking with Vegas then?" Greg asked, looking up into Nick's eyes.

"For now, you never know . . . we might get sick of Vegas and decide to move away."

"Plus everyone at work is older than us, we don't wonna be the last ones here do we?"

"You think they'll all leave before us?" Nick asked surprised. He had never even thought about leaving the crime lab, let alone thought any of their team would ever leave.

"In a few years I recon you could be my boss, you could be running a team of your very own." Greg smiled up at him.

"That's a scary thought . . . at least I'd get to be the boss in one area of my life." He smirked, smiling back.

"You think I boss you about?"

Nick nodded, immediately answering with, "Yes, you know how to manipulate me into gettin' exactly what you want."

"Since when?"

"Last night with the sex then in the car at the airport," Nick pointed out to him, laughing softly. "I love it though; I wouldn't wonna change a thing about you." Nick smiled as he captured Greg's lips for a tender gentle kiss. "Mmmm, I love you Greg."

"I love you too . . . so now we're naked?" Greg grinned, licking lips while he cheekily raised his eyebrows at Nick, who immediately knew what Greg wanted.

"Good to have my Greggo back, see you know exactly what you want and you know how to get it." He laughed, rolling to grab the supplies they needed. Greg rolled to the other side, dimming the lights, putting some music on. "That's different."

"What?" Greg asked.

"You goin' for more of the romance vibe." Nick laughed. "Usually you just wonna get straight to the sex." Greg smiled, laying back against the pillows as Nick straddled his thighs. "You gettin' more romantic in your years there G?"

"No, I learn from the master." He winked up at him. "I can turn it off if you..."

"No, that's okay." Nick smiled, stopping his hands. "I like it." He rasped, covering Greg's mouth with his for a deep passionate kiss.

* * *

**Please Review. I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry for the wait. Next chapter is with my beta so it should be up shortly.**


	42. Chapter 42: Alpha Male

**Chapter Forty Two: Alpha Male**

"Is that it?" Greg almost squealed with excitement as Nick pulled up into the drive of the house they were looking at.

"Did you eat any sugar today?" Nick chuckled as he parked the car. Greg had been bouncing up and down in his seat for the whole drive and he was only getting more and more excitable like a hyper little puppy or something.

"No, I'm just excited." Greg bounced out of the car, looking up at the large house.

Nick broke into a wide grin as he watched the excitement in Greg's eyes.

"Mr Stokes." The realtor Debbie Bradshaw smiled over at him, greeting him with a handshake. She was a fair haired young woman in a smart business suit with piercing blue eyes. Nick had met with her on many occasions before hand to discuss the best houses in Las Vegas. She and her partner Rosie had recently moved to a gay friendly neighbourhood too, so she knew all the best houses to show them where they would be accepted by their neighbours.

"Hi Debbie, oh this is..." Nick looked around for Greg but he was nowhere to be seen, already off exploring no doubt. "Well that was Greg, my fiancé I told you about." He laughed, following her into the house where Greg was stood in the front room, already gawking at the size of it. "Hey Greg, this is Debbie Bradshaw the realtor." Nick introduced them.

"Hi." Greg smiled widely at her, shaking her hand.

"Much cuter in person," Debbie smiled round at Nick. "Well would you like me to give you the grand tour?" Greg nodded excitedly. Debbie led them off up the wooden staircase, pointing out the lighting in the lobby as they made their way up to the carpeted hallway.

"What did she mean by much cuter in person?" Greg whispered to Nick as they stepped into the large master bedroom.

"I showed her a picture of you."

"You talk about me with other people?" Greg asked surprised.

"Yeah, don't look too surprised G." Nick smiled, reaching out for Greg's hand to hold. "I love you, why wouldn't I talk about you?"

"The master bedroom overlooks the garden." Debbie pointed out to them from one of the large windows. "The master suite bathroom is right through there." She pointed to the door behind them then stepped over to the closet to show them how much space was inside.

"I'm cute?" Greg whispered to Nick with a confused frown.

"Adorable." Nick grinned back at him.

"You have a picture of me?" was his next stunned question. Nick smiled in response, pulling Greg off to continue the tour of the other bedrooms.

"As you can see there's plenty of closet space. The master bedroom has the only walk in closet but the other three rooms have the standard size." Debbie showed them. Nick and Greg looked at each other nodding. "Now the guest bathroom doesn't have a shower and bath tub, it just has the walk in shower." Debbie walked them through to the bathroom, showing them the linen closet and the grand shower before she walked them off into the master bathroom. "Jacuzzi bath tub, twin shower with massaging shower heads. Me and my girlfriend have them and they're luxurious . . . along with the his and her sinks . . . or his and his," She smiled round at them. "And the other linen closet and medicine cabinet." She pointed out, watching Nick and Greg's reactions. "Would you like to see the downstairs now?"

"Yes." They both chimed in together.

Debbie smiled, leading them off back down the stairs. She walked them through to the front room, complete with tanned leather couches, sheep skin rugs, bare wooden floors and a large bookcase in the corner of the room. Once they were done admiring the furniture that came with the house she pointed out the ceiling fans above them, along with the working fire place and the study just off from it with a lovely view of the garden.

"Dibs." Greg called out on the room, admiring the view out of the study window. Nick chuckled rolling his eyes at him. "What?"

"Nothin' G."

Debbie walked them through to the dining room. "Not many people use dining rooms anymore, I know I don't, but a nice family sized table would fit in here." She pointed out to them. She pointed out the ceiling fans in there too then led them off towards the grand kitchen; pulling open all the cupboard doors and draws to show them the space. "It's a very modernised kitchen, complete with electric hob and oven, microwave, kettle, fridge/freezer and dish washer." She walked round the breakfast bar pointing out the tiles on the wall to them. "Either one of you good in the kitchen?" Greg pointed to Nick and Nick pointed to Greg. She chuckled at them both, leading them off towards the laundry room. "The last tenants used this as storage mostly. They didn't have any children so it didn't get much use. There's a fold away ironing board. Washing machine and dryer over there. There's room for a pet in here too as well as a second back door, fitted with a cat flap."

"Cool." Greg gawked at the fold away ironing board as he pulled it out.

"There's also a television." She pointed up. "And another linen closet over here, along with lots of storage space for golf clubs or anything." She indicated as she pulled open the cupboard doors. "Would you like to see outside?" They both eagerly nodded.

"Can we really afford this house?" Greg whispered round to Nick.

"Yeah we can. Do you want it?" The excitable grin on Greg's face said it all.

"Over here we have a pond." Debbie signalled over. "If you're planning on having children you might want to close it off or something. There's a..."

"Swimming pool!" Greg cried with excitement.

"Yep," Debbie nodding, chuckling to herself at Greg's excitement. "There's also a Jacuzzi under the extendible porch." She pointed over to the side then pulled the remote out of her pocket to show them how the porch extends. "There's no houses either side of you, so you certainly have your privacy and there's a large grassy area for your children to play in or perhaps a pet." She smiled round at them. "Oh excuse me." She announced as her cell phone started to ring. She ducked into the house to answer it, leaving Nick and Greg in the garden to decide if they wanted it or not.

"I can tell by your smile you want it G." Nick smiled round at him.

"Do you?" Desperately hoping Nick was going to say yes, Greg tried to hold off the excited squeal ready to escape his lips.

Nick turned back to the house to look up at it. He could really picture himself living here and he knew Greg wanted it so he nodded. Greg smiled widely throwing his arms around Nick's neck to hug him tightly.

"You do want it though doncha? You're not just saying that for me?" Greg asked, pulling back from the hug as Debbie came out to them again.

"Yeah, I do really want it, for both of us. Debbie, we'll take it." Nick announced, heading back into the house with her.

Greg immediately pulled out his cell phone wanting to tell the good news to someone else as he felt the excitement bubbling up inside of him. "Hi Jade, it's Greg."

"_Really? You know I read the caller ID before I answered but I still can't believe it."_

"You getting smart with me?"

"_I'm kidding, whaddya want?"_

"I've got a house; well technically, _we've _got a house and guess where?"

"_Don't know."_

"Oh go on, guess!"

"_Greg, I really have no idea."_

"You're no fun, it's four blocks down from you, so we can visit you whenever we want."

"_Oh joy, just so you know I'm not available for babysitting. I'm fully booked for the next... eighteen years."_

"Ha, yeah, yeah. You could congratulate me yah know." Greg smirked.

"_Congratulations Greg! So four blocks over, huh? Does that mean I get an invite to your house warming party?"_

"Well, we haven't decided if we were gonna have a house warming party yet..."

"_Oh my god Greg, you're finally saying we instead of I."_

"I know." Greg smiled, looking at Nick in the kitchen with Debbie. "Did you ever think that if I never left for New York we'd be the ones getting married."

"_To each other?"_

"Yes Jade." He struggled not to laugh at her sarcasm.

"_No, I think you did the right thing. I don't do marriage."_

"So you don't do baby's, kids, marriage or real long term relationships? Where's that gonna lead you to?" Greg asked curiously.

"_Mind your own business G, not all of us can find that one true Texan we're meant to be with and I never said I didn't do long term relationships, they just don't last that long."_

"You'll find someone . . . hey Jade; will you be my best man?"

"_Isn't that your maid of honour?" _Jade teased him, laughing as she could feel Greg scowling her through the phone.

"I'm not the bride!" Greg protested.

"_Relax G, I was kidding. Sure, as long as I don't have to do anything."_

"You might have to do a speech."

"_I can do that. Does that mean I get to plan your bachelor party too?"_

"Yes, but you can't do strippers, male or female and no big surprises." He warned her.

"_Fine by me, I gotta get back to work. Remind Nick of how lucky he is to have found you."_

"I will." Greg snapped his phone shut, sitting down on the step outside the back door as he looked at the garden before him. He could definitely see himself and Nick living here.

* * *

"Hey Nick?" Greg shouted from his position on the bed.

"What?"

"Are we having a house warming party?" Nick walked down the hall towards the bedroom, looking at Greg laying on his stomach on the bed with his head propped up on his elbows.

"I don't know . . . what are you doin'? I told you to sort through your stuff so we can start packin'."

"I was. I got bored." Nick rolled his eyes, crawling onto the bed with Greg. "What we have two weeks to do it."

"Yeah, but we also have to get back to work soon too, so we won't have time to start packin' because we'll be exhausted." Nick reminded him.

Greg rolled onto his back, pulling Nick on top of him. "I'd rather unwrap you though." He rasped, sliding his hands beneath Nick's shirt.

"Greg..."

"I finally get you home all to myself and all you wonna do is pack." Greg pulled Nick closer by his shirt collar, pressing their lips together. Nick couldn't resist as he felt the body beneath him coming to life.

"Five minutes then you gotta start packin' Greg." Nick sternly warned him.

"Ten minutes." Greg tried to haggle.

"No G, we gotta pack this stuff up."

"You're no fun Nicky." Greg pouted.

"Seven minutes then, I'm not goin' any higher than that."

"Oh I think you'll get a little higher." Cheekily grinning, Greg unbuckled Nick's belt, pulling his jeans down past his waist. Nick lifted Greg's t-shirt up over his head, pinning his arms to the bed above his head as he invaded his younger lover's mouth with his tongue. "I didn't know you were into bondage." Greg grinned up at him as they broke apart.

"I kinda like it. Maybe I'll get my own way for once?" He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at Greg. Nick reached over the side of the bed for the packing tape, holding Greg's wrists together as he taped them up.

"Aren't cha gonna read me my rights first, Officer Stokes?" Greg deviously grinned.

"Nope, first of all I need to strip search you."

"Ooh, I like the sound of that." Greg eagerly licked his lips.

"I bet you do." Nick rasped, trying not to laugh as he stripped the younger man of his jeans, socks and boxers. He gently curled his hand around Greg's hardened member, watching the younger man moaning softly, pushing himself into the touch. Nick lifted Greg's tied hands over the bed post behind him, so he was completely restrained.

"God Nicky," Moaning softly in desperation, he tried to buck his hips into Nick's hand, but Nick held him down against the bed, continuing with his slow soft movement, driving Greg crazy.

Nick straddled Greg' thighs, grazing the tip of his tongue across Greg's jaw line, marking moist soft kisses towards the younger mans chest. Torturing Greg with his slow movements still, he began to gently lick circles around one of Greg's nipples, causing him to moan louder.

"Nicky please!" Greg started to beg, feeling as though he was going to explode.

"You'll have to wait." Nick smiled up at him, continuing the slow torture of moist kisses down his lover's body. He licked a wet path towards Greg's navel, gently blowing a soft breath on the path to make Greg shiver. Greg being the usual tease of the two, used this technique many times on Nick to drive him crazy.

It was nice to finally get some payback on the little tease.

Greg began to moan louder in frustration, but Nick managed to resist his lover's desperate pleas to coat Greg's chest in warm moist kisses as he slowly thrust his hand along Greg's hard shaft.

"God Nicky, pleeeease!"

"Relax baby." Nick slowly removed his hand from Greg's erection, scooting back on his knees into position.

Greg let out a faint pleasurable moan as Nick's soft lips came in contact with his body.

Nick continued the slow torture of kisses, feeling Greg beginning to raise his hips for more contact. He gently pushed Greg's hips down, softly gliding his tongue down Greg's erection. Greg moaned in desperation as his hard shaft slowly disappeared into Nick's mouth. He arched his chest up off the bed as Nick's soft lips, warm tongue and skilful movement drove him more and more crazy by the second.

Within seconds Greg was seeing stars and crying out Nick's name as his body started to shudder.

Nick wiped his mouth with the back of his hand then returned to Greg's mouth for a deep lusty kiss.

"Whoa, whoa, where are you going?" Greg asked confused as Nick climbed off him, pulling up his jeans and fastening his belt back around his waist.

"I'm goin' to finish packin'." Nick struggled not to smile at the confused frown on Greg's face.

"Aren't you gonna untie me first?"

Nick's eyes scanned across his naked lover, helplessly tied to the bed. "Nope, I'm good." He deviously grinned.

"Nicky." Greg pouted.

"Sorry G, I love the view."

"Wait, wait." Greg shouted as Nick head off towards the door. "I'll do anything."

"Anythin'?" Nick turned on his heels to look at Greg. "Like packin'?"

"Done, I'll pack all my stuff up." Greg nodded. Nick thought about it a moment then pulled his keys from his pocket, opening the pen knife up on the chain. "Don't cut me." Greg warned him.

"I wouldn't." Nick sliced through the tape to free Greg's hand then returned the keys to his pocket. "Get packin' then G. Ah, don't get dressed though." Nick added as he saw Greg going for his boxers.

Greg sat on the edge of the bed, folding his arms across his chest. "You want me to pack naked?" Nick nodded with a wide smile on his face. "Okay, done." Greg grinned, jumping to his feet. "Bet you thought I wouldn't."

"No I didn't, I know you too well. Get packin', we got lots to do."

"Like revenge?" Greg deviously rubbed his hands together, looking up at the older man. "I wasn't planning anything too extreme." He innocently smiled. Nick just gave him a slight nod, heading back out into the living room to continue packing.

Greg grabbed one of the empty boxes, starting to throw some of his clothes into it while he struggled to think of the perfect revenge against Nick.

"Greg, I don't see you foldin' those t-shirts." Nick moaned, returning to the bedroom. Greg dumped another pile of t-shirts into the box as they were. "G, you gotta fold them."

"Why? What's the big deal? We can fold them when we get there."

"Yeah, but they'll be all creased." Nick stepped over the boxes, heading over to Greg. "You gotta fold them." Greg grabbed another t-shirt, dropping it into the box how it was. Nick smiled looking up at Greg, sternly warning him. "One more Greg, I'm warnin' you."

"You're warning me?" Greg seductively spoke.

"Yep . . . one more." Nick smiled widely, watching the devious grin spreading across Greg's face. Greg grabbed another t-shirt, screwing it up in his hands before he tossed it into the box with the others.

Nick tapped his fingers against the box beside him then lunged for Greg, lifting him up in his arms over the boxes. Nick crashed their bodies back onto the bed, vigorously tickling Greg. "Stop it you big bully." Greg squirmed beneath him.

"You're really testin' me today Greg." Nick ceased his tickling, looking down into Greg's eyes.

"We have the whole day alone and you just wonna pack." Greg sweetly pouted.

"We're never gonna get everythin' packed at this rate G, doncha wonna move into our new house?"

"It's two weeks away, we'll find the time." Gently trailing his fingertips across Nick's strong bicep, he tried to seduce him into giving into him again. "Ever since you proposed all you wonna do is plan the rest of our lives, instead of living it."

"I haven't," Nick pouted, realising he had as soon as he said it. "Okay, maybe I have, but I've never had a future with anyone before."

"Well you do with me; you have a present too though. Be spontaneous, you don't have to schedule every little detail of our lives . . . just let it happen."

Nick pursed his lips together as he thought over Greg's motto. It actually made a lot of sense and might be a lot easier than trying to structure everything. "Okay . . . we don't have to pack today."

"Yesss!" Greg rejoiced. "Now we need to get your clothes off Nicholas Stokes." Greg pushed Nick back off the bed to lift his shirt up over his head then fiddle with his jeans.

"This is what you wonna do all day?" Nick asked as clothes were stripped off him.

"Yep, it requires no schedules, minimal planning and only slight preparation." Greg pulled Nick onto the bed once he was naked, lying him flat on his back then straddling his thighs. "Trust me, you'll love it Control Freak."

"I'm not a control freak."

"Yes you are." Greg nodded, pulling something out from under the pillows.

"What's that?" Nick asked, Greg snapped one of the handcuff loops around Nick's wrist, threading it through the headboard before he snapped the other one on, making sure they were tight enough so Nick couldn't slip his hands out. "Greg!" Nick moaned, struggling to get his hands free.

"Paybacks a bitch Nicky," Greg grabbed the packing tape to strap down Nick's ankles to the bedposts at the bottom of the bed, once again straddling his lover now he was completely tied down.

"That's not fair." Nick pouted. "You planned this, those handcuffs weren't there earlier."

"Like I said, minimal planning," Greg grinned, retrieving a condom and some lubricant from underneath the other pillow. "It's every Alpha male's right to fight back his title."

"You think I took away your dominance?"

"You tied me down Nicky; I couldn't let you take my title so easily." Deviously grinning, Greg slid the condom down Nick's hardened length, slicking him up with a decent amount of lubricant.

"Then by all means, re-establish your dominance back." Nick gave in. He watched Greg opening himself up with hungry eyes of pure jealously for those fingers.

A few seconds later Greg slowly lowered himself onto Nick's length, welcoming him deep inside of him. Nick tried to adjust his hips, the metal chains of the handcuffs rattling against the bed post as he struggled to move, bucking his hips as Greg started to ride him like a cowboy. Nick may have been the one inside of Greg, but he felt completely helpless as the Alpha male on his hips re-established his dominance in their relationship.

He sometimes wondered where Greg got his energy from. He was only a few years older than him, but he always seemed so lively and active.

Nick could feel his orgasm building fast. Greg began to ride him harder, placing his hands on Nick's chest to support himself. His breathing started to quicken, heart rate frantically increased. He locked eyes with Nick as his body started to spasm.

Nick let out a strangled groan as his intense orgasm surged through him, struggling to move under his restraints. He wanted to touch the heavenly body rocking his world right now, but he was helpless to do a thing.

Greg slowly pulled off of Nick, tossing the condom into the trash can. He collapsed beside Nick, resting his head against Nick's flexed bicep as they gradually came down from their highs.

"You're gonna untie me now right?" Nick panted heavily. A wide smile immediately spread across Greg's face. "Greg! That's not fair."

"Revenge is sweet!" Greg declared with a cheeky giggle as he climbed off the bed. "I'll be in the kitchen." Greg whirled around on his heels at the door to face Nick. "Don't go anywhere." He cheekily winked.

"Like I could!" Greg laughed as he made his way off to the kitchen. "Greg! C'mon man! I gotta pee!"

"Subs pee when their Masters tell them to!"

* * *

**Please Review if you liked it :D**


	43. Chapter 43: Beauty the eye of the behold

**Chapter Forty Three: Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder**

Greg walked through the front door, dropping his keys on the side. He kicked the door shut with his foot looking around at the boxes of their stuff still around the front room. Knowing Nick he would have unpacked everything by now, so it was odd that it was all still boxed up. "Nicky?" Greg shouted through the house.

"Bathroom." He heard a muffled voice reply. Greg ran up the stairs, heading through their bedroom towards the bathroom. "Hi." Nick smiled from his position in the bathtub.

Greg looked at down Nick's expression, immediately asking "Are you okay?"

"Pfft. I'm fine." Nick smiled, but the painful expression on his face remained no matter how hard he tried to mask it.

Greg walked over to the bathtub, kneeling down beside it. "Nicky, what's wrong?"

"Nothin'," Nick shook his head, but Greg's intense staring made him break. "I hurt my back."

"On what?"

"Liftin' stuff."

"How bad is it?" Greg asked concerned. Nick shrugged giving Greg a half smile. "Have you taken anything?"

"Pain killers." Greg leant on the edge of the bathtub looking into Nick's eyes. "What?"

"Nothing . . . why didn't you call me?"

"I didn't wonna disturb you at work."

"You are far more important to me then work." Greg leant over the edge to kiss Nick's moist lips. Nick wrapped his hands around Greg, pulling him into the tub on top of him, still fully clothed. "Ew." Greg laughed as his clothes soaked through with the tub water. "You coulda waited for me to get undressed first."

"You know I hate waitin'," Stripping Greg of his soggy suit jacket and t-shirt, he softly sucked on Greg's neck, sending goosebumps down the younger mans arms. "Especially for you G." Greg pulled his soaked sneakers off, dropping them over the side of the tub along with his socks, jeans and boxers. Nick wrapped his arms around Greg, holding him close against his chest. "Did yah have a good day at work?"

"Was okay," Greg nodded, turning in Nick's arms to sit with his back against Nick's chest. "Hodges was a total jerk to me again."

"What'd he say?"

"I'll give you a hint. He was processing hot dogs when he said it."

"Want me to beat him up for you?" Nick protectively stated, pressing a kiss to Greg's neck.

"No that's okay Nicky, even _I_ can take Hodges." Nick wrapped his arms tighter around Greg's waist. "Do you want me to give you a massage when we get out the tub?"

"Could do," Nick nodded then looked up at the clock as he heard the doorbell ring. "Who could that be?"

"If it's my mom she'll let herself in." They both waited hearing another ring. "I'll get it."

"Get dressed first." Nick warned him.

Greg chuckled climbing out of the tub. "I'm not stupid."

"I know, but no one's allowed to see your gorgeous body but me." Nick smiled, admiring his lover's naked body.

Greg grabbed a towel to quickly dry himself, heading out to the bedroom to pull a t-shirt and some sweat pants on from one of the boxes at the foot of the bed. He ran down the stairs just as the doorbell rang again, pulling it open to see Jade stood at his door.

"Hi." Greg smiled looking at the time. "What's up?"

Jade sighed heavily. "I can't come to your party thing tomorrow."

"Why?" Greg asked shocked. "You planned the whole thing, you can't _not_ come!" Jade pouted her lip up at him as she frowned. "What, what's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant!" She angrily groaned.

Greg stood perfectly still, wide eyed and open mouthed for what seemed like eternity.

"Would you blink or something!" Jade snapped at him.

"Your... your pregnant? How did this happen?" Greg asked completely shocked.

Jade glared at him as if he was stupid. "Do you really need me to explain that to you Greg?"

Greg shook his head, shoving his hands deep into his pockets as he tried to think of something to say. To anyone else he'd say 'Congratulations', but Jade never wanted to become pregnant, she didn't even like children.

"Well... who's the father?" Greg hesitantly asked. Jade thought about it a moment then shrugged. "Well... how many guys have you slept with this year?"

"I'm supposed to remember that?"

"It can't be that many!"

"How many people have you slept with this year?" Jade retorted. Greg slowly raised one finger. "Nicky? That's it."

"Hey, I'm not you... or him for that matter. You don't know who the father is?"

"No, I'm not psychic!" She snapped at him. "I just came to tell you I won't be at the party." Jade turned on her heels to walk away.

"Whoa, what are you gonna do?" Greg asked, chasing her down the path barefooted.

"I don't know," She shrugged. "Adoption."

"You're just gonna get rid of it like that?" He asked shocked.

"At least I didn't say the other A word Greg!" She shouted at him, looking as though she was going to cry. "I can't keep it."

"Why not?"

"I'd be a terrible mother. I am terrible. I can't look after a baby." Jade turned and walked away down the drive. Greg folded his arms across his chest as he watched her go. He had never seen Jade so vulnerable before.

Greg slowly turned to walk back into the house, closing the door behind him then sprinting off up the stairs towards the bathroom. "Who was it?" Nick asked as Greg entered the bathroom.

"Nobody." Greg stepped over his wet clothes to sit on the edge of the bath tub.

Nick looked at Greg's glum expression. "What's up bud?"

"Jades pregnant." Greg mumbled.

"She what?" The question completely stunned Nick.

"She's pregnant. She's completely freaked out. I've never seen her like that."

"Your not... I mean you don't still," Nick stuttered to ask the question.

"What?" Greg frowned at him curiously.

"You... you don't still love her do you?"

"Do you have to ask me that Nicky? I love you and only you!" Greg snapped at him.

"I'm sorry, it's just you said you still loved her a few weeks ago..."

"No, that was way back when we first got together. I said I loved her as a _friend_."

"Okay, I'm sorry." Nick apologised again. "You're not mad at me are you? Hey I wouldn't be in love with you if I didn't get jealous G. You should be grateful." Nick tried to lighten the mood. He gently tugged on Greg's t-shirt to pull him back into the tub, but Greg pulled back against him.

"You can't get these clothes wet too Nicky." He giggled, pulling his t-shirt and sweatpants off as he climbed back into the tub, sitting between Nick's legs again with his back against his chest.

"So, what did she say... about the baby?"

"She's not keeping it."

"Is she gettin' an abortion?"

Greg shook his head. "The other A word."

"Adoption, so she's goin' to terms with it?" Greg nodded, leaning further back against Nick's chest. "What did you tell her?"

"I asked who the father was... then somehow we got onto my sex life." Greg looked round at Nick's expression. "Not _our_ sex life... how many people I've slept with this year."

"And...?" Nick was hoping for an answer even though it would make him even more jealous.

"Only One." Greg truthfully stated. "You Nicky." Greg held Nick's hands in his, feeling the wrinkles beginning to form on his lover's fingertips. "You're turning into a prune in here Nicky."

Nick looked at his hands then smiled. "I'll need your help to get out then."

"Five more minutes," Greg smiled round at him. "How long have you been in here anyway?"

"About two hours. When it gets cold I just top it up with some more hot water."

"Ew, you've been in here for two hours?"

"The warm water _was _helpin' with my back!" Nick defended himself. "I was clean when I got in anyway coz I already had a shower. Since when did you become a germaphobe?"

"I'm not. I just wanted to know if the water I was sitting in was clean."

"Now it's got your sweaty little arse in it, I don't think so." Nick teased him.

"Let gets you out of the tub then grandpa." Greg climbed out of the bath, helping Nick to his feet, watching cautiously as Nick winced from his back pain.

"Don't call me grandpa, I feel old enough as it is." Nick protested.

"Your only 36 Nicky, I was kidding." Greg grabbed two towels, wrapping one round his waist while he dried Nick with the other. "What did you lift anyway?"

"The TV."

"Nicky." Greg tusked, rolling his eyes. "I told you to wait for me."

"Sorry. I wish I had." Greg helped Nick over to the bed, lying him down on his stomach. Greg grabbed the massaging oils from the draw. He tossed his own towel then straddled Nick's thighs, warming the oils up in his hands before he started to massage them into Nick's back for him.

"I'll finish unpacking." Greg suggested.

"No baby, I don't want you hurtin' yourself."

"I won't."

"I just mean coz you've already dislocated your shoulder before Greg. I wouldn't want you to aggravate your injury baby."

"As opposed to yours?" Greg smirked.

"Shut up smart ass!" Greg mischievously giggled. "Less talkin', more kneadin'." He instructed.

"Done," Gently kneading his knuckles into the tense muscles of Nick's back, he started to think about Jade again. "Hey Nicky?"

"Yeah?"

"You know you want kids?"

"Yeah," Nick nodded, figuring out what Greg was going to ask him already. "Greg, you're not as cryptic as you think. Would you really wonna take away your best friends baby to raise as your own though?"

"Wouldn't be so bad."

"Does she even know who the father is?" Nick questioned him in his negative tone, crushing Greg's dreams.

"No."

"Exactly, could be a crack addict for all we know."

"I thought you liked Jade?"

"It's not about me likin' her or not G. Do you really want a baby that could have drug relations or prison for all we know? Plus Jade smokes like a chimney."

Greg scowled the back of Nick's head, kneading his knuckles harder into his back. "Maybe you should sleep on the floor tonight?" He suggested.

"You kickin' me out the bed? For that?"

"No. I meant for your back. I can sleep on the floor with you if you want? I meant for your back, it's supposed to help or something."

"Beds fine . . . it's not that bad. Honestly Greg, I can barely feel it anymore."

"Uh huh," Greg nodded, not believing him for a second. "You wonna go to sleep now?"

"Yeah," Nick replied, almost asleep already after the relaxing massage his partner had just given him.

"When did you last take those pain killers?" Greg scrambled off the bed grabbing some boxers from a box. He snapped them in place around his waist then grabbed another pair for Nick along with a pair of Nick's pyjamas from the other box.

"A few hours ago . . . I'm not gonna take anymore." Nick winced as he struggled to a sitting position on the bed. Greg helped Nick to pull his boxers up his legs along with his pyjama bottoms. Greg drew the blinds shut while Nick winced crawling back towards the pillows. Greg pulled on Nick's pyjama top, crawling onto the bed beside him in his boxers and pyjama shirt. "Do you always have to wear my tops?" Nick chuckled.

"Yep, you never wear them anyway, can't let them go to waste . . . and they smell of you. It's like an extra long cuddle from you."

"You only have to ask for a cuddle." Nick pulled Greg closer to him, wrapping his arms tightly around his warm body.

"You're not always here though." Greg whispered, resting his head on Nick's chest.

"I'm sorry." Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's forehead, pulling the covers up around him.

"How's your back?"

"Okay."

"Truth Nicky." Greg warned him, looking into his eyes.

"It hurts." He admitted to him.

"Wonna lay on the floor? The flat surface would be great for your back."

"No, I'm fine." Greg shot him another concerned glare. "I am, I'm fine G. Go to sleep."

"I'm not the one who's gotta get up for work in..." Greg looked round at the clock. "Five hours, you shoulda gone to sleep earlier."

"Then I'd miss you." Nick pulled Greg's body closer against his, closing his eyes to go to sleep.

"How was your therapy session?"

"You wonna talk about this now?" Nick asked, reopening his eyes.

"Yeah, I forgot to when I came in. So... how was it?"

"The doc wants me to start drawin' or somethin' therapeutic to help relax me, apparently my lifestyles too violent and it only makes me more hot headed."

"You can't draw."

"You've never seen me draw!" Nick laughed, closing his eyes again. Greg lay against Nick's chest a few more minutes in silence, listening to the soft beating of his heart.

"What can you draw?" He asked.

"Greg," Nick moaned loudly. "I have to be at work in five hours, like you pointed out. Why do we have to talk about this now?"

"So-rry!" He mumbled sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, I love you Greg, just go to sleep."

"Love you too . . . Grouch!"

"I thought you stopped callin' me that?" Nick looked down into Greg's eyes, watching him giving him a wide adorable smile. "I'll tell you what, you let me sleep now. Then I'll draw you tomorrow."

"You'll draw me?" Greg asked surprised.

"Yeah, think you can sit still long enough?"

"Challenging," He nodded considering it. "I'll try... for you Nicky."

"Good, now go to sleep." He smiled, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Greg relaxed against Nick's chest again, closing his eyes too.

When he woke up Nick was already gone. Greg rolled into the middle of the bed, looking around the brightly lit room as he stretched out. He decided to start unpacking the rest of their things as their house would be flooded with friends soon, coming to see the new place.

* * *

Catherine watched as Nick bent down, wincing in pain to retrieve a fibre off the floor. She watched him straighten up in agony then closed her kit up, walking over to him. "What's up Nicky? Too much sex?"

"Trust you to say that." He glared up at her.

"Well, you are dating a younger man; you're bound to find it hard to keep up with him."

"I'm not old!" He protested. "This isn't a sex related injury anyway!"

"Really," She nodded, taking note of his hostility towards the subject.

"Yes, I hurt my back movin' the stuff into our new house. You're still comin' to the party tonight right?" Catherine nodded. "Good, Grissom and Jade have already backed out."

"I wouldn't miss it, I wonna see your love shack." She grinned widely.

"It's not a love shack!" He warned her.

"Really, old age getting to you two already? You already stopped having sex?"

"No!" Nick protested again as he struggled to think of the last time they had sex. He realised it was two weeks ago when they were still living at his place. "We... we just..."

"Relax Nicky, the honeymoon phase of your relationship is over, doesn't mean you two won't last. It just means you're learning to be with each other, different ways rather than sexually." She smiled at him, walking off towards her car. "Now c'mon, Lindsay's got a school play production on. I wonna get all this done to go and see it before I come over yours."

"Okay." Nick held his back in agony as he lifted his kit into his hands, hobbling over to Catherine's car. "Would you stop lookin' at me like that? It's not a sex injury!" He protested again.

"I didn't say anything. You're very hostile towards the subject Nicky. You may not be as young as you were, but you can still have sex safely."

"I'm 36!" He protested again. "I'm not gettin' older. There's nothin' wrong with my sex life."

"Okay." She smiled innocently, climbing into her car. She watched Nick climb in before she decided to tease him some more. "Found your first grey hair yet?"

"I'm not talkin' to you anymore!" He pouted, pulling his seatbelt down over his shoulder.

"The good thing is you have Greg. He'll keep you young."

"I don't have grey hairs. I'm not that old." He moaned, leaning back in his seat.

"We'll just keep this between us." She winked, softly patting him on the knee.

* * *

"Greg!" Nick shouted as he entered the house, but there was no answer. He looked around the house seeing there weren't any boxes about and all their stuff was unpacked. Not very neatly though, he noticed.

He walked through to the kitchen, but Greg wasn't in there either. "Greg!" Nick shouted again, rushing off upstairs. He walked into the bedroom seeing his naked lover passed out on top of the bed sheets. The warm sunshine was reflecting off his back, making the scars on his back softly glow like an angels wings.

Nick smiled softly to himself. Greg looked so adorable.

Nick kicked his shoes off, gently easing himself onto the mattress behind Greg. He carefully put his arm around Greg's body, placing a soft kiss to his back. Greg softly moaned but didn't wake up. Nick pressed another kiss to his back, softly stroking his fingers through his hair as he snuggled up beside him on the bed.

"Nicky?" Greg softly moaned.

"It's me G." He tightened his arm around Greg's waist, placing a kiss on the back of his neck. "You been busy G?" Greg nodded slightly, wheezing softly as he wasn't ready to wake up. "Why are you naked in bed then baby?"

"I knew you were coming home." Greg rubbed his eyes open, rolling in Nick's arms to face him.

"Hello Gorgeous!" Nick smiled, adoring the sleepy expression on his lover's face.

"What's up Nicky?"

"Nothin'." Nick shook his head, wondering how Greg always knew.

Greg softly ran his fingertips across Nick's forehead. "You've got an angry brow. You're face always tells your emotions Nick, even when you try to hide it."

"Do you think I'm old?"

"Nick, you've got back pain from over working yourself. That doesn't make you old."

"Catherine thinks I am." Nick lay flat against the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"She's older than you." Greg snuggled against Nick's body, putting his arm around his waist. "You're only 36 Nick. That stupid joke about calling you grandpa yesterday was just a joke. And Catherine doesn't know what she's talking about."

Nick nodded; feeling much more relaxed after talking to Greg. "We should get ready for this party then G."

"How long you think it will last?" Greg asked curiously.

"Not long, two or three hours. Everyone's pretty tired and they all gotta work tomorrow. Griss can't make it either."

"That's a slight relief."

"Why?" He asked, turning to face Greg with a confused frown on his face.

"Showing your boss slash pseudo father the place where you plan to spend the rest of your life with your gay lover is kinda awkward. Especially as he sees you as a son."

"He sees you as a son too G."

"More you though. I think I annoy him." Nick chuckled, sliding his fingertips across Greg's forearm. "Maybe that's really why he doesn't want to come over. If it was just you or you and a girl he would, but not for me."

"Grissom never goes to any social event G. We practically have to drag him away from his bug collections to eat with us in the breakroom." Nick laughed then glanced round at the time. "You should get dressed baby, they'll be arrivin' any minute now." Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's forehead as he struggled to climb to his feet.

"Next time you see Cath remind her how old she is. She must have a dusty old uterus by now." Greg giggled.

"Mean Greg." Nick pulled open the closet, tossing Greg some clothes. "I wouldn't say that to Cath."

"Reversed situations she'd say the same thing to you."

"Get dressed." Nick persisted, heading off down the stairs to get the food out they bought earlier. As he walked towards the kitchen he heard the doorbell going off. He turned back for the door, pulling it open to see Sara holding a plant in her hands.

"House warming gift." She smiled.

"Thanks come in." Nick ushered her through to the kitchen, grabbing the food from the fridge, noticing some was missing and the cake had a fingertip trail through it. _Greg! _He immediately thought to himself.

"Am I the first?" Sara asked surprised, just as the doorbell rang again. Nick nodded, heading off to answer it.

"Hey man." Warrick smiled with some beers in his hands. Nick looked down the drive seeing Catherine, Wendy, Mandy and Grissom coming up the drive. "Griss, you made it?" Warrick asked surprised.

"Catherine dragged me out of the house." He mumbled, looking around the lobby of the house, thinking it wasn't at all what he expected for a house Greg lived in.

Nick showed them through to the kitchen then rushed upstairs to look for Greg, finding him fast asleep on the bed with his boxers on and one leg through his jeans. He chuckled to himself then attempted to wake him up. "C'mon Greg sweetie. It's just two hours at the most."

"Can't... too tired."

"C'mon, Grissom made it so your theory was wrong." Nick pulled Greg's jeans up, fastening the belt around his waist. "C'mon Greg."

"I am." Greg struggled to his feet, pulling a t-shirt down over his head. "Grissom really came?" Nick nodded, pulling Greg off towards the stairs. "He must really love me."

"Don't give your hopes up there G." Nick chuckled, pulling him off towards the kitchen where everyone was routing through their cupboards. "Ahem." Nick loudly cleared his throat. They all turned to face him with guilty expressions on their faces.

"Sorry." Catherine closed the cupboard she was routing through, smiling as she looked at Greg's sleepy expression. "So, wonna give us the grand tour boys?" She smiled wider as her eyes moved down to their linked hands.

"Yeah, how big is this place?" Warrick queried, closing the fridge then cracking open a beer in his hands.

"I'll show yah, follow me." Nick pulled Greg along by the hand, off towards the front room. Everyone followed him through, looking around at the furniture and things, thinking it wasn't at all what they were expecting from a gay couple either. They expected something more love nesty; instead it looked completely normal, disappointing the girls as that was the only reason they came to see the house of two gay men.

"The study is goin' to be Greg's office for publishin' his books." Nick pointed out.

"We're painting it green." Greg added.

"We are?" Nick asked shocked. He had never once had a green room in his house; it seemed the wrong colour for a room.

Greg nodded, leading their friends off towards the dining room. "We're getting a big pool table for in here."

"No we're not Greg." Nick protested. "We're gettin' a dining table and some chairs for in here."

"We can eat in the kitchen." Greg pouted back to him with their friends watching the argument.

"We're not gettin' a pool table. C'mon, I'll show y'all upstairs." Nick led them off up the staircase, showing them the guest bathroom and bedroom along with the empty rooms. He explained to them that one of the spare rooms he planned on turning into a gym, which Greg didn't know about until now.

"You never told me!" He pouted.

"I'm tellin' you now G."

"You're supposed to run things by me first." Nick felt awkward arguing in front of his friends so he just ignored him, heading off towards their bedroom.

"Ooh, where's your naughty draw?" Catherine immediately asked, making Warrick, Nick and Grissom uncomfortable.

Nick stuffed his hands on his hips, trying to think of something to say. "That's not part of the..."

"Right here." Greg interrupted, getting an evil scowl from Nick. "What? She asked."

"Okay, who's hungry?" Nick quickly asked to change the subject, pushing the draw shut before Greg started to show them anything.

Warrick and Grissom immediately head off down the stairs to eat, glad for the distraction after thinking about Greg and Nick playing with sex toys together. Catherine and Wendy however were still curious, but Nick shunned them away, dragging Greg by the hand behind him.

"So Greg, why don't you want a gym in the house?" Mandy asked curiously once they all had drinks and something to eat. "You don't like to work out?"

"I'm not into working out. My philosophy is no pain, no pain." He grinned at them, watching Nick shaking his head in his direction.

"That's no pain, no gain Greg." Grissom corrected.

"Yeah but that's not my philosophy. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to watch Nicky squatting and flexing his big manly..."

"Who wants to see the garden?" Nick abruptly announced to stop Greg's horny mind from wondering further. He pulled open the back door, leading everyone off towards the swimming pool and pond.

"Big garden." Sara smiled looking around then noticed the Jacuzzi out of the corner of her eye.

"We're gonna get a dog." Greg announced, watching Nick's expression. "Maybe a cat too. And fish for the pond."

"You running a zoo?" Warrick asked, turning to face Nick who shrugged as it was new news to him too.

"You think we could? I suppose we could get an alligator for the pool." Greg joked, watching his fiancée's disapproval once again.

"We said we were gonna close up the pond." Nick informed them.

"You said, not we." Greg argued.

"I gotta get home to Lindsey." Catherine noticed the time on her watch and she really didn't want to stick around to watch Nick and Greg arguing about every little thing. They were her hope that there is such a thing as happy ever after in the world. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye Cath." Nick waved her off.

Greg headed off into the house collapsing back on the sofa, falling asleep again while Nick continued to entertain everyone, even though his back was in agony from standing up for so long he knew how to be a good host.

"Hey." Nick poked Greg in the side once everyone was gone, waking him up. "That was weird right?"

"What?" Greg sleepily mumbled.

"Us. Arguin'. That's weird." Nick knelt down beside Greg, trailing his fingertips across his chin. "We never argue."

"You didn't tell me you wanted to convert that room into a gym."

"You didn't tell me you wanted a pool table either."

"I'm willing to give on the pool table."

"And the green paint?" He asked.

"No." Greg pouted. "I can't have my study in my favourite colour?"

"You can." Nick gave into the adorable pouting lip. "If I can draw you now?"

"Go for it. Has everyone gone?" Nick nodded, pressing a kiss to Greg's forehead as he climbed to his feet to fetch some paper and a pencil.

Nick returned to the front room a few seconds later, pulling up the coffee table to lean against as he sat in front of Greg. "Just lie still." He instructed. Greg repositioned himself to a comfier position, watching as Nick put the pencil tip to the paper. His eyes focused directly on him, skilfully moving the pencil tip around the page in slow soft motions. "Greg!" He warned him as he started to fidget.

Greg smiled innocently, trying to stay as still as possible. Nick stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth as he concentrated harder on getting it right. Greg thought he looked adorable, but he tried to keep a straight face as this was important to Nick. Greg eventually fell asleep, making it easier for Nick to draw him as he was always perfectly still when he was sleeping.

Nick made the finishing touches then set down his pencil, climbing to his feet to kiss his sleeping lover on the forehead. Greg remained asleep so he head off to the kitchen to clean up the mess their friends had left behind then grabbed himself a beer, while he got some of the house work done to clear up a few things that Greg just threw around as he didn't know where to put them, while Greg was still sound asleep.

Nick returned to the sofa to sit beside Greg, waiting for him to wake up so they could eat. Just as he was about to fall asleep himself, Greg suddenly shook himself awake. "Hi, you okay?" Nick smiled, softly pressing a warm kiss to his cheek.

Greg stretched out; rubbing his eyes then gave out a wide yawn. "Hey . . . did I fall asleep?" Nick smiled, nodding his head. "Oh... did you finish?"

"I did." Nick reached for the pad of paper off the coffee table. "Before you look at it, just know that I love you."

"It can't be that terrible." Greg giggled. Nick turned it over to show Greg the sketch he drew of him. Greg looked at it open mouthed, he sat up slightly holding the pad of paper in his hands with a look of amazement across his face. "Wow Nicky!"

"You like it?"

"I love it . . . there's one problem though." Nick frowned at him curiously. "I look too good looking." He chuckled.

"It's how I see you baby. You're gorgeous!" Nick pulled him into an affectionate kiss. "I missed out this cute little mole on your chin though." He realised. He grabbed his pencil off the table, marking the mole on the right side of Greg's face on the paper.

"You shoulda been an artist or something." Greg smiled, still gawking at the picture.

"You really think so?" Greg nodded. "I only wonna draw you though." Nick set down the pad of paper on the coffee table along with his pencil, turning back to look into Greg's eyes. "Maybe next time I can draw you in the nude." He grinned.

"There's no way you'd be able to draw me naked." Greg giggled. "You'd be too tempted to touch me."

"I'm too tempted to touch you now." Nick snickered, sliding a hand beneath the fabric of Greg's t-shirt.

* * *

**Please Review if you liked it. The artist in Nick was orignally a one-shot I wrote a while ago, but I never posted it so I included it in this chapter.**

**I hope you enjoyed it :D**


	44. Chapter 44: New level of intimacy

**Chapter Forty Four: New level of Intimacy **

Nick awoke to the sound of tapping computer keys. He turned his head to see Greg lying on his stomach, facing the foot of the bed as he was typing away on his laptop. Nick rubbed his eyes as he looked round at the clock, noticing he was up really early for once. "Hey G," Greg rolled onto his side to look at him. "You're up early."

"Couldn't sleep." Greg crawled across the bed to sit at Nick's side.

"Why didn't you wake me?" He groggily asked, rubbing his eyes open.

"You looked too peaceful," Greg smiled widely, caressing the side of Nick's face with his soft fingertips. "Good morning Nicky."

"Mornin' Greg," Nick smiled back. "You wonna join me in the shower hun?"

"Nope, I got a few more chapters to read over. I'm trying to get this finished so my agent can get the finished copy as soon as possible." Greg pressed a kiss to Nick's forehead then crawled back across the bed to return to his laptop.

Nick sighed in disappointment at the thought of showering alone again. He scrambled off the bed, grabbing his sweat pants and t-shirt off the back of the chair, deciding to go for a refreshing run before he head off to work.

"Where are you going?" Greg asked curiously.

"My run," Nick pulled the t-shirt down over his head, tossing his pyjama bottoms onto the bed as he pulled his sweat pants on. "See you in a bit." He leant across the bed to peck Greg on the cheek, heading off downstairs to grab a bottle of water from the fridge and his trainers.

Nick was beginning to hate this dry spell in their relationship even more. The honeymoon period was well and truly over. Nick's stomach still did a somersault when he was about to see Greg, but for some reason they seemed to be getting a little more distant from each other as the days passed by. Over the past few weeks at their new house they had barely cuddled in bed, let alone smooched on the couch together.

It felt as if they were roommates, not lovers.

Nick never expected this stage of the relationship to strike them so fast. He knew it meant they were leading onto better things, but he missed those afternoon smooches and the hot and heavy make out sessions. It had been just over six long months, but it didn't seem that long to Nick.

He wanted it to last forever.

_Maybe we had sex too much in our first few months together?_ Nick started to worry. That was a problem with his brother. He and his wife were at it like rabbits when they got together then they started to treat each other like furniture or doormats once their honeymoon period was over.

Nick had noticed an increase in fights with Greg; from little things such as the clothes he leaves on the floor to what colour their going to paint a room and who's doing the garbage. But nothing major. Still he hated to fight with him, he wanted to love everything about him, but sometimes when you stumble over six pairs of shoes and a discarded t-shirt just to get through the back door... you have to yell! Nothing annoyed Nick more than mess, but this was Greg, he was supposed to love every little thing about him, the sloppiness in him too.

What was going on? He constantly asked himself.

Nick rushed around the block for his morning run, wanting to return back home to Greg as quick as he could to talk about this and maybe tease him into a much deserved make out session that Nick had desperately been wanting for days now.

As the cold wind swept across his face he started to feel a twinge in his back again. His back was just starting to get better, now it was aching like crazy once again. _Oh no, maybe he realised I'm too old for him. _Nick started to panic, speeding up his pace to get home quicker.

"Greg," Nick panted, dropping to his knees beside the bed.

"Need a paramedic?" Greg joked, keeping his eyes fixed on the computer screen in front of him.

"Do you still love me?" He wheezed.

Greg raised his eyebrows as he looked round at Nick. "Of course I do, what brought this on?"

"Well us, we seem to be driftin' apart more and more."

"Nick, we had our first major fight, it's not the end of the world. We're not breaking up; we're getting more used to each other. We can still have sex and stuff..."

"Can we?" Nick asked hopefully.

"Not right now, I'm trying to read through this..."

"You never make time for me anymore." Nick pouted, feeling less manly as he said it.

"I do, I wasn't busy the other night but you just wanted to watch television. You could of done something with me then."

"I was busy." Nick leant on the edge of the bed, watching Greg's eyes scanning across the computer screen. "No one ever explains this stuff to you when you're young. My brother told me about the seven year itch, but we're not even married yet..."

"We have known each other around seven years though." Greg pointed out to him, looking at the horrified look on Nick's face.

"What if Warrick's right and we don't last? We could tear each other apart over this. Just think, this could be the beginnin' of our fights. What if I hit you? I know I would never do it, but when I get angry..."

"Nicky, we're not breaking up, we're . . . moving forward at a deliberate pace." Greg interrupted him, grabbing his hands to calm him down. "This is meant to happen. We've been dating and having fun, now we're getting on with our lives, still together mind you. We're learning to be ourselves more around one another. We're not about to do a Brooke and Gary from The Break-Up film. So what if we have a few fights, that's normal."

"I don't like fightin' with you though." Nick pouted.

"Just because you don't like fighting, doesn't mean it isn't going to happen." Greg sweetly smiled at Nick's adorableness. "It's a healthy part of a relationship Nick. When we were living at your place I didn't relax as much in the house as I am now..."

"That explains the clothes you leave everywhere." Nick smirked sarcastically, noticing some of Greg's stuff was in a pile by the bathroom door.

"Exactly, I was on my best behaviour... but now, this is our place so I'm more chilled out."

"How do you know so much about this?" Nick smiled at him.

"I have a mother who explained every little detail of relationships and sex to me. My mom said the honeymoon period ends when independence wants its day job back." He giggled softly. "We've fallen in love, now we're learning to tolerate each other for our habits as well as being ourselves and loving each other unconditionally. I also know that what you're going through is normal, but it's nothing to worry about." Greg sweetly smiled in his direction again. "I love you more now than I ever have Nick. I'm getting to know you even more and I still think you're amazing."

"I think you're more amazin' Greg." Nick leant across the bed to kiss him on the lips, still able to taste the liquorish morning breath of Greg's, reminding him of their first few weeks together. "I love you Greg. I love how you always put my mind at ease too."

"My job," He winked. "Now I gotta get reading so I might be able to publish this."

"Done." Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's forehead, softly ruffling his hair. "Oh by the way, are we goin' to be Stokes-Sanders or Sanders-Stokes or did you just want one?" Greg smiled up at him as he actually hadn't thought about that. "It's for the Domestic partnership forms."

"I don't know. What do you want it to be?"

"We could go alphabetically, Sanders-Stokes?" Nick suggested.

"Nick Sanders-Stokes? Got a nice ring to it, I think it goes better the other way around. Nick and Greg Stokes-Sanders . . . Nick and Greg Sanders-Stokes . . . Mr and Mr Stokes-Sanders . . . Mr Greg Stokes . . . Mr Nick Sanders . . . Nick and Greg Stokes . . . Greg and Nick Sanders . . . Mr Gregory Hojem Sanders Stokes . . . Mr Nicholas Parker Stokes Sanders." Greg started to ramble out loud in deep thought, making Nick's smile increase. "Definitely the second one." Greg finally decided.

"Which was the second one?" Nick asked confused.

"Stokes-Sanders."

"Oh, okay." Nick smiled at him.

Greg rolled onto his side thinking again. "Will our kids be Stokes-Sanders too?"

"Possibly," Nick nodded. "You don't like it?"

"Do you like it?" Greg immediately returned.

"Love it." He kissed him on the head again then rushed off to the bathroom to grab a shower before he had to head into work, wincing as his back started to twinge again.

"Problem?" Greg shouted after him.

"I'm fine, it's nothin'."

Greg scrambled off the bed to follow Nick into the bathroom, watching him wincing as he struggled to pull his shirt up over his head. "Your back again?" Greg asked, helping him to lift his shirt up over his head.

"No." Nick tried to hide the pain, but Greg could see right through his expression.

"You're not going into work with a bad back again Nicky, I'll call Grissom, you get in the tub." Greg instructed, heading back to the bedroom to grab his phone.

"Greg, you don't have to do that." Nick winced as he leant back against the door. "Catherine already took the day off so they'll be short staffed."

"I'll go in if they really need me." Greg silenced Nick with his finger as Grissom picked up. "Hi Grissom, Nick can't make it in today," Nick made the cut throat signal, but Greg ignored him. "He's got a really bad back again."

"_Okay Greg, tell him to rest up. I'm sure we can cope without him." _Grissom smugly grinned to himself. He didn't believe the bad back thing for a second, he himself would have loved to have taken a few sick days to stay in bed with Sara.

"If you need help, I could come in to cover a shift." Greg suggested.

"_Thanks Greg, I'll bare that in mind. Take care of Nick."_

"I will." Greg snapped his phone shut, setting it down on the side.

"He's gonna think I'm fakin'."

"He won't. C'mon Nicky, nice hot bath." Greg insisted, pulling Nick off into the bathroom towards the bathtub by his hand. He ran the bath for him then helped him with his sweat pants, helping him into the tub to relax. "You should really stop working out while you're still in pain Nick." Greg advised, kneeling down beside the tub to lean on the rim. "You know stress can cause back pain too."

"I'm not stressed Greg."

"Maybe you should try something else to chill you out. Like Pilates, swimming, acupuncture; I heard that can help..."

"I don't see needles in my back helpin' me." Nick interrupted him. "I'm not stressed." He insisted again.

"You never know, even Yoga or Tai chi could help you chill out; it'll do wonders for your back and flexibility too."

"Like you yah mean?" Nick smirked. "It's not stress Greg, seriously. I'm not stressed out, it's just back pain."

"Even if... you should still work on some core stability exercises." Greg softly ruffled Nick's partially wet hair, climbing to his feet with a smile on his face.

"Since when do you ruffle my hair?" Nick asked.

"You always do it to me." Greg smirked, going to do it again but Nick caught his hand to stop him.

"I hate it when people do that. My big sisters used to do it all the time."

"You can't hate it when I do it." Greg pulled his hand free to do it again.

"Quit it Greg." Nick laughed, grabbing Greg's hands to stop him.

"Ew, you got my arm all wet." Greg cringed, flicking the soapy water at Nick.

"Go and read your book Einstein." Nick shunned him away. "And pick up your clothes off the floor."

"Yes mom!" He laughed, returning back to his spot on the bed to finish reading over his book while Nick was relaxed.

"That taps drippin' again G, I told you I heard the other night." Nick looked over at the dripping tap in the sink, making a loud dripping noise that always kept him awake.

"I didn't hear it."

"I know, you can sleep through anythin' though. Maybe we should get it fixed or buy a new one."

"Maybe we should buy a new mattress too!" Greg shouted out to him. "How long have you had this bed?"

"Few years, there's nothin' wrong with the bed Greg. This tap however is wastin' away money and water."

"Afraid to burn a whole in your pocket?" Greg giggled. "We could do with a new bed, one that's really ours and hasn't had your tramps in it."

"For your information I barely ever brought women into that bed G."

"Says you," Greg muttered under his breath.

"I heard that Greg."

"You were meant to." Greg scrambled to his feet, rushing off towards the bathroom again. "We could do with a new bed. A nicer mattress too, I can feel the springs in my back with that one."

"Okay, we'll think about it. We still have to decorate and sort stuff out. We need to buy some lamps and things, maybe some pictures too; it's all echoy in this house and that light switch in the dining room doesn't even work."

"You keep complaining about everything in this house Nicky."

"Not everythin', just the stuff that doesn't work." He pointed out to him.

"Like the TV? You said we needed a new one because it's not wide enough."

"It's not and the rooms all empty and this whole house echoes." He complained.

"Coz we were two single guys who moved into a four bedroom house, we don't have much in the way of belongings, which is why we should buy a new bed that can truly be ours..."

"Would you stop with the bed? I just said we'd think about it." Nick suddenly snapped at him. Greg turned around heading back towards the bed to read again, making Nick feel guilty for snapping at him. "Greg!"

"You thought about that fast." Greg chuckled to himself.

"I'm sorry okay; we'll buy a new bed. Can we just get everythin' else sorted first?"

"Done, I'm going downstairs." Greg announced, climbing off the bed with his computer.

"Why? You don't hate me do you? I know I'm a grouch. I'm sorry Greg."

"No, I don't hate you. The sofas comfier." Greg smiled then walked off with his laptop in hand.

_Great! Now we can't even stand to be near each other. _Nick thought to himself as he slouched back in the tub.

A few hours later of not talking or exchanging eye contact, Nick heard Greg shouting his name through the house. He climbed off the bed to look for him, hearing his voice echoing as he reached the top of the stairs. Nick looked around curiously, wondering where his voice was coming from. He checked the front room, Greg's study, the empty dining room until he heard it getting louder towards the kitchen, but he found it to be empty. He waited for Greg to call out to him again, heading off towards the laundry room, where Greg was sat on the washer, wearing nothing but his boxers.

"What are you doin'?" Nick immediately asked, wondering what Greg's kinky mind had planned.

"Come here." Greg insisted with a cheeky smile on his face. Nick slowly walked towards him, being pulled closer by his belt loops. "I just called my mom; she said vibrations are good for back pain."

"Ew, you called your mom to ask that?" Nick laughed rolling his eyes at him. "Now you want to have sex with me on the washer at your mom's request?"

"Well I was actually talking to her about other stuff. Like the house and whether we've decorated it yet. I told her about the new bed, she thinks you were right to turn me down, but she has no idea how uncomfortable that bed is. As soon as I told her about the dreadful mattress and the fact all sorts of women have been sleeping on it though, she immediately routed for my side, probably coz I dropped the hint that these women could have had STD's..."

"Greg, that's not what I asked." Nick chuckled, interrupting him.

"Right, I was just getting to that part. She then asked how you were and I told her about your back pain again. She assumed that I had over sexed you, but I assured her that it wasn't me at all, oh and she also wants to see a copy of your medical records, just to make sure you don't have an STD," Nick's smile increased as Greg continued to ramble. He had obviously been at the sugar or a pot of blue Hawaiian coffee as he still hadn't answered Nick's original question and he was a little giddy. "So anyway, I told her about your back and she said vibrations are supposed to help. She never suggested the washer though." Greg set the washer to the spin cycle, staring seductively into Nick's eyes. "This was my idea." Greg's voice started to shake from the vibrations running through his body.

"That's a waste of electricity you know G."

"Not if you hop onboard and spend twelve minutes of heavenly pleasure with me." Greg reasoned with him, seductively licking his lips to torment Nick.

"I thought you were busy with your book?"

"I'm done for now." Greg spread his legs to pull Nick closer against the vibrating washer. Nick felt tingles of pleasure through his body as he came in contact with the washer. "Even the great ones need a break." He whispered against Nick's parted lips.

"I don't think I'm up for sex though Greg."

"I never said anything about sex. Just think of it as a giant vibrator for two." He sweetly smiled. "Climb up."

"I'm not that flexible Greg and I'll get cramps in my legs." Nick complained. Greg pushed Nick back slightly so he could jump off the washer. He lifted Nick's t-shirt up over his head then removed his jeans, helping to sit on the top of the washer.

"Feels good huh?" Greg smiled, climbing on top too, straddling Nick's thighs and engaging in a slow sensual kiss as the vibrations shook through their aroused bodies.

For eleven whole minutes they felt the continuous pleasurable vibrations running through every fibre of their being as they kissed and caressed one another affectionately, feeling their highs washing over them again and again as they pawed at each other's flesh.

Nick no longer felt his doubts about them entering the next stage of their relationship as it meant they were moving onto new and exciting things, especially with Greg leading the way.

He held Greg close against his body as the vibrations shook through his body, washed over by an infinite joy and feeling of pure contentment; he no longer felt separate from Greg. He felt as though they were one; not knowing where he ended and Greg began.

* * *

"Nick, do we like not have any bread?" Greg called from the fridge.

"No Greg, we _like_, used it all up." He mocked him, getting an evil scowl in his direction. "Whatcha makin'?"

"I wanted a sandwich."

"There's a frozen loaf in the freezer." Nick pointed, grabbing himself a glass of water to wash down his pain killers.

"I can't make a sandwich with a frozen piece of bread Nick." Greg complained.

"You can toast it."

"I don't want toast. I want bread." Greg sulked, making Nick smile at his adorableness.

"Well if you took the frozen loaf out once you used up the other loaf yesterday like I've been tellin' you to do for weeks once you use the last loaf up, just like the toilet roll incident. You coulda had some nice soft bread today." Nick told him with a wide smile on his face. Greg grumpily pushed the fridge door shut, heading back towards his study into hibernation. "So you're not gonna get the other loaf out the freezer?" Nick shouted after him, but there was no answer so he decided to do it himself.

Half an hour later Nick lightly tapped on the study door, slowly walking in as he heard the slight 'Hmm' coming from Greg's lips in response.

Nick set down the plate beside Greg with a freshly made sandwich on it. Greg turned curiously to look at Nick. "You didn't use the frozen bread did you?" He asked.

"No, I lightly toasted it under the grill. Don't say thanks or anythin'." He smirked.

"Thank you," Greg raised the top piece of bread to look what Nick had put in it. "But I didn't want toast."

"It's not toast; it's lightly crisped bread, not toasted." Nick smiled at him, not wanting to get into an argument over the differences of bread and toast.

"You didn't use..."

"No, no pepper with your salad. I didn't use the cheese you don't like and there's not too much pickle and no tomatoes just the way you like it." Nick smiled at him.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Nick playfully ruffled his hair as he head back towards the door.

"Oh Nick," He stopped him before he left. "I gotta head into the lab in about half an hour, Warrick could use some help."

"You want me to go?"

"No, you have to rest your back." Greg sternly warned him. "I'm serious Nicky, no lifting, exercising..."

"I love it when you're controllin'." Nick interrupted with a wide smirk. "I promise, I won't. You be careful."

"I will."

* * *

"Call it in the air." Warrick flipped the coin in his hands, watching the angry look on Greg's face.

"Heads," Greg immediately thought he should have gone with tails though. "No... Tails no wait Heads."

"You can't change!" Warrick laughed, peeking to have a look at what the coin landed on. "It's heads anyway, go." Warrick handed Greg the flashlight, looking down the storm drain in front of him.

"When you said you needed my help, I thought you actually needed my help." Greg mumbled under his breath.

"I do, I've gotta search every storm drain on this street as well as the sewer... I've done three so far. You can do the rest since you insist on helping." Warrick smirked. "C'mon Sanders, shake a leg, haven't got all day."

Greg looked down the storm drain before he stepped foot in it, looking at all the grunge and grime inside. He looked up at Warrick's smirk, gulping down the large lump in his throat, slowly easing himself down into the drain by the ladder. He paused halfway to take a deep breath, dropping down into the knee high filth below.

"Whatcha got Sanders?"

"Crap!" Greg shouted back in frustration as he heard Warrick laughing. He looked around the drain for anything case related or this missing body Warrick was looking for, wishing he had stayed home with Nick.

Three long smelly hours later and nineteen more drains later; Greg got the dreaded heads side of the coin again. He seemed to get all the dirtiest drains too. Warrick came out of the cleanest ones, finding nothing, but Greg got the smelliest, covered knee deep in crap and started to smell more than a little ripe. He even demanded to check that the coin wasn't double sided or something, but it seemed perfectly normally. Unless Warrick knew some kind of trick to make it land on heads when he saw a dirty drain, Greg presumed it was just by chance.

He wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his sleeve, wishing he hadn't as the stench was even closer to his face now.

Greg climbed down the next drain, holding his flashlight out as he looked around at the mucky surface beneath him. It seemed thicker up this end of the street and a lot more smellier.

"So Greg, how's things with you and Nick?" Warrick asked curiously.

"You're asking me this now?" Greg asked as he dropped into the sludge beneath him. "I thought you didn't wonna know about us?"

"Not your sex life... I don't wonna hear about that at all. I know that sounds a little harsh. But I never talk to you about my sex life with you." Greg took a few steps deeper into the drain, guided by the light of his flashlight. He started to wish that he'd stayed at home now even more now; at least he could have got some more of his book done without the stench of sewage around him.

"So, whaddya wonna know?" Greg coughed as the deep scents around him invaded his nostrils.

"Well, what's next? You guys have moved in together now into your own place, so what's next?" Warrick knelt down by the entrance, looking down at Greg's torch light.

Greg stopped in the middle of the pipe, looking down at a shoe floating around in the mucky water. "You asking if we're taking the next few relationship steps?"

"Well Greg, Nick told me he proposed to you before you guys left for Texas. I didn't know if he was serious or not and the others don't seem to know..."

"Actually, Sara and Grissom know too." Greg corrected.

"Why haven't you told anyone else?" Warrick asked curiously. "Catherine for example?"

"I don't know. We spent the whole holiday away discussing the engagement, marriage and kids..."

"Whoa, did you say kids?"

"Yeah," Greg stepped past the old shoe in the drain, realising it wasn't attached to the body. "We're going the whole nine yards. Think we can't?"

"Nick maybe, but you..."

"I found something!" Greg interrupted. "It's a body."

* * *

Greg watched Doc Robbins leaving the autopsy room after giving them his report on the dead guy they found down in the sewage. Greg waited for him to leave then looked up at Warrick stood the other side of the table. "So, what were you going to say before... about the kids and us?"

"Hmm," Warrick looked up at him blankly.

"When I told you Nick and I were thinking about having kids. What were you going to say?"

Warrick sighed softly, leaning against the metal table in front of him. "Kids man. They're a big responsibility. Believe me I know."

"How could you?" Greg asked, tilting his head to the side. _He doesn't have kids. How could he know? _Greg asked himself. Warrick just avoided eye contact with him, looking back at the body in front of him. "Huh? How could you?"

"Just trust me on this one Greggo. Being a parent is a lot more work than you realise. You can't raise little rugrats to be a free spirit like you..."

"Why not?" Greg flashed a grin towards him. "You think I turned out wrong?"

"Do you really want me to answer that Greg?" He smirked.

"Warrick, do you not like me dating Nick? I mean he is your best friend, you're supposed to approve on girlfriends . . . or boyfriends."

"I don't know Greg, I just," He glanced up at Greg. "You think Nick is seeking my approval of you of you or something?"

"Best friends duty to approve on boyfriends or girlfriends. You may not know it, but Nick does seek your approval in all things. He's always worrying about your opinion in things."

"He does?"

Greg nodded, "How you react around us and act towards me has a great effect on our relationship. If you don't like me and tease Nick about being with me . . . it could break us up because he'll get so down on himself." Greg tried to stop himself before he went any further. He hadn't confronted Nick about this, but he was asking his best friend straight up. The truth is he was scared that one day Nick would get so worried about how Warrick sees him being with him and he'll up and leave him.

"Wow, I didn't realise he cared that much about my opinion."

"Well he does." Greg awkwardly fidgeted on the spot. "So do you or don't you like me?"

"Greg, it's not that I do or don't like you man. I like yah, course I do. It's just Nick has been through a lot. He's had guns pulled on him, that stalker guy then the coffin..."

"You think I'm another bump in the road of Nicholas Stokes' life?" Folding his arms across his chest, Greg felt quite hurt as this conversation continued. "Do you think I'm going to be another tragic disaster in the life of Nick Stokes?"

"No, I just don't think you guys are right for each other. Nick's my best friend and I'll look out for his best interests, since he's like a brother to me... but I won't split you guys up." Warrick turned and walked off out the morgue.

"That didn't really answer my question." Greg mumbled to himself.

Greg walked back through the lab, stopping in the hall as Judy flagged him down. "Greg, Nick called and said he's taken your friend," Judy stopped midsentence, not so subtly sniffing the air.

"Yeah, it's me. I've been trudging through sewage drains and stuff all night." He moaned, watching as she took a step back to avoid the smell. "So my friend what?"

Judy turned her nose up at the smell then referred to her message cards in her hands as she had completely forgotten what the message was due to the smell wafting around Greg. "Oh, he took your friend Jade to the hospital..."

"Is she alright?" Greg immediately started to panic.

"Yes, Nick said not to worry. The doctors said she's fine." Greg sighed in relief then watched as Judy covered her hand over her mouth at the smell of him again. "I'm sorry, I have to go." Greg nodded, stuffing his hands on his hips.

Sara suddenly appeared behind him, putting her arm around his shoulder. "You know a real woman wouldn't mind Greg." She repeated a line he once said to her as she chuckled.

"Ha ha, very funny Sidle." Sara chuckled harder heading off down the lab hall towards her significant others office.

Greg dug his cell phone out his pocket, texting Nick that he'd be home in a few minutes.

* * *

Greg rushed through the house towards the front room, finding Nick sat on the sofa. "Nicky, what happened to..."

"Whoa, don't worry," Nick sprung to his feet seeing the worry in Greg's eyes. "Jade's fine."

"What happened?"

"She fainted is all. She's fine the baby's fine too." Nick assured him.

"You're sure?" Nick nodded. "What were you doing with her anyway?"

"I went by to see her, lucky I did too. Are you okay Greg?"

"Uh huh," He nodded then collapsed back onto the sofa as he stepped past Nick. Greg looked up at Nick's expression, immediately knowing what was on his mind. "Yes it's me okay. I stink, I know!"

"What were you doin' at work?" He asked as he sniffed the foul air around Greg.

"Warrick had me sewer dipping all night. I changed my clothes."

"Did you shower?"

"Yes," Greg stubbornly grumbled, folding his arms across his chest. "Twice for your information."

"C'mon, we got some lemons in the fridge." Nick reached for Greg's hand, pulling him to his feet. He dragged him off towards the kitchen to retrieve the lemons, rushing off upstairs with Greg in tow.

"Whoa! What's that?" Greg asked as he saw a flat packed furniture box.

"Present for you. I talked to your mother and she told me what bed you really wanted since you didn't tell me." Nick smiled, pulling him off towards the bathroom.

"You bought me a bed?" He asked surprised as Nick started to help him strip down.

"Yep, we can put it together later when my backs better and we'll move the old one into one of the other rooms for now."

"You really did that for me?"

"Yeah, coz I love you Greg." He winked, dropping Greg's trousers to his ankles. "I even love you when you stink so bad it makes my eyes water." Nick teased him.

"Believe me, your wind smells so much worse at night." Greg teased him right back. "Those protein shakes and eggs for breakfast make you really ripe Nicholas Stokes." He giggled.

"You feed me those eggs, so it's your fault."

"Actually, you ask for those eggs. I ask you what you want for breakfast and you always say eggs. So technically it's your fault. I just tend to your wishes." Greg sweetly smiled up at him.

"Shut up and kiss me you little stinker."

* * *

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	45. Chapter 45: Lover's Quarrel

**Chapter Forty Five: Lover's Quarrel**

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Greg shouted in anger. This argument was getting more than a little out of control and they had been going at it for over an hour now.

"Well yeah G, you're Bi; unlike me you actually like women..."

"I'm not gonna run off with Jade you fucking moron. She's not pregnant with _my_ baby."

"How do I know that?" Nick shouted in a hurtful way.

Greg looked at him completely shocked. "You think I cheated on you? How can you think that?"

"Why are you so eager to help her out?" Nick asked as he climbed up from his seat, finally starting to put the dishes away as they finished their meal well over an hour ago.

"I've been to her house once in the past week Nick. My own mother calls her more than that. I went to see if she was okay, I was worried after she fainted. She's taking this pregnancy thing a little tough too."

"You said you still loved her." Nick leant against the counter, looking back at Greg.

"Fuck sake Nick. You can't ever let that go can you?" He shouted angrily. "I don't love her anywhere near how much I love you..."

"But you do love her?"

"I love Catherine and Sara, but I'm not gonna shag them. I can't fucking believe you Nick. I should be worried about you and Warrick."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nick shouted.

"You're gay; you and Warrick have been pretty close for years. Hell you're even closer to him then you are to me..."

"I'm not gonna sleep with Warrick!" He angrily protested.

"Well I'm not either... or Jade, never have, well not since I lost my... anyway I never will again." Greg added, grabbing a beer from the fridge, but Nick grabbed it from his hand pulling it away. "H..."

"C'mon G, you've been straight for so long."

"I'm sleeping with you..."

"Not like that." Nick groaned. "I meant beer straight." Nick pushed Greg aside putting it back in the fridge. "I'm not gonna sleep with Warrick, I've never loved another man before you so you have nothin' to worry about. You however have been in love with women..."

"One." Greg angrily corrected. "Jade."

"Exactly and I'm worried you're gonna realise you're life would be better..."

"I can't believe you still don't trust me! Jade is just my best friend, I don't want to be with her. I slept with her once, fucking years ago Nick!" Greg shouted pushing Nick back against the fridge. "I'm not the womanising jock that's slept with half of LVPD." Greg pulled out of Nick's arms walking off up the stairs, slamming the door shut to their bedroom.

Nick leant back against the fridge running his fingers through his hair, thinking it wasn't actually half of LVPD, it was three quarters of the women, most of the DA's office and some of the female interns in the lab. He hated fighting with Greg, especially when they were both just shouting about their insecurities constantly; no good ever came out of it; nothing but broken hearts and the occasional tears. Nick nervously tapped his nails on the counter behind him, thinking of something to say to Greg to make it alright. He wished he wasn't jealous of Jade and Greg, but he couldn't help it. He sighed heavily then walked off up the stairs.

Nick reached the bedroom door finding it locked. "Open the door Greg!" He shouted, pounding his fist on the surface.

"No." Greg's muffled voice shouted back. "I don't wonna see you right now."

"Greg! C'mon man." Nick slid down the door to sit on the floor outside. "How can you blame me for feelin' like this? Jade's kinda like me, except she's a girl. I'm not friends with any of my ex's."

"But I love you." Greg sobbed. "You're closer to Warrick then you've ever been with me, you're always joking around with him about how you fell for me. You treat it like some big joke."

"I don't mean to . . . I'm glad he's even talkin' to me. He's not that comfortable with us bein' gay together, I'm just glad he's not wishin' we were dead like half the cops in this town."

"Why do you even care what he thinks?" Greg shouted. "I tell you if I was your best friend, I'd be glad you're alive... and happy. Who cares what Warrick thinks about us!"

"Greg..."

"I'd be dead without you Nick... but you don't even take that into consideration. You still think I'm gonna leave you for Jade. I'm marrying you, but that's still not enough to convince you."

"I'm sorry Greg . . . I've never been in a serious relationship before. Least of all with a guy."

"You think I have? You're the only guy I've ever loved . . . you're the only person who still hurts me so much too." Greg sobbed with his face stuffed in the pillows, wishing he could stop crying, but the fight with Nick was getting even harder to bear by the second.

They sat in a long endless moment of silence without saying a word to each other.

Greg sniffed back his tears, looking towards the door. "Maybe it was a mistake th..."

"What was?" Nick interrupted, fearing what was going to come out of Greg's mouth next.

"Us. Being together, maybe we're not meant to be." The words cut deep into Nick's heart. "Face it Nick, we've been living here four, nearly five weeks now, we haven't had sex once and we just keep arguing about everything."

"You said your mom said that was normal."

"P-lease. Like my mom knows the definition of normal." Greg retorted. "I love you Nick . . . but you don't trust me. We can't have a relationship if we don't have trust. Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?"

Nick nervously bit his lip, hearing Greg saying those words. "Well this thing with Jade..."

"There is no thing with Jade Nick! I bump into your fucking ex's everyday and I don't give you grief about it."

"I'm not friends with my ex's Greg."

"So you don't want me to be friends with her? You really don't trust me do you Nick?" Greg shouted, clutching the pillow in front of him tightly while Nick stayed sat outside the door. "I slept with Jade well over a decade ago, I have to face women you slept with less than a year ago every day."

"You don't even trust me Greg."

"I do trust you! I never think that you're off with some bimbo or someone else, reverting back to your old ways. I never worry when you go out with Warrick either. I trust you more than you trust me. Face it Nick, you're ashamed to be with me . . . Still!" Nick dropped his head heavily onto his knees. He didn't realise how bad he made Greg feel. "Maybe you'd be better off with someone else Nick."

"I'm goin' out." Nick shouted, climbing to his feet.

"Where?" Greg shouted back, hurt that Nick wouldn't even fight for him.

"Out." Nick grabbed his coat, pulling it on.

"Where?"

"To screw Warrick." He shouted sarcastically.

"Make sure you use a condom." Greg shouted as the door slammed shut. Greg threw himself back onto the bed in tears. "Fucking jerk."

* * *

"He thinks I'm ashamed of him." Nick mumbled, grabbing another beer as the waitress walked by. "How can he think that?"

"Well Nick, I'm not exactly the one to talk this through with, but you don't exactly advertise the fact that you're engaged and proud to be." Warrick told him. "You didn't tell us when you first got engaged, or when you got back from your holiday. You didn't even tell us when we came over to your place about what you're planning for your wedding and Catherine doesn't even know yet."

"I forgot you guys didn't know. The whole time we had off everyone was telling us about marriage and tryin' to plan our futures. It got a little overwhelmin' . . . but I haven't changed my mind. I still wonna marry him."

"Maybe you should tell him that instead of hanging out with me at a strip club." Warrick smirked, realising Greg was right when he said that Nick seeks his approval for his life choices.

"I'm not ashamed to be with him." Nick chugged back of mouthful of his beer, watching a stripper in leather walking past, feeling nothing while Warrick was dribbling over her.

"Do you want a lap dance honey?" A woman in American flag underwear asked Nick.

"No... I'm gay." He admitted straight up.

"I do gay men too sweetheart." She smiled at him, smoothing her hand across his strong bicep.

"Yeah? But you wouldn't do anythin' for me." Nick pushed her aside, watching the look of disgust on her face as she walked away.

Warrick looked round at Nick wide eyed. "You must be gay." He chortled.

"Wish Greg coulda seen that." Nick smiled proudly. "How am I supposed to make it up to him?"

"Did you break up?" Warrick grabbed another beer, leaning back in the booth.

"I don't think so." Nick sighed heavily, hoping they hadn't.

"What was the last thing you said to him before you left?" Warrick asked causing Nick to look at him slightly shocked as it was '_To screw Warrick.'_

"I-I... don't know." Nick lied.

"Well what are yah doing sitting here then Nick? Go talk to him." Warrick's eyes wondered towards a busty brunette across the room. "I mean if you really do want to be with him then go."

"You think he'll take me back?"

"Yeah but Nick, you are always cracking jokes around us that you need your head checked for being with Greg; those are pretty hurtful things to say Nick, especially to someone as sensitive as Greg."

"Well you were the one who told me we weren't gonna last."

"Was I right or was I right?" Warrick asked, letting his eyes wonder again. "You and Greg aren't the long lasting type."

Nick groaned looking up at him. "You know I came to you for help. You're makin' me feel worse."

"Why? Grissom woulda been more supportive then me." Warrick laughed. "Maybe deep down you know you two aren't meant for each other too, so you're self consciously destroying you're relationship."

Nick huffed loudly, reaching for his beer. He took another swig, feeling his tears bubbling to the surface. "But I love Greg."

"Maybe it's not love Nick. You might well be gay, but you haven't exactly tested the waters."

"God, you freakin' keep switchin'!" Nick snapped at him. "One minute you're tellin' me to go be with him, next you're tellin' me I don't really love him. Pick one Dammit!"

"Why are you asking me anyway Nick?" Warrick turned to face him. "Me personally... I think you're both rushing into this marriage a little early in your relationship. I mean look what happened to me and Tina. We rushed into the marriage and we broke up."

"You didn't love her though." Nick pointed out to him.

"Thought I did. It wasn't the tunnel after all . . . must have been a train. My point is Nick; you've only been dating a little while. Now you're getting married and it's bound to tear you apart a little. Marriage is like pouring hot lava between two people."

"That's a stupid analogy."

"No its not," Warrick shook his head round at his friend. "You've never been married. You should be thankful that your getting out of it now, before it all goes tits up." Warrick thought about his statement then laughed. "Or maybe its bottoms up for your two."

"But that's a good thing." Nick smirked, watching his friend's uncomfortableness. "So that's it? You think we're over?"

"I don't know. I think it's weird that you'd ever wonna marry Greg anyway."

"Why coz it's me and him... and we're gay?" Nick asked with confusion, polishing off his next beer.

"No coz it's Greg." Warrick laughed. "The guy that used to wear rubber gloves on his head and dance in the halls with show girls outfits on."

"Hey he's much more mature now." Nick defended him. "Besides . . . I love him for all that stuff."

"You think marrying Greg makes you two bound together for life? Look what happened to me and Tina..."

"Yeah, but you barely knew her. I've known Greg for years before we finally got together."

"My point exactly Nick, how do you know it's real between you two and not just friendship clouding your judgement. I mean this kid's thing is bad enough..."

"Kids?" Nick almost choked on his beer. "Who'd you hear that from?"

"Greg, he told me you guys were thinking about starting the whole double daddy thing together. Which I think is a terrible idea. You've only been with Greg a little while, you're getting married then you're gonna start on kids? What if you guys break up? What's gonna happen to your kids then? You two gonna fight for rights the rest of your lives?" He asked, speaking from self experience that no one else knew about, not even his best friend. "Seriously Nick, you should get out while you can, _before _you say 'I Do'."

Nick sighed heavily as he leant back in the booth. He looked at his friend then rolled his eyes. "You are the worst fuckin' friend in the whole world."

"Least I count for something." He smirked, dribbling over a moca skinned girl that just walked past.

"I shouldn't have just left him there . . . all that beer in the fridge." Nick remembered.

"You think Greg will go back on his promise?"

"I don't know man, what would you do if your heart was just broken?"

"Drink." Warrick said grabbing his beer in front of him, chugging it back.

* * *

Nick finally returned home around 4am. Greg pulled his headphones off looking over at Nick as he staggered into the bedroom. "Where have you been?" He asked, leaning up on his elbow.

"Out." Nick pulled his jacket off tossing it onto the chair then removed his boots crawling onto his side of the bed. "You're still wearin' the key." Nick smiled, noticing the key still draped around Greg's neck.

"We had one little argument Nick; you think I'd take it off just coz of that? I don't even know what we were arguing about, we just started shouting then you left."

"I know . . . and I'm really sorry baby. I know you'd never leave me for Jade."

"Then why the hell did you bring it up? I fucking told you I loved you, wanted to get married to you, even have kids with you." Sensing the tension in his lover's voice, Nick kept quiet. "I even gave you a bloody watch that says we're forever dumbass!" Greg reminded him.

"I know Greg. I'm sorry." He slurred. "I guess... I'm just havin' doubts."

"About us? Why?" Greg shouted angrily. "You're not the only one that has doubts about this marriage Nick. I'm scared shitless about getting married, but I know I won't be going through it alone. I'm scared you'll realise I'm too much work then you'll leave me and go back to your old ways."

Nick felt even more guilty now. "I'm really sorry Greg."

"Where have you been anyway? You smell like scotch and cheesecake."

Nick laughed. "Can't get anythin' past you. I went drinkin' with Warrick then I was at the cheesecake factory."

Greg smelled his significant other again. "Was this drinking with Warrick at a bar with girls?"

"A strip club, so yes there were girls there." Nick shamefully nodded. "I only got one lap dance."

"Was it good?" Nick looked up at Greg surprised. He wasn't expecting him to ask that. "Well? Was it?"

"No... I almost threw up on her."

Greg looked at Nick blankly then suddenly burst out laughing, shaking his head at him. "See, I do trust you Nick. You just don't trust me."

"I did turn away this other girl. I told her I was gay but she still wanted to give me one."

"I don't blame her." Greg smiled at him, undressing the man he loved with his eyes.

"Greg you're the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm not ashamed of you baby. I know I hurt you and I'm so sorry. It was a momentary freak out, just like when you left me to come back to Vegas alone. Not that I'm bringin' that up, coz I forgive you for that and what I did was much worse." Nick reached for Greg's hand, happy that he didn't pull away. "I know you love me, I'm really sorry about some of the things I said..."

"Some?" Greg shouted, pulling his hand back.

"Well G, you do talk to Jade more than me, she was the first to know you wanted to have sex with me, when really you shoulda been askin' me."

"But I'm not having sex with her. I haven't in eleven years; you think I'm going to again? I wouldn't do that Nicky, I'm loyal." Greg held the key in his hands. "This key is to your heart, not hers. I like Jade she's my best friend, but she's not you, I don't love her anywhere near the amount that I love you. I wonna spend the rest of my life with you, not her. And you're not the innocent party in this mister, you talk everything over with Warrick."

"I really shouldn't . . . I know. I should find a more supportive friend." Nick crawled closer to Greg, caressing his cheek while gazing lovingly into his eyes. "I'm so sorry . . . I love you so much and wonna spend my life with you too."

"You better." Nick nodded initiating a sensual kiss on his lover's lips. "Eww you taste like scotch." Greg giggled, pushing Nick away.

"I'll go brush my teeth." Nick said scooting off the bed.

"Like hell you will." Greg pulled Nick back into his arms, initiating another kiss. "I've stayed awake half the night waiting for you to come back." Greg popped Nick's jeans open looking up into his eyes. "We haven't had sex since we moved in, so it's about time we started right?"

"We can't have sex to make an argument stop." Nick pointed out to him. "We have to talk things through."

"I thought we just did?" Greg asked. "I'm sorry I called you a moron, jerk... I think I called you a dumbass too... anyway, I'm really sorry."

"Apology accepted." Nick smiled. "But we still can't have sex." He slurred.

"Why not?" Greg pouted.

"I'm drunk. The blood don't flow in that direction." He laughed, watching Greg rolling his eyes. "Hey G, why don't you have a turn tonight." Greg looked at him shocked. "C'mon Greg... pop my cherry." He rasped, removing his clothes. "You do it for a change."

"Seriously?" Nick nodded placing the supplies into Greg's hands. "You won't freak out when you're sober will you?"

"No." Nick teased Greg's mouth open with his tongue for another deep kiss. "This way I'll be one hundred percent gay and it'll be a perfect first sex for our house."

"But Nick you kept saying you weren't ready before."

"I also told you when I was completely drunk we could try it because I feel awkward bein' a virgin at 36." Nick ran his hand down Greg's thigh. "C'mon G, I wonna know if I'd like it." Nick grinned, looking at his stunned partners face. "I'm curious to know how it feels."

"Curiosity killed the cat Nick." Greg smirked. Nick pulled Greg closer to him massaging him through his pyjamas. "You're not going to seduce me first? You just want to get straight to it?" Greg nervously asked.

"I'm sure you've been dyin' to know what it feels like G, I want to feel you inside of me." Nick rasped as Greg softly moaned. "C'mon Greg baby, I wonna know why it makes your toes curl and why you love it so much. How's that for seducin' you?" He grinned at him.

"You're getting there." Greg sheepishly smiled, feeling his nervousness coming back with a greater force. Nick softly sucked on Greg's earlobe, marking kisses down the side of his neck as he continued to massage him. "As long as you're sure Nicky."

"I am." Nick pulled off Greg's t-shirt then stripped him of his pyjama bottoms and boxers. "I love you, I want to be completely devoted you."

"You really want to christen our house with the popping of your cherry though?" Greg nervously giggled.

"Yeah."

"Well that _is_ a better reason than the one you gave me before."

"C'mon Greg, do you want me to beg?"

"No." Greg shook his head. "But I don't think that you're thinking very clearly Nicky. You never want sex this bad, least of all the other way around."

"I do though. I want you inside me Greg." He sexily rasped.

Greg smiled, initiating a kiss. "Only if you're sure though."

"I am." Nick then ripped the condom packet open with his teeth, sliding it down over his lover's body. "C'mon Greg, make me lose control." He rolled over onto his side so he was spooning Greg.

"Well since you insist." Greg nervously laughed, popping open the lube bottle in his hands, slicking his fingers up. "How do I..."

"Just do what I do to you." Nick instructed him like a professional.

"You don't want a little foreplay first?" Greg nervously asked.

"No, just dive right in G." Greg nervously nodded then slowly slid his fingers, cautiously into Nick's opening. He felt a slight resistance at first as his fingers pushed through the opening. Nick felt tense at first from the intrusion, followed by a slight flow of pleasure surge through his body.

Greg slowly began to scissor his fingers in and out, just like Nick did for him. The guttural moans coming from Nick's throat was almost too much to handle. Greg bit his bottom lip trying to fight for some control.

"Do it G." Nick egged on. Greg pressed a kiss onto his virgin lover's shoulders then slicked himself up, ready to penetrate his lover for the first time. "C'mon Greg." Nick insisted, backing up so his back was right against Greg's chest. "Don't be nervous."

"Will this make you trust me more?" He asked, lingering his lips on Nick's shoulder.

"I do trust you Greg. I want you inside of me." He insisted.

Greg moved closer, pressing his chest right against the broad back in front of him. He savoured the pleasure of his warm body against his; sliding his hand towards Nick's hip as he slowly began to push himself inside him. He slid his hand up the firm chest in front of him, smoothing his fingertips across muscles as he pushed himself deeper inside of him.

Nick gasped from the warm intrusion then began to moan as Greg began to thrust his hips against him. The pain he felt before was now replaced by pleasure. He had never felt so alive before.

He wanted Greg to consume him.

"O... Nic..." Greg was so deep in the moment that he couldn't form words, just soft moans of pleasure as he penetrated his lover for the first time. He moaned louder at the slight resistance of Nick's muscles around him, feeling Nick giving himself over to him completely.

Nick moaned in time with him, weaving his fingers back through Greg's hair. "God I love you baby." He panted.

A feeling of pure ecstasy suddenly rushed over Greg as he came inside of Nick. Nick moaned Greg's name, feeling his lover cum inside of him was enough to make him hard despite all the alcohol he drank.

Nick gripped the pillow in front him as his toes curled in pure bliss, something he had never experienced before in his life. He felt as though he was going to explode, completely losing control of his entire body, exactly the way he wanted to after watching Greg so many times.

Greg went to pull out of Nick, but his lover refused to let him leave him. Greg settled back against Nick's body, holding him tightly in his arms. They panted in perfect synchronization against each other, feeling as though they had stepped onto another plain of existence.

"I do love you Greg. I love you so much. I've never loved anythin' or anyone this much in my entire life. I didn't even know how it felt until I saw you." Nick whispered as he held Greg's arm securely around his chest.

"I love you too Nick. I don't love Jade anywhere near the amount I love you. I'll never leave you for her, don't worry my little Nicky." Greg pulled out of Nick, collapsing back against the pillows. Nick rolled over to face him, relaxing against his younger lover's body. "I'm sorry." Greg suddenly apologised.

"For what?"

"I lost control too quick again . . . I didn't last very long."

"Baby you came for me, you popped my cherry and I loved it." Nick grinned, lingering a kiss over his partner's moist lips. "I love you baby." Nick whipped off the condom from his partner, tossing into the trash then held Greg against his chest. "Did you like it?"

"I was too nervous to enjoy it." Greg admitted.

"You shouldn't be, I'm definitely gonna remember that in the mornin'." Nick smiled, kissing his forehead. "I love you baby, forever and ever."

"I love you forever and ever too."

"Let's just not tell people how we christened the house though okay?" Nick chuckled.

"Done. We'll just say we had sex in every room."

"We better get started then." Nick smirked.

Greg sighed sleepily, closing his eyes against Nick's chest. "Is it okay with you if we start tomorrow? . . . Or next week?" Greg suggested as he was too tired to do it again.

"Not as easy as it looks huh?" Nick chuckled.

"I never realised how much work you have to do to be a top. And I can't believe I just had sex."

Nick laughed, looking down at Greg's eyes. "Seriously?"

"I mean with you. I never thought I'd ever actually top you."

"Well you did and you did perfectly." Circling his arms tighter around Greg's body, thankful they didn't break up over one little argument that was severely blown out of control, Nick savoured the warmth of his partner's body once again. "I loved it."

"Let's just not try that again for another... week... maybe a month. I'll need some power shakes or something."

Nick laughed again, shaking his head at Greg. "I love you Greg." He pressed a warm moist kiss to Greg's forehead, holding him snugly against his chest as they fell asleep.

* * *

**AN: I hope the beginning wasn't too angsty for you. For those of you who don't know when I say Warrick has experience with parenting, during the investigation of Warrick's death, Sara and Greg find papers in Warrick's apartment disclosing that he had a son, I don't think it tells you how old he is though. Then in a video that was made, Warrick reveals his dedication to parenting a child and how he learned to care for people from Grissom. Then later in the episode "Turn, Turn, Turn," it's revealed that Nick and some of the others started a college fund for Warrick's son after he died. I haven't read many stories where they actually added his son, so I decided to do it. And as Warrick never knew a father from birth and his mother died at a very young age, I made him a little hostile towards Nick and Greg raising kids of their own when there's chance (so he thinks) that they might break up and abandon their children.**

**I hope that explains that for you if you didn't already know.**

**Thanks so much for reading. I hope you liked it :D**

**Please Review**


	46. Chapter 46: I Forbid it!

**Chapter Forty Six: I Forbid it!**

The next morning everything was perfect once again. Nick sat at the breakfast bar drawing as his therapist instructed to relieve his anger while Greg made them a full fry up breakfast. Greg set down the plates on the counter, being pulled into Nick's arms for a heavenly morning smooch. "Did I tell you how much I love you this mornin' G?"

"Several times," Greg nodded, softly sucking on Nick's lower lip. "But I love hearing it."

"Then I love you. And I'm still sorry."

"You can seriously stop apologising." Greg smiled. "As long as you trust me."

"I do." He nodded, pulling Greg up to sit on his lap. "I trust you a lot Greg."

"Then you can stop apologising. But I forbid you to go out with Warrick to get lap dances."

"You what?" Nick asked confused, not sure he heard him right.

"I said I forbid you to go to strip clubs." Greg smiled, pulling his breakfast closer to eat.

"What? Why G?"

"I don't cheat on you."

"Strip clubs isn't cheatin' on you baby."

"It is Nicky, your pretending to be a heterosexual man. That's cheating on me and having those icky girls dancing all over you, rubbing up against you . . . you think I like touching you after they've been getting you hard? I could smell that one on you last night and it made me a little jealous." Greg turned on Nick's lap slightly to look up into his eyes. "So I forbid you to go to strip clubs."

Nick pulled his breakfast closer, unable to argue with Greg's point, but if he couldn't go to strip clubs then he couldn't hang out with Warrick. "But what are me and Warrick supposed to do now?" He pouted. "Baby I know how you feel, but its somethin' me and Warrick can still do together . . . it's no big deal. You wonna know my secret to gettin' hard in those places?"

"What?" Greg asked curiously.

"I close my eyes." Nick lingered his hand over Greg's anatomy. "And I think of you." Nick rasped in his ear, nibbling on his earlobe.

"Oh no." Greg removed Nick's hands from his crotch. "You're not getting away with it that easily Nicholas Stokes, you always trick me with sexy talk." He scooted over to the other stool, pulling his breakfast towards him.

"What's the big deal about it?" Nick moaned, leaning on his elbow.

"It feels like you're cheating on me with girls Nicky."

"I'm not baby; I'd never cheat on you..."

"Can't you find something else to do with Warrick? There must be other stuff two guys can do together. Not sex though."

"I would never do that to you baby and I know you wouldn't do it to me either. Besides I'm not attracted to men . . . I'm attracted to you." Nick pulled Greg's stool towards him, leaning on his thighs as he moved in for a passionate kiss. "Only you." He whispered, looking into his lovers chocolaty eyes.

"In that case, why do you need to go to strip clubs?" Greg asked, licking his lips.

"Well..."

"Do you know who goes to those places Nick? Guys who are in unhappy marriages or single bachelors. You could get STD's and all sorts of things from some of those girls. And people say gay men carry diseases." He scoffed.

"Would you rather I went to a gay strip club?"

"No, I would rather none. Why do you have to go to them anyway?" Greg asked, holding Nick back at arm's length so he couldn't touch him. "Are you unhappy with our relationship?"

"Of course I'm not," Nick checked his watch mid-sentence. "Shit, I gotta go meet Warrick." Greg rolled his eyes angrily. "Case related for work. Not a strip club." Nick confirmed for him.

"What about your breakfast?" Greg pointed out.

Nick looked up at the clock on the wall, deciding he still had some time left. "He'll understand." He grabbed his knife and fork, digging into the lovingly prepared breakfast Greg made for him. "I already made plans to go out with him tonight though."

"You said we'd put the new bed together tonight."

"We'll have to do it another day. I'm busy."

"Where are you going?" Greg asked curiously.

Nick finished his breakfast then climbed to his feet, standing in front of Greg to kiss him. "A bar."

"You mean a strip club?" Greg pulled back from the kiss, holding Nick in place by his belt loops.

"Yes, okay it's a strip club, but I'm gonna be thinkin' of you the whole time." Nick pulled back out of Greg's arms, grabbing his coat and field kit.

"Do you want us to have another fight Nicky?"

"No, but you made that strip club rule _after _I had already made plans." Nick pulled his coat on, giving Greg another kiss. "Just like my rule about the clothes on the bedroom floor."

"I fully intended to pick them up." Greg smiled.

"Good then you can go do it. And I can't change my plans now and I'm not avoidin' the conversation so don't start worryin'. I love you, there is no way in hell I'm backin' outta this relationship." He assured him then kissed him again. "Love you baby."

"Be careful."

"I always am Greg. I've never been shot on the job." Nick smiled round at him, heading off for the front door.

"I meant with the skanky STD filled strippers with great big shooters... not the bad guys with real shooters." Greg corrected. Nick laughed heading off out the door. "I love you." He called after him.

"Love you too Greg!"

Once Greg was sure he was gone, he grabbed for the phone on the side, calling in a favour with Catherine.

* * *

"God Nick, you can't have been that hung over." Warrick moaned as he finally arrived at their crime scene over half an hour late.

"Sorry, I... overslept."

"I'll bet." Warrick laughed, seeing something different about Nick, but he wasn't sure what it was. "You make it up with Greggo then?" Nick nodded, pulling some gloves on as he ducked under the tape. "So...?"

"You want details?" Nick laughed. "I thought you didn't want to know about my sex life?"

"I don't, just wonna know you're getting some." Warrick smiled, pulling open his kit to pick up some evidence around their DB. "Hey..." Warrick looked up at Nick curiously. "Did you get a haircut or something?" Nick shook his head, worrying he had a bald spot or something. "Hmm... you just look different."

* * *

"Hey Nicky," Catherine greeted him, entering the layout room where he was processing some of his evidence.

"Hi Cath." She looked at him curiously a moment, studying him carefully. "What?" He self consciously asked, wondering what she was looking at.

"Nothing. You just... you look different." She smiled at him. "Anyway, I was gonna ask where you and Warrick are going tonight?"

"Why?"

"Maybe I wonna tag along." She smiled innocently.

"You? You wonna tag along?" He asked surprised, wondering why she was acting so cryptic and why people kept staring at him today.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"I don't know. I think Warrick wanted to go to Cheetahs."

"The topless bar?" Catherine asked shocked that a gay man would go there.

"Yeah, you sure you wonna come?" Nick smirked.

"See you there Nicky." She winked, heading off towards the door. "Oh, by the way. Why didn't you tell me you were engaged?" Nick's face immediately drained of his blood.

"Who'd you hear that from?"

"Greg," She smiled at him. "Are you ashamed to be engaged to him?"

"No, no I'm not." He assured her. "I love Greg, more than you'll ever understand."

"I'm sure," She nodded, still looking at him suspiciously as she walked off out the room. Nick leant on his elbow on the table, looking at her strangely. _Why is everyone lookin' at me differently today?_

* * *

Nick returned home for lunch, finding Greg in his study with his headphones in and his computer on, typing out another chapter of his book.

"Whoa!" Greg jumped in fright, pulling the headphones from his ears as Nick suddenly appeared beside him. "You scared the life outta me."

"Sorry." Nick knelt down beside Greg's chair, looking up into his eyes. "Do I look different today?"

"Different?" Greg questioned, looking at Nick strangely. "No... not really. Why?"

"No reason." He climbed to his feet again to kiss him, cupping his face in his hands.

"You came all the way home to ask me if you looked different?" Greg whirled around in his chair to completely face Nick. "What's going on?"

"People keep lookin' at me funny today. Warrick, Sara, Cath and Ecklie all said I look different. Warrick, Wendy and Mandy all asked if I've had a haircut. Bobby Dawson thought I'd had plastic surgery and Hodges just stared at me. I haven't done anythin' different though, so I don't know what's different!" He pouted.

"No Grissom?"

"Like he'd notice anythin'," Nick huffed. "I don't though do I?" Greg shook his head again as he looked into his lovers eyes. "It's weird, coz they're lookin' at me..." Nick paused mid-sentence as the blood drained from his face.

"What?" Greg gasped as Nick turned whiter than a sheet. "What's wrong?"

"They're lookin' at me the exact same way my Mama looked at me after I lost my virginity." Greg immediately burst into giggles. "It's not funny Greg! They know! How could they know?"

"I don't know." He struggled to breathe as he continued to laugh.

"Stop it Greg!" Nick sulked. "It's not funny. How could they know?"

"Gregory!" Jeans voice called through the house.

Nick looked up at Greg wide eyed. "Oh yeah, my mom stopped by to see the house. She's been cleaning the bathrooms all morning."

"You coulda told me sooner." Nick huffed.

"Sorry. My dad fixed the leaky tap and the light switch in the dining room works."

"You told them about that?" Nick whispered. "I said I'd do them, they probably think I'm completely incompetent now." He pouted.

"No they don't." Greg assured him.

"There you are." Jean smiled, entering the study. "Oh hello Nicky," She looked at him curiously. "Have you had a haircut?" Greg burst into giggles again. Nick sighed heavily in frustration and embarrasment, making his way out of the study and off up the stairs. "Oh, I didn't upset him did I?" Jean asked her giggling son.

"No," Greg gasped for breath. "I'll go talk to him." He climbed up from his chair, running upstairs, finding Nick stood in front of the mirror.

"Nicky, you okay?"

"I don't look different!" He complained. "What are they talkin' about?"

"I think you look a little different." Greg stepped up beside him, looking at his reflection in the mirror. "You look happier."

"I wasn't before?" He asked shocked, staring back at his reflection.

"Yeah, but now your glowing with happiness." Greg melodramatically gasped. "Maybe your pregnant!"

"Yeah right I'm pregnant G." He rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"Who's pregnant?" Jeans voice came from the doorway. Nick and Greg whirled around to look at the ease dropping mother. "Sorry." She smiled innocently. "I heard pregnant..."

"Relax mom, you'll get your grandkids one day, just not from either of us, we have the wrong parts." Greg smiled round at her. "And I meant Nicky's glowing with happiness, right?"

Jean looked at Nick again then nodded. "Maybe he is pregnant?"

Greg rolled his eyes at her. "That's impossible. It's not that kinda glow anyway."

"You can tell the difference G?" Nick smirked.

"Would you rather be pregnant? Hey maybe you and Jade can come to terms together?"

"Jades pregnant?" Jean gasped in shock. Greg cursed himself as he forgot she was there. "Why didn't anybody tell me? Am I the last to know everything? So Nick's not really pregnant is he?"

"No mom, it's the afterglow of poppi..." Nick quickly covered Greg's mouth with his hand before he could finish his sentence.

Jean looked at the two of them, immediately smiling as she figured out what was going on. "Oh okay. Congratulations Nicky!" She winked at him. "Don't worry," She tapped her nose with her index finger. "Mom's the word." She slyly smiled at them as she head back towards the door, sticking her finger in her mouth to make a loud popping sound before she head off down the stairs.

"Oh God!" Nick whimpered, heading off towards the bathroom, closing the door before Greg could follow him in.

"Nicky, what's wrong?" Greg leant against the door to listen to Nick inside. "You're not having a spiritual crisis are you?"

"No." Nick struggled not to laugh. "Why?"

"Sorry, just you said 'oh God' before you rushed in there." Greg smiled to himself. "Nicky, it's not the end of the world. So what you lost your virginity..."

"Can you not say that so loud, your mom's right downstairs?"

"Actually my mom, dad, Nana and Papa Olaf are all right downstairs." Greg informed him.

"Oh God! She probably told them all!" He whimpered, sitting on the edge of the bathtub. "What are they all doin' here anyway G?"

"I told you already, they wanted to see the house and help out. I tried to say no, but you know what my mom's like. She's been cleaning the house all morning while my dad was tending to a few jobs around the house." Greg slid down the wall to sit on the floor outside the bathroom. "Nicky it's okay..."

"I'm not a teenager Greg, I've had the whoops you lost your virginity speech already."

"Maybe you need another." Greg chuckled. "At least you lost it to someone you love this time around. I know I was happy to have you pop my cherry." Greg looked up, seeing his mother and Papa Olaf at the bedroom door. "C'mon Nicky, you can't stay in there forever."

"I can. There's plenty of water sources, I'll survive on a liquid diet." His muffled voice sounded through the door.

Greg laughed, looking over at his mother again. "C'mon Nicky, it's not that bad."

"They all know. I can't believe they all know." He whimpered again, clutching his head in his hands.

"You are truly adorable Nicky." Greg chuckled to himself.

Papa Olaf quietly crept in the room, walking towards the door, putting his finger to his lips as he looked at his grandson. Greg shook his head, signally for him to get out, but Papa Olaf shook his head in protest, remaining by the door.

"Is your mom out there?" Nick asked as all was quiet.

Jean shook her head at Greg, not to tell him, but he couldn't lie to Nick. "Yes she is."

"Oh Gregory," She scowled at him then approached the bathroom door. "Nicky, would you stop acting like a little girl and get your ass out here young man!" Jean commanded.

Greg climbed to his feet as they heard the lock of the door opening.

"There you are." She smiled as he finally showed his face. "Sweetheart, it's not that bad... you did use protection didn't you?" She immediately asked, turning to face her son.

"Yes." Greg nodded.

"Good boy." Papa Olaf winked, playfully slapping him on the back. "See Greggy's a good boy." He looked directly at his daughter.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" She demanded.

"I seem to recall a certain someone catching Chlamydia." He pointed an accusing finger at her.

"We don't need to talk about this now dad." She protested.

"Yeah we do." Greg egged on. "You caught an STD? Is that why you're always yelling at me to practice safe sex?"

"Yes!" She grumpily folded her arms across her chest. "I caught an STD; it wasn't from your father mind you, so you can't go blaming him and I'm not proud of it okay!"

"She said and I quote here 'Couldn't remember who she last had sex with." Papa Olaf chuckled.

"You can talk; you had premarital sex then had me out of wedlock." Jean grumbled right back.

"It isn't premarital sex if you have no intention of getting married." Papa Olaf corrected.

"You did marry mom!" Jean retorted.

"I had to, she had you!" Papa Olaf argued back.

"Is that the only reason you married mom?" Jean asked shocked.

Nick leant against the doorframe of the bathroom, watching Jean and Papa Olaf arguing with Greg stood between them. Listening to their problems, his little problem didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.

"Hello! We're getting off point here!" Greg shouted over the top of their shouting voices.

"Right," Jean nodded, turning back to Nick. "Sweetheart, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. But honestly, if you're worried because Greg was terrible, there are plenty of stimulating toys on the market." Greg angrily folded his arms across his chest, looking at his mother in shock. "What? I seem to recall one of your girlfriends telling me she broke up with you because you were terrible in bed."

"Who?" Greg insisted that she tell him.

"She didn't want me to tell you sweetheart." She lightly tapped her son on the shoulder. "I don't think you really want to know." She cushioned her answer to protect her son again.

"It's a bit late for that. You already told me, now who said I was terrible?"

"I don't want to disclose her name."

"Mom, you're not secret service. You're supposed to be on my side." Greg protested.

"Is everyone forgetting that Nick was hiding in the bathroom because he lost his virginity to Greg? I think that explains how bad Greg was by itself." Papa Olaf reminded them. "Is he really that terrible Nick?" He blatantly asked in a not so subtle whisper.

Greg folded his arms across his chest, looking up at Nick waiting for an answer.

Nick nervously gulped as the three of them watched him, feeling the sweat rolling off his forehead. Greg was great in bed, the best he ever had, but he didn't want to say that in front of his mother and grandfather. He had manners after all.

"Nick, Warrick's here for you!" Daniels voice called up the stairs.

"I-I... I should go." He nervously gulped, trying to squeeze past them all.

"Am I really that terrible?" Greg asked him shocked.

"Appalling," Papa Olaf tusked him. "You shoulda spent more time practicing sex, instead of learning about NDA."

"DNA." Greg corrected.

"That's what I said." Papa Olaf mumbled, rolling his eyes at him.

"Am I really that bad Nick?" He asked again.

"No... I just don't... I don't feel comfortable talkin' about this in front of your mom." He anxiously stammered.

"Oh don't be embarrassed sweetheart. How did you do it? Maybe your better suited for another position."

"Mom!" Greg shouted at her.

"What? Not everyone likes certain positions honey. I know my favourite for back door sex is doggy style."

"Really? I find that exhausting, all that thrusting and trying to stay up on your knees." Papa Olaf enlightened her. "Then again you are the bottom in that position."

"You should try the acrobat. Then you're just..."

"God! You people have no shame!" Greg shouted. "I don't wonna hear this. Please." He cringed, feeling as though he was going to throw up at the thought of Papa Olaf having sex doggy style with his Nana.

"We're trying to help you here sweetheart." Jean smiled softly at him.

"I don't need your help on sexual positions!"

"I-I... really gotta go." Nick pecked Greg on the cheek, rushing past him to make his way off down the stairs.

"Hey man, you..." Warrick watched Nick storm past him, heading off towards the car. "Everything okay?" He shouted after him, following him out of the house.

"Yeah, I-I... don't wonna talk about it. Can we please just go?" Warrick nodded, starting the car then driving off out of the craziness.

"I'll be lucky if he ever comes back." Greg shouted at his mom and grandpa.

"I've never seen a man run so fast." Papa Olaf chuckled. "Hey Greggy, what's the difference between condoms and coffins?" Greg glared up at him blankly. "They're both full of stiffs, only ones coming while the others going." His Papa Olaf immediately burst into giggles while Greg's blank expression remained. He glanced at his mother then turned on his heels, heading back down to his study to get the disturbing sex talk out of his mind.

"Oh c'mon Greggy, it was a joke!" Papa Olaf shouted after him. Jean punched him in the arm, rolling her eyes at him. "What? It was funny!" He protested.

* * *

"Your woman forbids you to go to strip clubs?" Warrick laughed, putting a beer to his lips.

"Yep, I get his point . . . but it's not like I'm cheatin' on him."

"So you two are okay now?"

"Sort of." Nick shrugged, leaning back in the booth. Still cringing from the disturbing sex talk he encountered.

"Nick, what's up? You've been quiet since I picked you up at lunch."

Nick shrugged again, watching a dancer going by in a skimpy skirt and no top. He decided to confront his best friend for advice; after all it couldn't be much worse than Jeans or Papa Olaf's. "I let Greg have a go in the driver's seat."

Warrick looked around at Nick shocked, not sure if he just heard that right. "You let Sanders top you?"

"Yes." Nick awkwardly nodded, feeling like less of a man or something in front of his heterosexual friend.

"That's gross Nick."

"It's love man. So you're sayin' it's okay for me to top him, but not the other way around?" Nick asked him.

Warrick smirked. "Yeah man."

"Why? How is it any different?"

"Coz its Greg Sanders." Warrick laughed, feeling very uncomfortable in this conversation. "It's icky thinking of Greggo doing that to you."

"But it's not icky thinkin' of me doin' it to Greg?"

"Can we just please change the subject?" Warrick awkwardly asked, taking another swig of his beer. "I'm sorry I said anything okay."

"You do it to girls." Nick pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's different."

Nick burst out laughing. "Not really man, the only thing that's different about it is instead of askin' to be held at the end of sex, I get a full breakfast and the remote to watch sports."

Warrick couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, so maybe sleeping with a guy does have some benefits . . . can we just talk about something else please?" He requested again, desperately trying not to throw up. "I'm sorry Nick okay, I'm sorry I said all that about Greggo the other day too. I meant it, but I'm still sorry."

"You still think we're not gonna last?" Nick asked surprised.

"Nope."

"What's the pot up to?"

"Two weeks of marriage . . . Brass recons you'll bail before the ceremony and Griss thinks it'll be the 'I Do's' that hit you..."

"Everyone's in on it?" Nick asked hurt. Warrick nodded, grabbing another beer.

* * *

"Sure this'll work?" Greg asked Catherine nervously.

"Course it will." She grinned as her eyes scanned over the outfit he was wearing, setting the cap in place on his head, pleased with her work. "Just remember the moves I showed you Greg."

"How could I forget?" He cheekily grinned at her.

"Still the same horny lil perv." She chuckled, doing the buttons up the front for him.

"And Nick has no idea right?"

"None what so ever." She smiled at him.

"So when are you gonna get Nick here?" Greg asked, starting to get anxious.

"Warrick told me where they were." Catherine checked her watch. "I should go get him now, before he's had too many and starts hitting on Warrick." She giggled with laughter at the thought of those two hooking up.

"Not making me feel any better."

"Sorry sweetie." She grinned, tilting the cap on his head to the side slightly. "Remember the more skin you show, the rowdier they'll get. I'll text you as soon as I've got him here. Don't be nervous Greg, you'll do fine. Just keep that gorgeous smile on your face." She told him as she walked out the back.

Greg nodded then dropped into a nearby chair, feeling his heart racing inside of his chest. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. He wished he could drink to calm his nerves, but he made a promise to Nick and his mother not to give into his temptations.

* * *

Warrick looked up towards the doors, spotting Catherine. "Hey Nick, c'mon." Warrick pulled Nick out of the booth by his elbow, pulling him off towards Catherine.

"Hi guys." She smiled at them naturally.

"You really came out with us? This isn't really your scene Cath, unless you're into that girl on girl action?" Nick asked, taking the last swig of his beer.

"You wish." She laughed, noticing the hungry look in Warrick's eyes.

"No, I'm not into that." Nick smiled, leaning against the wall behind him to stand up straight.

"Actually, I know a really good place just round the corner." Catherine smiled at them both.

"I gotta go pick up Eli..." Warrick cursed himself for saying that name out loud. "My buddy Eli, I'll see you guys tomorrow though."

"Sure." Nick nodded curiously as he watched his best friend leaving, not recalling a single friend of his called Eli. "So where are we goin'?" He asked, turning to Catherine.

"C'mon, I'll drive." Catherine linked arms with him, heading off towards her car in the parking lot. She helped Nick into the passenger seat then drove him off towards the club.

"So where are you takin' me?" Nick asked, staring out the window to try and recognise the street.

"There's this great strip club, just up here." Catherine smiled, driving towards it trying to keep her excitement in.

"You're takin' me to a strip club?" Nick asked shocked.

"Yeah." She grinned, pulling up outside.

"That's a gay strip club." Nick raised his eyebrows looking at her shocked. "Why are we goin' here?"

"You'll see, C'mon." Catherine climbed out of the car, secretly texting Greg.

"Catherine, I can't go in there." Nick moaned, reluctantly following her as she dragged him by the wrist. "Catherine." He tried to stay put outside, but Catherine persisted on dragging him inside. "Greg will kill me if I go in here... I don't even wonna..."

"Quit moaning. I'm sure Greg will understand."

"No Cath..."

"C'mon Nicky." She grinned wider, leading him through the homosexual strip club, which was uncharted territory for the recently closet hiding gay cowboy.

Catherine led him through the club towards the bar ordering them some drinks. Nick looked around at the bar, suddenly realising it wasn't that much different to the usual clubs he went to with Warrick. Except instead of girls, there were guys dancing in cages around the place.

"Why did you bring me here?" Nick asked Catherine as she handed him a drink.

"You'll see." She grinned, turning her attention over to the centre stage.

"Now heeerrreee's, Officer Sanders." An overhead voice announced.

Nick felt a tingle rush up his spine at the sound of his boyfriend's surname. _It can't be Greg!_ He looked round at the stage wide eyed as Greg walked out in policeman's uniform. His jaw dropped in shock as Greg started dancing in front of the rowdy crowd, around a pole.

"Oh my god!" Nick gasped. "Please tell me I'm really, really, really, really, desperately drunk." He asked Catherine.

"Nope, sorry Nicky. That's your boyfriend. And I thought you were hot, but damn, Greg has one hot little booty." She winked, fanning herself to make Nick even more jealous.

Nick looked around the room at the thousands of pairs of eyes focused on his boyfriend. He watched as Greg whirled around the pole in the centre of the stage, removing his tie first.

"That's it!" He jumped off his stool, pushing his way through the crowd towards the stage. "Greg? What are you doin'?" Nick shouted over the crowds cheers.

"What you can go to strip clubs and I can't?" Greg grinned, throwing his hat into the crowd then spinning around the pole, just like Catherine had taught him. Greg then stripped his shirt open making the crowd raw with excitement.

"Did you shave your happy trail?" Nick noticed his boyfriends bare chest. "Not the point. Greg this is a little different than me goin' to strip clubs." Nick tried to reason with him. He didn't like the fact that the crowd were watching his lover dancing very sexily around the pole, undressing him with their hungry lustful eyes, dreaming up all sorts of things they could do to his sexy body. "Greg, C'mon stop this." Nick pleaded as Greg's shirt soared through the air. "Greg!"

"The crowd love me." Greg smiled then stripped off his trousers so he was just in his tighty whiteys.

"Take them off baby." A large biker cheered.

Nick looked round at the large man horrified, seeing a whip stuffed in his belt.

"Shake it baby!" Another man shouted.

"Show us that cute lil arse!" A large bear looking guy shouted, who looked somewhat like father christmas in a really tight fitted t-shirt.

_Not my boyfriend! _Nick thought to himself, pushing through the crowd to climb up onto the stage. "Greg this is completely different from me goin' to strip clubs. I don't actually strip for a crowd." Nick tried to reason with him.

"Take them off. Take them off. Take them off." The crowd started chanting over and over again.

Greg smiled up at Nick, going for the waist band of his tight briefs.

"Don't you dare Greg!" Nick sternly warned him.

"I have to please the crowd Nicky." He deviously grinned.

Nick pulled his coat off wrapping it around his lover's naked shoulders. "Don't you dare! I give in. No more strip clubs . . . please don't take them off." He begged him.

"Deal." Greg smiled, initiating a kiss onto his jealous lover's lips, making the crowd growl with jealously. They moaned in protest as Nick whisked Greg off his feet, carrying him out of the club bridal style.

"I also forbid you never to do that again, unless it's for me." Nick told him, lifting him into the back of Catherine's car.

"Deal." Greg agreed.

"Nicky, you shoulda let him finish!" Catherine complained, running up behind him. "I wanted to see the goods."

"No way," Nick shook his head, climbing into the back of the car with Greg. "No one gets to see his goods but me." He warned her, putting a wide smile on Greg's face at his protectiveness.

Nick tightened his coat around Greg's shoulders, holding him tightly in his arms. Catherine frowned in disappointment, climbing into the driver's seat to drive them home.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I love writing it, I couldn't stop cracking up. And I hope you liked the image of Greg in a sexy poilce uniform :P**

**Please Review if you liked it**

**~ Holly**


	47. Chapter 47: Domestic Life

**Chapter Forty Seven: Domestic Life**

"Good Mornin' Gorgeous," Nick smiled as Greg opened his eyes.

Smiling, Greg stretched his arms and legs out, hearing his joints popping as he woke up. "I had the weirdest dream."

"Really?" He queried, weaving his fingers through Greg's hair. "What about?"

"A stripper and a cowboy," Greg sleepily yawned, licking his lips. "You know the cowboy looked kinda like you, maybe a little taller and they had a dog..."

"Your perfect dream fantasy huh?" Nick chortled.

"Hey, you never answered my question."

"Question about what hun?" Nick queried, rolling onto his side.

Greg ran his fingers through his hair as he looked up at Nick, hoping for an honest answer. "Am I terrible at sex? You never answered me before."

"You think of this now? I didn't say anythin' then coz we were in front of your Papa Olaf and mother. I told you that G. I don't feel all that comfortable talkin' about havin' sex with you in front of your parents. You are and always will be their little baby boy, and I don't feel all that comfortable discussin' havin' sex with you . . . with them. It's a little squicky G."

"Welcome to my world." Greg giggled.

"C'mon, we gotta get up. We've gotta retile the bathroom, wallpaper the front room and put the new bed together today." Nick swept back the covers, scrambling out of bed.

"That's why you asked for this day off?" Mumbling under his breath, Greg folded his arms across his chest as he pouted up at Nick. "I thought you asked for it off to spend more time with me."

"I did ask for it off to be with you."

"I'm going to work." Greg reminded him. "You knew I was when you booked it, so you can't use that as an excuse."

"Just get outta bed G." Nick instructed, sorting through piles of their washing left by the closet door. "Oh and it's your turn to do the washin'."

"I did it yesterday." He pouted.

"No you didn't, you were _supposed_ to do it yesterday, but it's still down there . . . and dirty." Nick reminded him. "Oh and I'm goin' out with Warrick tonight." He added, leaning across the bed to press a kiss to his lips. "C'mon, get up."

"Five more minutes." Clutching the covers tightly, Greg reclosed his eyes against the pillow. Nick pulled the covers from Greg, tickling his exposed chest. Greg giggled and squirmed beneath him, trying to stop his hands. "Stop it... please... stop." He giggled breathlessly.

"Get up then G."

"Can we play a game first?" Deviously licking his licks, Greg pulled Nick on top of him, smoothing his hands across his broad back.

"What kinda game?" Nick huskily rasped. "Not the dumb jock and his horny little geek tutor again is it?"

"No." Greg pouted as that's exactly what he was thinking of.

Nick smiled as Greg was terrible at lying. "C'mon, in the shower though. I gotta lot of work to do today."

"Now you see me as a chore?"

"Quit moanin' and get your cute little ass in that shower G." Nick pointed off towards the bathroom, climbing off the bed again. Greg sleepily rubbed his eyes, climbing off the bed then stumbling off towards the shower with Nick.

"How are we supposed to study in the shower?" Greg teased. Nick grabbed his wrist, pulling him off into the shower, crashing their lips together under the warm spray of the shower. He started slow kisses to Greg's jaw line as his hands explored his body. "You really have a problem with removing clothes in the shower huh Nicky?" Greg giggled as his briefs soaked through with water.

"Actually, I just love the view." Nick teased as he broke the kisses to his jaw line, peeling Greg's soaked briefs off his body and tossing them out onto the bathroom floor. "I'm just too impatient to wait for you." He rasped, leaning into Greg's body as he pressed their lips together again.

Slowly in a teasingly manner, Nick ran a dexterous finger down Greg's spine, down to the cleft of his ass. Greg whimpered softly against Nick's lips, feeling his free hand sliding across his quivering thigh as he pushed against his prostate.

"Isn't this better than playin' a game?" Nick whispered, softly sucking on the skin beneath his lover's ear. Nick slowly pulled back his fingers, staring lovingly at his naked lover's body.

"Games are more fun." Greg smiled softly, turning to face the wall to get exactly what he wanted.

"Are you sayin' I'm borin'?" He rasped against his neck as he pushed inside of him.

"Not in the least." Greg's breath trembled from his lips. He reached his hands out onto the wall in front of him for support, beginning to feel weak in the knees. "You know eventually we're gonna be too old to play the jock and the geek, or even the sexy fireman."

"We never have played fireman." Nick laughed, pressing warm kisses to the back of Greg's neck.

"Well maybe . . . it's time we did." Greg chuckled, leaning back against Nick's chest.

"Not today, we got loads to do." Gasping against Greg's neck as he started to shudder, Nick felt his knees beginning to weaken. He clutched him tightly as he rode out his high, smoothing his hands across Greg's abs. "God I love you baby."

"I love you too." Greg turned in his arms, reaching for the shampoo bottle off the shelf. "Just promise me we'll still get to play games once we're married."

"Of course we can." He tenderly kissed Greg's lips, grabbing the shampoo bottle from his hands to wash his hair for him. "I promise."

* * *

"L is for the way you look at me, O is for the only one I see, V is very, very..."

"Greg!" Nick scolded him, from his position across the room, watching a cheeky smile spreading across his lover's lips.

"Extraordinary," He continued. "E is even more than anyone that you..."

"Greg, stop singin'!" Nick scolded him again, unable to hide the smile on his own lips. Even when Greg was annoying the hell out of him he still loved him.

Greg giggled as he continued to sing. "Love is all that I can give to you. Love is more than just for two..."

"Greg shut up!" Nick dropped the strip of wall paper he was about to glue up on the wall of the front room, making his way towards a giggling Greg who backed away behind the plastic covered couch.

Greg giggled, struggling to continue singing his song. "Two in love can make it. Take my heart and please don't break it..."

"I told you to stop singin'!" Nick leapt over the sofa to grab Greg, missing him by mere centimetres as he wriggled away. "One more verse Greg." He warned him.

"One more verse and you'll what?" Greg taunted him with a seductive whisper.

"You'll find out." Nick went to grab him again, but Greg managed to wriggle free, putting the coffee table between him and Nick.

"You don't like it?" He giggled at his angry Texans face.

"No, we're not havin' that one as our weddin' song either. So stop singin' it!" Nick pleaded, watching the innocent smile spread on Greg's face. "Now can you help me? We still have to put the new bed together before we can go to sleep later."

"I'm tired now." Greg dropped onto the plastic couch, leaning back against the cushions.

"I told you not to go crazy in the shower." Nick smirked, trying to finish the wallpapering. "How do you know those lyrics anyway?"

"Everyone knows that song Nicky." He giggled. "Jean and Jillian put that song on the list of possible songs for our wedding."

"We're not havin' it." Nick sternly warned him.

"Why?" Greg pouted.

"I hate it." Nick stuck down the piece he was holding; only it got stuck to his fingers as he tried to push it down. Greg couldn't help but giggle as Nick fought with the wallpaper, eventually giving up and tossing it to the ground in a ball, making Greg giggle louder. "Shut up Greg!"

"Are you really mad at me, or the wallpaper?" He teased.

Nick scratched the glue off his fingertips then watched as one piece he stuck up earlier peeled itself off the wall, falling to the floor and rolling into a ball to stick to itself. "God I give up!" He shouted dropping onto the sofa beside Greg. "Why is this shit so freakin' hard?" He angrily shouted, folding his arms across his chest.

"Mind your blood pressure." Greg teased him, pressing a soft kiss to Nick's foreheads. "You know my dad said he'd help if we needed it." Nick turned his head to look at Greg, rolling his eyes at him. "What? You can ask for help Nicky. You don't have to prove to my father that you can provide for me." He giggled softly.

"How come I never saw this song list anyway?" Nick abruptly changed the subject.

"I showed it to you; you said you were too busy to look through it." Greg reached over for the coffee table, searching through the paper that was scattered across it. "Here." Greg pulled it out from the bottom of the pile, scattering the other pieces of paper all across the floor. "Opps." He crashed back on the sofa beside Nick, showing him the list. "Don't touch it!" He snapped as Nick went to reach for it.

"Why?"

"Your fingers are all sticky." Greg held the list so he could see it. "The highlighted pink ones are Jillian's favourites and the highlighted yellow ones are Jeans."

"Well you can scratch that one you were singin' right off the list." Greg grabbed a pen, pulling the lid off with his teeth to cross it out. "Shouldn't we compile a list of our own songs? Half of these I've never heard of and the others I definitely don't wonna hear them at my weddin'."

"MY wedding?" Greg queried.

"_Our_ weddin'." Nick corrected, putting his arm over Greg's shoulder as he looked at the list in Greg's hands once again. "Well do you like any of these songs G?" Greg shrugged, resting his head on Nick's arm. "You don't like Celine Dion, the power of love do yah?" Greg shook his head, scribbling that off the list. "What about Westlife, I do?" Greg scribbled that off the list, along with three other Westlife songs half way down the page. "How many songs do we need?"

"Depends on how long the wedding reception is. Maybe we should ask our guests. They can pick the songs to dance to?" Greg grinned, looking up into Nick's eyes.

"We're not havin' that Stevie wonder song." Nick grabbed the pen from Greg, scribbling it out. "Why don't we just pick our favourite songs?"

"Country, heavy metal and techno?" Greg giggled softly, taking back his now sticky pen from Nick's fingers. "We're not having Sonny and Cher's, I got you babe either." He scribbled it out, looking down the rest of the list. Nick watched as Greg screwed the piece of paper into a ball, tossing it across the room.

"So I wasn't allowed to touch it, but you can screw it up?" Nick smirked.

"We can make our own list." Greg grabbed one of the pieces of paper on the floor, looking at the letter on one side. He decided it wasn't important, flipping it over to use the blank side on the back for his list. "You go first."

"Um..." Scratching his chin as he tried to think, Nick glanced over at his CD rack to try and pick out some songs he liked. "Here comes goodbye . . . I melt . . . Love you out loud . . . Take me there . . . and The day before you; all by Rascal Flatts." Greg scribbled them all down on the piece of paper. "Love lives on, Mallary Hope . . . Good to go, Jason Aldean . . . oh, You go first by Jessica Andrews it's the perfect kissin' song."

"How come?"

"Because the chorus goes 'Do you want to kiss?" He chuckled, pressing warm kisses to Greg's neck, making the hairs on his neck stand on end. "You can add 'It's your love by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill' to the list too." Nick said as he climbed to his feet.

"I thought you gave up." Greg smirked, watching Nick screwing up the pieces of wallpaper that fell off.

"I did. I never give up for too long. I didn't give up on you did I?" Smiling as he turned to face Greg.

"You waited seven years to get me though." Greg reminded him, writing down some of his own song choices.

"That's what you think." Nick winked at him.

Greg looked at Nick completely confused. "What are you talking about Nicky?" Nick just slyly smiled as he tried to stick the rest of the wallpaper up. "Nicky?" He queried again.

Nick turned to face Greg, giving him a slight smile. "I'm just sayin' . . . that wasn't the first time I tried to tell you my feelin's for you Greg. It was the first time I actually succeeded though."

"That piece isn't straight." Greg pointed out to him.

"Yes it is."

"Uh uh," Greg shook his head. "Do you want a wonky piece of wallpaper in your front room for the rest of your life?" Greg climbed off the sofa to straighten it up, giving Nick a slight smile. "See, even you're too tired. You can't tell if it's straight or not, and what do you mean that wasn't the first time?"

"I'm not tired." Nick protested, sticking it down at a straighter angle. "I'm just tryin' to finish this so I can go put the bed together."

"What's with the I statements all of sudden Nicky?" Greg asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"You're goin' to work in a couple of hours and you're not exactly bein' very helpful today G." Nick pushed Greg back slightly to reach the wall behind him.

"You won't let me help."

"You said you were tired." Nick retorted. Greg giggled as they were starting to argue like five year olds again. Nick sighed heavily as a piece of wallpaper across the room that he stuck up an hour ago suddenly fell off the wall. "Okay, I seriously give up now. Let's go do the bed." He sighed in defeat.

"That's not a very romantic proposal." Greg cheekily grinned.

"I meant... let's go put the new bed together." Nick laughed, poking Greg in the ribs. He grabbed his wrist as he tried to wiggle away, pulling him into his arms. "Any more sex today and you'll be fallin' asleep on the job G."

"Actually, I have to start the guest list for our wedding." Greg remembered, running off into his study to fetch the wedding planner book. "And when did you try and get me before?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out hun." Nick shouted after him, angrily throwing the roller into the glue bucket. "I can't believe you're actually excited about our weddin' now, before you were too scared about plannin' this weddin', now you're doin' everythin' without me." Nick laughed as Greg came out of his study with a stack of books in his hands.

"Well we still have to decide on a date and I need your guest list too." Greg smiled, heading off up the stairs.

"So I guess you're not helpin' me put the bed together either?" Nick shouted after him, but there was no answer.

Nick grabbed his tool box, heading off up the stairs to find Greg crashed out on the floor with his wedding books scattered around him. "Hey do you mind if I invite Matilda?"

"Who's Matilda?" Nick asked, removing the sheets and mattress from their old bed.

"My sponsor."

"Your AA sponsor?" Nick queried, surprised that Greg had never talked about her before. Greg nodded as he looked up at him. "Your sponsors a woman?"

"Yes . . . you got a problem with that?" Nick shook his head, starting to dismantle the old bed. Greg looked at Nick's reaction. "You do don't you? Fine, I won't invite her. She probably can't come anyway."

"You can invite her Greg. I'm not jealous and I don't have a problem." Nick confirmed for him.

"For the record she's married, over forty years old and she has like nine kids or something and their names all start with a B . . . something like Benny, Becky, Bertha, Bobby, Bryony, Brian, Belinda, . . . I think there's a Bane in there somewhere, did I say Becky already? Oh and not to mention the fact that she's not really that good looking. I mean she's good looking for her age, but she's really not my type, so you don't have to worry about me cheating on you with her. Not that I ever would. Why would I ever sleep with someone else when I've got you to come home to?" Greg finally looked up at Nick seeing a wide smile on his face. "What?"

"Did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much G?" He smirked.

"Not enough . . . is that good or bad?"

"My case, good." Nick knelt down in front of him, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I love listenin' to yah G."

"Where are you going with Warrick tonight anyway?"

"Drinkin' . . . not a strip club, I believe I have learnt my lesson about them." Nick climbed to his feet again, continuing to dismantle their old bed, carrying it across the hall to one of the spare rooms for storage. He then started to unpack the brand new flat pack bed, piecing it together while Greg lay on the floor, propping himself up on his elbow going through all the wedding planner books.

Two hours later Greg decided to speak up. "You know you could get this done twice as fast if you read the instructions Nick."

"I've almost got this side done."

"Just think we could be assembling cribs..."

"Ooh, don't say that." A cold shiver shook down Nick's spine at the thought of assembling cribs for their own children.

"Why not? You don't want kids all of sudden?" Greg asked shocked.

"I'm still tryin' to get me head around this marriage thing." Nick reached for the next piece of wood he needed, grabbing his screwdriver from beside him again. He looked up as Greg started to give him a funny look. "I mean I do want to get married to you, that part hasn't changed. It's just a little overwhelmin'..."

"Because you thought your family would string you up to a crucifix?" Greg interrupted him. "Good to be wrong sometimes huh? What kinda flowers do you want for our wedding?" He abruptly changed the subject.

"Flowers?"

"Uh huh, both our moms want em. Maybe you could ask your sisters to pick the flowers then we just have to sort out the catering, vehicles, drinks, cutlery, rings, wedding china, waiters, chairs, tables, venue..." Nick dropped to his knees in front of Greg, covering his hand over his mouth.

"This is what I meant about the overwhelmin' stuff Greg."

"Sorry." He whispered then glanced at the time. "Shit! I have two minutes to get to work." He pecked Nick on the cheek as he scrambled to his feet, quickly changing his clothes. "See you later."

"I love you, be careful!" Nick shouted after him.

"You too!" He shouted back as he disappeared down the stairs, grabbing his stuff before he ran out the door.

Nick walked back towards the bed he was assembling, looking at all the little pieces confused. He finally decided to reach for the instructions as Greg suggested, reading through them. "Slot K to B, using screws 12, 13 and 11 and joints 1A, 4B and 5C." Nick looked around at all the packets of screws and things around him. "That's stupid, they're not even numbered!" He snapped. "God I am so sick of DIY!" He screwed the instructions up in his hands, tossing it across the room then made his way downstairs to grab a beer from the fridge.

He decided to throw in the towel completely and finally call Daniel, Greg's father for some help, instead of holding onto his pride like his father always used to do when he was a child. His father would never let anyone help him, even if he was struggling with the task for hours on end, making him somewhat of a cold and bitter man.

Nick swore to himself that he would never be like that. So he decided to change before it was too late.

Dan Sanders was overjoyed that Nick asked him for help. He loved DIY and he was actually good at it unlike Nick. They arranged for him to come over and help out tomorrow, while Nick got back to the easy tasks like the laundry that Greg forgot to do again, along with mowing the lawn.

Warrick came over later as planned and they both head out to a bar for some drinks while Greg was out at work.

* * *

"Nicky! Nicky! Nicky!" Greg shouted excitedly running through the house. "Nicky!"

"Greg." Nick groggily shouted from his position on the couch, rubbing his eyes open. "What?"

"Nicky! Nicky! Look at this!" Greg dropped onto the sofa where Nick was still sleepily laying with his eyes closed still closed. "Nicky look!"

"G, calm down would yah." Nick grabbed the piece of paper from Greg, rubbing his eyes open again to try and focus on what Greg had just handed to him. "What am I lookin' at here G?"

"There!" Greg pointed to the sheet.

"It's a dog rescue shelter." Greg nodded with a wide smile on his face. "You woke me up to show me this?" He asked surprised.

"You said we could get a dog."

"I did?" Nick questioned confused. Greg nodded almost furious that Nick had forgotten his promise to him. "Oh, right. I did, didn't I? You really want one though baby?"

"No, that's why I'm showing you this." Greg sarcastically blurted. "I called the owner on the way home, hope you don't mind and they've got sixty-seven unwanted dogs there. Sixty-seven Nicky!"

"Okay, have you been at the sugar again?" He asked as Greg was all jittery and hyper.

Greg rolled his eyes at him, snatching the paper from his grouchy hands. "Sixty-seven unwanted dogs Nicky, if that was children you would jump at the chance!"

"I never said I wouldn't. Can you keep your voice down a little?" Nick winced from his hang over.

"You shouldn't have been out drinking _all night_ with Warrick like I told you." Greg scolded him.

"I know, I'm sorry, but a little sympathy for the man with a migraine here please baby."

"I'm sorry. But Sixty-seven Nicky!" Greg straddled Nick's thighs, softly kissing a trail across his fiancés forehead. "Nicky, I really wonna dog."

"Okay." Nick chuckled at his excitable lover. "But you realise you have to feed it, walk it..."

"Take it to the vet and look after it, I know." Greg interrupted him.

Nick smiled up at him, reading through the dog rescue shelter slip he had in his hands still. "I thought you wanted a puppy?"

"They just rescued some. Sixty-seven dogs without a home Nicky and you're lecturing me on how to feed and walk it."

"Sorry, habit." Nick sighed softly, holding his splitting head in his hands. "My parents always did it with us whenever we wanted somethin'. Anyway, how was your shift?"

"Not so bad. There wasn't much going on. Grissom and Doc chased a rat down in the autopsy room..."

"A rat?"

"Yeah, according to David it crawled out of this dead guy on the table while they were doing the autopsy. They were wearing hazmat suits and everything trying to catch that thing."

"Miss one day and I miss all the good stuff." Nick chuckled.

"That was nothing. Hodges and Wendy had a moment in the locker room."

"What kind of moment?" Nick asked curiously.

"A Harry met Sally kinda moment. If it wasn't Hodges, I woulda thought it was cute." He giggled making Nick roll his eyes. "Oh and the lab rats were working their own secret case, trying to solve the miniature killer case..."

"You're whole day revolved around rats then?" Chuckling, Nick tried to stop Greg jumping up and down on him as it was making him kinda queasy.

"No, not completely. I thought about you a lot too. I missed you."

"I missed you too. So did you actually _do_ any work today hun?" Nick smirked.

"Yes, this was on my lunch break." Greg kissed Nick on the forehead, climbing off him, heading towards the kitchen. "Do you wonna fry up?"

"Aren't you tired?" Nick shouted from the couch.

"Nope, I had 3 coffees before I left work. Sara wanted to go home early and she was gonna tip away the rest of her coffee..."

"Oh No!" Nick gasped dramatically, knowing how much Greg loved his coffee.

"That's not the worst of it. Hodges stole some, I managed to get it back, but so he couldn't drink it, I had to drink it quick, but it was really hot and it hurt going down."

"That's how you ended up havin' three coffees?" Chuckling softly, Nick rolled his eyes at his hyper young lover. "That's like a toddler's description of their day G."

Greg collapsed on top of Nick, looking into his eyes. "Are you making fun of me again Nicholas Stokes?"

"No, I wouldn't dream of it." He smiled innocently. "But the way you came boundin' through the door screamin' my name excitedly, I'd of thought it was a toddler runnin' through the door. You really shouldn't drive when you're this jittery G."

"I'm not jittery." Greg protested.

"You're bouncin' up and down all over the place." Nick chuckled again. "You really wonna get a dog don't you baby?"

"I miss Rusty; I never really had pets growing up. He was awesome." Greg rested his head on Nick's chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"We'll go okay. I got tonight and tomorrow off. Lemme get some sleep then I'll take you."

"They're supposed to be just like kids only easier to train and you don't have to pay for their college." Greg chuckled slightly. "And if I do take care of it good then we might even wonna start having kids soon."

Nick smiled looking at the excitement in Greg's eyes. "I'm sure you'll be a great father to a dog G."

"One more thing I gotta tell you." Greg sat up on Nick's hips, looking into his eyes. "Jade's not keeping the baby."

"Huh?"

"She called me at work. She's putting it up for adoption still. Is it okay if I go over there? Obviously not right now," Greg glanced up at the clock. "She'll still be sleeping. But is it okay?"

"You don't have to ask permission to go and see her Greg." Nick brushed his thumb under Greg's eye, looking at him curiously. "What case did you work today?"

"Why?"

"Because you've been cryin' G."

"Have not." Greg pouted.

Nick pulled him closer to kiss his cheek, tasting the dried salty tears on his cheeks. "Yes you have, you can't lie to me hun." Greg rested his head on Nick's shoulder, sighing softly. "Was it a bad one?"

"Are they ever good?" Greg asked as Nick wrapped his arms around him. "It was a domestic violence case turned murder. He kicked his wife's stomach in killing her baby then when she got out of hospital he killed her. What I don't understand is why she went back to him and why the stupid nurses didn't pick up on it. She even lied to the police about it. She said she fell down the stairs."

"It's fear hun. I've seen it hundreds of times. They think they only deserve that kinda love." Nick softly smoothed his palms up and down Greg's back. "Is that what got you so upset baby?"

"I've never seen so much blood before. All their friends and family never knew, they all swore he was innocent. How could someone you love so much do that to you?"

"I don't know G." He wrapped his arms around him tighter, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "You really need a better system for tellin' me stuff G. Maybe you should start with the bad news then end with the good."

"Like the dog?" He whispered softly.

"Yeah, you shoulda ended on that hun. It woulda made you happier too." He lingered his lips on Greg's cheek, tasting the salty tears rolling down his cheek. "G you didn't leave the stove on did you?" Greg shook his head. "Good . . . It's been ages since you've given me a hug like this."

"You're always too busy." Whispering softly, Greg wiped the tears from his cheeks, looking up into Nick's eyes. "So was that a yes to the fry up?"

"Yes please, you don't have to do it right now baby."

"Yeah I do." Greg pressed a kiss to Nick's forehead as he climbed off him.

"Look who's closin' off his emotions now, I'm a bad influence on you G."

"I'm not closing off," Greg protested, heading off towards the kitchen again. "I just don't wonna talk about it right now. Do you want the usual hangover cure too?"

"Yes please." Nick shouted back, holding his head in his hands. "Greg, it's not good to bottle. You'll end up as angry as me baby."

Greg returned with some aspirin and a glass of water. Nick swallowed back the pills then lay back against the sofa again. "Nick, if something good doesn't start happening to me this year I'm leaving."

"Leaving?" Nick questioned.

"Not you, this freaking city. I've been brutally attacked twice, dragged from my car, left on the pavement to die, bitten by some crazy serpent freak, had to go to AA meetings and hug people who smell like a liquor store..."

"Greg." He interrupted him. "Did you happen to forget the good stuff that's happened to you this year?"

"Like what?"

"Me for starters," He chortled as he poked him in the side. "Did you forget me in the list of good things that have happened to you this year?"

"No . . . I love you Nicky." Greg whispered, trailing his fingertips across Nick's forehead. "But you're the best thing that's happened in my whole entire life."

"Ditto." He initiated another kiss then watched Greg wandering off to the kitchen to make a cup of his famous blue Hawaiian coffee and a full breakfast. "Hey G . . . I love you too hun." He called back.

Greg cooked up some breakfast for Nick, along with a cup of coffee, returning to Nick in the front room. "So what time did you get in?"

"After three," Nick winced, struggling to sit up straight as Greg handed him his food and coffee. "I woulda called you but I literally crashed right here as soon as I walked through the front door . . . hey aren't you home early?" Nick asked, looking up at the time.

"Griss lemme go early." He took a seat beside Nick, pulling his legs over his lap as he watched him eating. "He wouldn't let anyone else go though, only me. He practically insisted, shoving me out the door."

"Considerin' how hyper you were when you ran through the door, I understand his reasons." Nick chortled. "Grissom can't stand you at the best of times."

"True." Greg nodded in agreement.

"You not hungry?" Greg shook his head. "You look ready to drop baby."

"Coffee's starting to wear off, but I wonna stay with you." Nick smiled finishing off his breakfast. He set down the plate on the coffee table, finishing off his coffee then snuggled closer to Greg. "Miss me that much, huh?" Greg softly trailed his fingertips down Nick's face holding him tightly against his warm body.

"I always miss you G." He circled his arm around Greg's waist, looking up into his expressionless eyes. "Are you sure you're okay baby?"

Greg nodded slightly, his expression still blank. "You know when you go for a long run after tough cases?"

"Yeah." He nodded curiously.

"Does it help?"

Nick sighed a deep breath, smoothing his fingertips through Greg's hair. "Sometimes. Sometimes it helps clear my head, yeah."

"Think it would work for me?" Greg queried.

"Not right now. You're too tired. C'mon, let's get you off to bed." Nick climbed to his feet, pulling a sleepy Greg up with him. Greg kicked his sneakers off at the bottom of the stairs, following after Nick up the stairs. "If I trip over those in the mornin', I am so gonna kick your arse G." He warned him.

"Just watch where you put your big feet." Greg giggled, stopping at the bedroom door, looking at all the pieces of wood across the floor. He turned to look at Nick, seeing a guilty expression on his face. "You didn't finish?"

"No." Nick anxiously scratched the back of his neck. "I kinda quit."

Greg rolled his eyes, heading across the hall to the spare bedroom where Nick stored the mattress. He pushed it down onto the floor in the middle of the room then collapsed on top of it. Nick followed him in, grabbing the folded sheets from the other side of the room. He dropped them to the empty side of the mattress as he knelt down beside Greg, removing his jeans and t-shirt for him before he fell asleep.

"Do you think it woulda been a boy or girl?" Greg asked curiously.

"What?"

"That woman's baby. She was about to find out the sex the very next week."

"Baby, stop thinkin' about it. You know it doesn't do any good. You've seen me stress out over cases before and you're always tellin' me that."

"It's easier to give advice then listen to it." Greg chuckled softly.

Nick reached for one of the pillows, lifting Greg's head slightly to slide it underneath. "I love your coffee moods G. You go from madly hyper to deadly sleepy in five seconds flat."

"I'm not _that _sleepy." Greg opened his eyes, leaning up on his elbows as he looked into his eyes. "You know . . . we still have five more rooms in this house to christen, including this one."

"Now here's your horny phase." He smirked, being pulled closer to Greg so he could kiss him. "Before I forget your mom and dad will be over in a few hours."

"Why?"

"I asked your dad to help me finally." He explained, lifting his shirt up over his head. Greg pulled him down onto mattress, reversing their positions so he was on top of him. Nick lifted his hips so Greg could pull his jeans off for him, tossing them over his shoulder. "Is that okay?"

"Uh huh, I'll be right back." Greg scrambled to his feet, disappearing off out the room.

"Greg! You did hear what I said about your mom comin' over right?" Greg returned with a condom and lube in his hands nodding to Nick. "And you're not bothered?"

"Not really. You want top or bottom?" He asked waving the condom around in his hand.

"You go." Lifting his hips, Nick removed his boxers, tossing them aside. "It's about time I felt it sober."

"You won't be embarrassed when my mom comes over tomorrow will you?"

"Just don't tell her you re-popped my cherry this time G." He warned him.

"I'll try, it's hard to keep my mouth shut."

"I know." Chuckling, Nick pulled Greg down on top of him, joining their lips together.

"She's always embarrassing me, you'll get used to it eventually. My first day at college she spent the whole day on campus handing out leaflets on STD's and complimentary condoms." Nick raised his eyebrows as he looked up at Greg. "No I'm not making that up."

"Can we stop talkin' about your mom now? It kinda ruins the romance vibe."

"Sorry." Greg rolled onto the mattress beside Nick, pulling his boxers off. "How about we start over without all the disturbing Jean talk?" Greg rolled onto his side, pressing his body against Nick's.

Nick did the same, joining their lips together as they caressed one another's bodies. "Done." He rasped, pulling Greg's hips against him. He reached for the lubricant beside Greg, popping the cap open. Greg shivered slightly, arching up into Nick's touch as he slid the condom down his length, slicking him up.

Nick handed over the lubricant to Greg, rolling onto his side. Greg gently eased his lubricated fingers inside of his tight entrance, carefully thrusting his fingers inside as Nick softly moaned.

"You now." Nick desperately pleaded. Greg slowly withdrew his fingers, rolling onto his back. Nick straddled Greg's hips, easing himself down onto Greg's hard shaft. Greg felt a slight resistance from Nick's tight muscles as he pushed deeper inside of him. "Oh my..." Nick gasped heavily, feeling as though he was about to lose control already.

"Pace yourself Nicky."

"This is... wow... oh... wow... freakin'... wow..." Nick incoherently blurted between gasps. Greg smiled up at him, spreading his legs a little more for easier thrusting as he pulled Nick towards him to initiate a series of passionate sloppy kisses. "Why didn't it feel this good the first time?" Nick panted across his lover's lips.

"First time . . . and you were wasted." Gasping heavily, Greg thrust his hips harder towards Nick, causing him to whimper against his lips. They both passed out a few minutes later as they reached their highs, feeling the shudders of intense waves of heat coursing through their bodies.

Greg clutched Nick close to his chest, pressing a warm kiss to his forehead as he fell asleep on top of him. "I love you Nicky." He whispered as he fell asleep himself.

Jean Sanders walked up to the front door, using her '_in case of emergencies' _key to let herself in. "Maybe we should knock?" Her husband suggested, not wanting to intrude on the boys, but Jean persisted on going in, uninvited.

"They must be still in bed." Jean huffed, looking around the empty house. She walked into the front room, pulling open the curtains to let some light in. As she did she saw that the wallpaper that was still on the walls was all curling up at the edges. "Honestly, the mess in here." She huffed.

"Sweetheart." Daniel sternly warned her as he saw her heading for the staircase.

"They knew we were coming today, they should be up and ready." Jean smiled round at him, heading off up the staircase.

"This will end badly." Daniel mumbled to himself as he made his way off to the kitchen.

Jean quietly crept through the hallway towards the open bedroom door at the end. Inside she saw a mess of screws and pieces of wood all across the floor, but no sign of the boys. She turned around to the guest bedroom, only that was empty too. She sighed heavily then walked towards the spare room, noticing the door was half open. Inside she saw the two boys lying on one side of the bed in each other's arms. Greg was underneath Nick with his arms securely wrapped around him. Nick's head was resting on Greg's bare chest with his mouth hanging half open as he softly wheezed.

Jean rolled her eyes at them both, heading off down the stairs towards her husband. "They're sleeping . . . naked."

"Good lord Jean." He scolded her. "I told you to leave them alone."

"They're gonna catch a cold if they keep sleeping naked." Jean head off towards the kitchen to start her meddlesome cleaning. Daniel rolled his eyes at her, starting to clear up the hack wallpaper job in the front room.

Once Jean cleaned up the kitchen she head off upstairs to wake up the boys. She crept into the room, tripping on the discarded clothing as she made her way over to the windows to open the blinds, sending a blinding ray of sunshine right towards Greg.

Greg squeezed his eyes tightly shut, raising his hand to shield them. He looked over at the figure beside the window, trying to make them out. When his eyes finally adjusted he saw his mother opening the other blinds around the room. "Mom! What are you doing?" Greg shouted in shock, feeling Nick's naked body still on top of him.

"You knew we were coming over today Gregory." She informed him, picking up their clothes off the floor to neatly fold and place on the chair in the corner.

"Can you not barge into our room like this!" He shouted angrily as he checked the covers were completely covering their naked bodies. "You can't just keep barging in on us like this mom. We're naked you realised?"

"I noticed." She smiled, holding up their boxers. "And this isn't your room."

"Would you stop folding and get out." Greg pointed to the door, feeling Nick beginning to stir awake up on top of him.

"I just wanted to clean up a bit." She folded Nick's jeans up, throwing them over the back of the chair. "You shoulda been up hours ago Gregory."

"I just got home from work for your information." Greg pulled the covers up around their bodies, making sure Jean couldn't see any part of them. "Can you get out please mom?" He pleaded, pointing towards the door again.

"Fine." She sighed in defeat. "Oh," She stopped at the door to face them. "And you really shouldn't fall asleep having sex. You could lose the condom inside of you."

"Okay, please go away now mom!" Greg insisted, feeling his cheeks flushing bright red.

"I'm just saying. I had this friend who fell asleep while her man was still inside of her. She had to rush to the emergency room the next morning as the condom got stuck. Imagine having to explain that one to a doctor."

"Mom! Seriously, go away!" Greg shouted again as Nick began to stir again.

"Jean!" Daniel shouted up the stairs as he heard the commotion between his wife and son.

"If it does get stuck, don't just leave it in there..."

"Mom, we stopped having sex before we fell asleep. The condoms in the bin if you want to check?" Greg fully expected her to check, feeling even more embarrassed by the second. "Go away."

"Jean!" Daniel shouted up the stairs again. "Leave them alone!"

"I'm coming." She shouted back then turned to Greg again. "Just make sure if it does ever happen to see a doctor pronto." She winked, heading off down the stairs finally. Greg rolled his eyes, throwing his head back against the cushion behind him as his covered his hands over his eyes in shame.

"Did I just hear your mom?" Nick softly murmured without opening his eyes.

"No, go back to sleep." Greg whispered, holding him tighter. "It's just a nightmare Nicky." He softly soothed him. _A big nightmare. _He thought to himself.

* * *

**Please Review**

**Sorry it took so long to write. I've been suffering from the dreaded writers block all week. I couldn't write anything and everytime I tried I got a splitting headache. But I hope you liked this chapter. This chapter is around the time of season 7 the episode 20 'lab rats'. In case you didn't already guess that. The autopsy that Doc Robbins did was on a drowning victim and if you remember it a rat jumps out of the dead body then David and Doc put on Hazmat suits to track it down. Greg's case wasn't real though, I made that one up.**


	48. Chapter 48: Not such a good idea

**Chapter Forty Eight: Not Such A Good Idea**

Greg rolled over onto his side, listening to the voices coming from downstairs. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but it sounded like his parents voices. He reached out for Nick's warmth, but he was nowhere to be found. His side was completely cold meaning he had been gone a while.

Greg clutched the covers around his body to warm himself up, too tired to get up and find Nick; especially as he was naked and his parents were in the house.

A few minutes later he heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. Greg turned his head towards the door, smiling as he saw Nick in the gap of the doorway. "Hey Greg," He made his way towards Greg, kneeling down beside him. Greg scooted over slightly to make room for Nick. He lay down beside him, pressing a soft kiss to the side of his head as he wrapped his arm around him, warming him up even more. "You sleep okay baby?"

"Please tell me I dreamed my mom walking in on us." He groggily asked, rubbing his eyes open.

"Nope, she's here. I told you she would be."

"Do you remember what happened this morning?" Nick shook his head, looking at him curiously. "Lucky you." He smirked. "So my mom hasn't embarrassed you yet?"

"Not yet." Nick rested on his elbow beside Greg's head, gently smoothing his fingers through his tousled hair. "You okay baby?"

"Can we please change the locks?"

"Then she'll break the door down." Nick smirked, cuddling Greg tightly. "You know my parents never told me a condom can get lost inside. In fact they never talked to me about sex; I got everythin' I know from my brother."

"So she did tell you?" Greg covered his hands over his face in embarrassment.

"No, your dad told me." Nick chuckled, tugging Greg's hands away from his face so he could press a kiss to his cheek. "Don't let her spoil our greatest night of sex yet G."

"So you remember it this time huh?"

"Yes, every detail." Nick rasped against his neck as he softly marked kisses below his ear. "You never warned me about the condom part though." He teased him.

"You're so lucky to have normal parents," Greg blushed bright red as he looked up into Nick's eyes. "My mom told me exactly how to get a lost condom out, along with all the risks of it being in there too long. I swear she could write a book on 'Mothers Guide to safe sex,' the amount of stuff she told me."

Nick chuckled, initiating a warm morning kiss to his lover's lips. "Mmmm... Good Mornin' baby."

"Good woulda been without the disturbing sex talk and the intrusion." Greg smiled back.

"I noticed the boys have gone into hibernation." Nick smirked, sliding his hand down Greg's body.

"My mother has that effect on them."

"I don't hear you getting dressed Gregory!" Jean shouted up the stairs.

Greg closed his eyes, wishing he was still dreaming. "See, she still treats me like a child."

"She sent me up to wake you up and get you dressed G."

"Why?" Greg asked, rubbing his eyes. Nick reached over for the neatly folded pile of clothes beside Greg. "What are we doing?"

"We're goin' cake tastin' or somethin'." Nick lifted Greg's hips as he slid his boxers on for him, watching him sleepily rubbing his eyes open again. "C'mon, you love cake G."

"I thought you wanted to do the rest of the DIY today?" Greg asked curiously.

"I give up on all that crap."

"Watch your blood pressure." Greg teased him.

"Stop teasin' me Greg." He poked him in the sides making him squirm. "I don't have high blood pressure."

"Then why does your therapist make you use cool down techniques."

"For my anger, not my blood pressure," Nick lay down beside Greg again, staring up at the ceiling. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to buy this house, every little thing ticks me off."

"Doncha like it?" Greg reached for Nick's hand, entwining their fingers together. "It's just a few minor problems Nicky..."

"Minor problems? The freakin' lights downstairs keep blowin', you get two temperatures in the freakin' shower; scoldin' hot and freakin' freezin' . . . along with the freakin' leaky taps, squeaky floorboards and this whole fuckin' thing is total BS!" Nick angrily shouted.

Greg smiled softly, snuggling closer to Nick. "It's just a house Nick, you don't have to take it so seriously."

"I'm not taking it so seriously . . . and I'm not angry." He calmly whispered, turning to face him.

"Really? Coz you do a great impression of someone who is." Greg teased him again, sliding his hand beneath the fabric of Nick's shirt. "I thought we bought this place because we both wanted it?"

"Yeah, but now . . . we argue about every little thing. I actually get mad at you for not helpin' me with shit... and I hate it."

Greg rolled onto his side to look Nick in the eye. "Do you hate me?"

"No, I hate gettin' mad at you. It's like an uncontrollable force." Softly kissing Greg's lips, he looked deeper into his eyes. "Is it us? Or is it this house though?"

"It's not us, we're okay." Greg reached out for Nick's other hand, pressing his body against his. "It's this house, we both want everything to be perfect, but it will never be perfect."

"How are we supposed to get through marriage when we can't even get this freakin' house sorted?"

"You think we're the first couple to have arguments over a faulty house?" Greg giggled slightly, teasing his fingertips across the curves of Nick's body. "C'mon, we've been here a little over a month now. We'll sort it out. It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to feel like a home to us."

Nick nodded in agreement, resting his head against the side of Greg's. "One more argument between us and I swear I'm throwin' in the towel... not for us, for this place I meant." He rushed to explain.

"Phew," Greg sighed in relief. "How about this, we'll work on one room at a time, doing different things so we're not in each other's faces when we're stressed. And my dad..."

"No G." Nick interrupted him as he knew what he was going to say.

"C'mon Nicky, he said he'd help. We keep fixing up this house when we're exhausted so it makes us even more stressed and start shouting at each other over nothing. Besides my dad wants to help us. He'd love to get away from my mother for a while anyway, you owe him that break." Greg giggled softly.

"Yeah I guess . . . but I already asked him to help with the wallpapering and the bed."

"So, he won't care. Besides we only argue when we're doing this crap together. Mostly because I annoy you..."

"You don't annoy me; I annoy myself more than you do." Nick assured him, wrapping his arms around his partner's warm body. "I love the fact that while I'm bein' the grouch you're tryin' to make me laugh. Even if it doesn't always work I still love it."

"I thought my mom sent you up here to wake me up." Snuggling closer against Nick's warm body, Greg savoured the warmth of his lover's touch against his skin.

"You don't really wonna get up though do you?" Nick chuckled against neck.

"Nope," He yawned softly, tracing the line of Nick's abs with his fingertips. "You don't really hate this house do you Nicky?"

Nick shrugged, getting comfortable against Greg's body again. He pressed a soft kiss to his hairline as his fingers gently weaved through his lover's tousled hair. "I hate what it's been doin' to us though." Smelling the soft scents of his partner's hair as he snuggled closer, made Nick never want to leave his side again. He loved it when it was just the two of them together. Everything was perfect when they were alone in one another's arms. "You know G . . . everythin' seemed so easy back when we were livin' at my place."

"We just have to chill. We still have to plan this wedding."

"I think our mothers are doin' most of that for us. They've already decided what we're gonna wear."

"Nicky! Greg!" Jean shouted up the stairs.

"Just a second!" Nick shouted back, watching Greg wincing as he almost deafened him. "Sorry." He whispered softly, pressing his lips to his forehead.

"Can't wait to see what they've chosen for us," Greg mumbled sarcastically, getting back on subject. "We'll get it sorted Nicky, just don't expect it to be perfect."

"I won't." Gently teasing his fingers down Greg's side towards his hip, he pressed his moist warm lips to the side of his lover's beautiful face once again. "I love you Greg."

"I know . . . I love you too Nicky." He whispered against his neck. "Nick, if I asked you to marry me right now, would you? And take me away from all this craziness?"

"I'd love to, but we just put our money into this house." Nick reminded him, softly tickling his sides. "C'mon, you're supposed to be gettin' dressed." He reached over Greg for his t-shirt and jeans on the bed beside him before Jean came up the stairs to check on them. Greg sleepily sat up as Nick pulled his t-shirt down over his head. He lifted his arms as Nick put them through the sleeves, running his fingers through his tousled hair as he rolled the rim of his shirt towards his waist.

"Nicky! Greg!" Jean shouted up the stairs. "We're going to be very, very late at this rate!"

"Hang on! He's up!" Nick shouted back. "C'mon G."

"Are you sure you won't run away with me?"

"I would love to, but we'll have no money Greg." Greg reached for his jeans as Nick leant over him to kiss him, swirling his minty tongue around in his mouth, bringing Greg's lower half to life. "I would love to run away with you hun, but I've been runnin' from my life for years. I finally wonna start livin' it if you don't mind?"

"I don't mind."

"Do you two ever do anything besides sex?" Jean asked from the doorway.

Nick immediately pulled back from Greg's lips, blushing bright red as he watched Greg trying to hide his hard on from his mother by pulling his jeans up the rest of the way. "Kissing, isn't sex." Greg informed his mother.

"Lunch is ready and we're going cake tasting together." She informed them with a cheeky smile.

"You couldn't just shout that up the stairs?" Greg asked completely embarrassed.

"I did! Tons of times, but your still up here fooling around! We've got to eat lunch then get to the cake tasting, so hurry up!"

"For your information we do tons of stuff together that doesn't involve sex." He enlightened her.

"Really," She smirked, finding that hard to believe as his fiancé was so hot. "Lunch is ready." She said again, heading off down the stairs.

"That's it," Greg sighed heavily as he looked into Nick's eyes. "All my boys have gone into hibernation now. Good luck trying to get me hard again."

"Bet I can do it with one kiss." Nick rasped against his lips.

"Now boys!" Jean shouted from the staircase.

"Rain check?" Greg whispered against his lips.

Nick nodded, pulling Greg to his feet so he could do his jeans up. "I love you G."

"Love you more."

* * *

Greg licked the chocolaty spoon clean; reaching for the vanilla flavoured one sat beside him. He picked a cherry off the cake Nick was eating to top it off then licked his lips, looking around for any cake he hadn't yet sampled. "I don't really like any of em." He finally sighed heavily. Nick rolled his eyes at him as he had been picking at all the cakes for the past hour. Jean suddenly grabbed a napkin off her side of the table, reaching across to wipe Greg's mouth for him like he was a baby. "Mom, stop it."

"You've got it all around your mouth. You're embarrassing everyone at this table." She scolded him.

"Me?" He asked shocked, pushing her hands away. "I'm not embarrassing anybody." He protested, reaching for the chocolate fudge cake sat beside Nick.

"Doesn't Nicky want to try it?" Jean asked him.

"Nick doesn't eat cake," Greg smiled as he patted his partner's taut stomach. "He doesn't get this from eating cake." He giggled softly.

"I do eat cake; just not a whole lot like you do Greg. That's your fourth piece of the chocolate fudge G. Remember the cheese cake experience from the Cheese cake Factory?" He reminded him.

"Ooh, don't ever bring that up again." Greg cringed, pushing the chocolate fudge cake away from him as he leant back in his chair.

"Well I don't know about you two, but I like the butter cream cake." Jean said as she wrote down her notes of how each one tasted.

"Which ones the butter cream?" Greg asked. Nick pointed to the one beside him. Greg stuck his finger straight in to re-taste the cake, loudly sucking it into his mouth. "Mmmm, that's pretty good. I like the fudge though."

"You can't have fudge for your wedding cake." Jean rolled her eyes at him.

"Why not?" Greg asked then looked towards Nick. "Which one do you want Nicky?"

"Fudge cakes fine." Nick agreed with him.

"But do you even like the fudge cake?" Greg asked him. Jean rolled her eyes as Greg stuck his finger in the fudge cake, feeding Nick right from his fingertip. She rolled her eyes again as Nick sucked the fudge cake right off his finger in public. "See, pretty good huh?"

"Mmmm, that is pretty good." Nick agreed, thinking it tasted better right from Greg's sweet fingertip.

"Can you two stop being so lovey dovey for five freaking minutes? I swear, every minute with you two it's all touchy feely romance stuff and I saw you holding hands in the car." She scolded them both.

"Sorry." Greg apologised like a naughty child.

"It's young love." A caterer informed Jean. "Would you like to try the triple chocolate one next?"

"No." Jean and Nick quickly shouted together as they saw Greg was going to say yes.

"You've had enough Greg." Nick warned him.

"But triple chocolate Nicky." Greg flashed his puppy dog eyes in Nick's direction, expecting him to fold.

"No G, I don't want you gettin' sick again." Greg pouted as he leant back in his seat.

Jean giggled softly as she head off into the kitchen to see the other cakes, while Greg had another taste of each of the slices in front of him. "Where do you put it all G? You had three burritos for lunch, a whole bag of chips and small tub of ice cream in the car and now you're eatin' tons of cake. How do you stay so thin?" He laughed poking him in the stomach.

"I just don't gain weight. Never have." Greg reached for the creamy one beside Nick, taking another bite. "You know this one has the perfect topping for the fudge cake." Greg cut off a spoonful of the fudge cake, scooping some of the cream topping on the top to feed it to Nick.

"Mmmm," Nick nodded, licking his lips. "That is pretty good."

Greg smiled back, putting the spoon down as his stomach started to cramp. "Ouch, now my tummy hurts."

"See, I told you. You never listen to me Greg." Nick pulled his chair closer to his, gently placing his hand on Greg's stomach, smoothing it around a circular motion. "You really gotta start listenin' to me G, coz I'm mostly always right aren't I?"

"Sometimes." Greg agreed, placing his hands on top of Nick's as he softly rubbed his tummy for him. "Not always though."

"Yeah, but I am when it comes to things you shouldn't do." He smirked, gently rubbing his hand up and down Greg's tummy. "Especially when it comes to all the junk food you throw in your mouth."

"Fine . . . you win." Greg raised his hand to gently brush some chocolate off Nick's lower lip with his thumb. "From now on I'll listen to you . . . when it comes to food." He deviously smiled.

"You better." Nick gently brushed his thumb across Greg's lips too, removing the fudge from around his mouth. "Does your tummy feel better baby?"

"I may need to lay down when we get home." Nick smiled as he looked into Greg's eyes. "What?"

"My granddad used to do that every meal."

"You calling me old?" Greg pouted.

Shaking his head, Nick softly smiled as he continued to gently rub Greg's tummy for him. "No . . . I just think it's funny. I think he woulda liked you."

"If he was anything like your dad then I highly doubt it. Your dad still hates me you know."

"He doesn't."

"Yes he does Nicky . . . he's secretly praying this wedding won't go through. Don't ever leave me alone with him." Greg warned him. Nick looked at him with a perplexed frown on his face. "I'm serious Nicky, that man seriously doesn't like me. He thinks I corrupted his youngest."

"He wouldn't hurtcha G. I don't care what he thinks anyway . . . I'm still gonna be with you forever baby." Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's jaw as Jean returned from the kitchen with a catalogue in her hands. "What's this?"

"All the selections of cakes along with their designs. You said you only wanted a one tier cake . . . but some of these 3 tier cakes look pretty good. Don't go for one with the stands, they're always impossible to move without them toppling over..."

"I have a question." Greg interrupted her. "Why are we doing the cake first?"

"All the wedding planner books say you should plan the wedding cake 6 to 9 months before your wedding." She informed them both.

"But we haven't picked a date yet." Greg pointed out to her.

"Well you better get on that. Which cake are you going for then?" She asked, looking up at them both. Nick and Greg were completely stunned by the picking a date part of the conversation. They knew it was coming, they just didn't know when was the right time to get married. "What? What'd I say?"

"Nothing." Greg shook his head, clutching Nick's hand tightly in his own. "Can we pick the cake later?"

"Okay, I'll tell the caterer . . . I'll meet you by the car." They both watched Jean climb to her feet, heading back to the kitchen with the catalogue of cakes in her hand.

Greg turned his head to look at Nick who had the same stunned look on his face as himself. "Hey Nicky, are you still taking me to the rescue shelter today?" He attempted to change the subject.

"Uh huh," Nick faintly nodded. "When did you wonna discuss a date to get married?"

"I don't know . . . did you have a favourite month or anything?"

Nick thought about it then shook his head. "Maybe we should decide later. We can go to shelter later today. Your dad said he should be able to piece our bed together so you can have a good night's sleep tonight."

"Didn't you last night?" Greg cheekily smiled at him.

"Perfect." Nick nodded, smiling into Greg's eyes. "C'mon," Nick pulled Greg to his feet by his hand, leading him off towards the exit to meet Jean out by the car.

"Don't walk too fast." Greg moaned, holding his tummy as he tried to keep up with Nick.

"You shouldn't have eaten so much G." Nick pulled the passenger side door open for him, getting a kiss before Greg climbed inside.

"Oh God," Jean dramatically sighed, heading round to the back of the car. "Do you two ever stop?"

"Hey if you don't like the show change the channel." Greg remarked, almost getting slapped upside the head by his mother but he managed to duck out the way in time.

"You little monster!"

* * *

As soon as they got home, Greg crashed onto the sofa with a tummy ache that both Jean and Nick warned him about if he shoved one more slice of cake into his mouth. While he was out Nick and Jean went upstairs to check how far Daniel had got on putting the bed together. Nick was surprised to see it all put together so perfectly.

"I can do the wallpapering downstairs for you too, the taps fixed in the bathroom and the tiles in the bathroom are just setting." Daniel informed him.

"Ooh! Looks good." Jean gasped as she looked into the bathroom.

"Wow," Nick stepped up beside Jean to look at the tile in the bathroom. It was so perfectly done it looked professional. "Thank you Daniel." He forced an apology even though he was a little pissed that Daniel had showed him up on the DIY front.

"No need." He smiled, grabbing his tool box. "Just let me know if you need anything else done, I'll get that wallpapering done downstairs now." Daniel winked at him, heading off down the staircase.

"What are your plans for the other rooms?" Jean asked Nick curiously.

"Well . . . I think Greg's got his heart set on the room across the hall as our first child's room." Nick watched the excitement bubbling up inside her. "We're gonna keep the guest room as it is, we haven't really discussed the other rooms yet."

"I could give you some ideas."

"No, that's okay. Greg and I wanted to discuss it together. Speakin' of, I should go check on him." Jean nodded, following Nick off down the stairs. Nick head off into the front room where Greg was still on the sofa, soundly sleeping. Jean head off to the kitchen to make some meals to stock up the boys freezer with readymade meals while Daniel taught Nick how to wallpaper properly.

"Can I get you anything Nicky?" Jean asked for the thousandth time as she handed her husband a cup of coffee.

"No, I'm fine thanks." Nick sat down with Greg, gently lifting his head onto his lap as he continued to soundly sleep. "You really don't have to do this Daniel."

"Almost done." He continued to show Nick up, smoothing out the last piece of wallpaper on the wall very professionally without a single bubble or ripple.

Nick gently brushed his fingers through Greg's, desperately wanting him to wake up so he could take him out to the dog shelter as Jean was getting a little bit too much for him to handle at this point, constantly asking him if he needed anything or if he had thought about the wedding plans any further.

He needed to get away.

Nick left Greg sleeping on the sofa, trying to find himself a quiet room to get away from Jean's constant questioning. Sitting down in one of the spare bedrooms against the wall, he gazed around at the boxes of things that cluttered the room. This room was currently used for storage of the things they hadn't yet unpacked, and it was the only room Jean wouldn't think to look for him in.

Narrowing his eyes to a box across the room, he noticed a framed photo sat on top of the box. He crawled across the floor to get a closer look, noticing it was the day that Greg was promoted to a field CSI a few years ago. Grissom, Sara, Catherine, Warrick and Ecklie all stood in the background with him and Greg stood in front. His arm was around Greg's shoulder and he was the only one not looking at the camera. His eyes were focused on Greg stood beside him.

Nick stared at Greg's smile for hours, counting all the things he loved about him over and over again, before he heard Jean's voice calling out to him. From this moment he loved everything about Greg... except his mother.

Nick decided to go for a long walk to get away from Jean as she started talking about the wedding again. He wasn't having seconds thoughts about marrying Greg, just being around Jean made him have second thoughts about marrying into the Sanders family. He didn't know where he was going he just wanted to escape, but the further he got away from Greg, the more his heart started to ache for him. He was starting to drag his feet along behind him as his heart wanted to turn back and be with Greg, but his mind wanted to continue going over everything to make sure that he was really ready for marriage.

He exhaled a deep breath as he stopped by a fence, leaning on it with his elbows as he looked out at the landscape below. To the right was the grand city of Las Vegas; the lights just starting to glow in distance as the afternoon sun was just beginning to set against the horizon. To the left was freedom, the large desert; covered in grand mountains of sand, almost like a city of its own.

He never felt more alone in his life.

Greg awoke a few hours later, noticing the wallpaper was up, the house smelt of glue and paint, and Nick was gone. He searched every room but there was no sign of him and his parents had no idea where he went either. Greg tried his cell phone but he traced the ringing sound to their bedroom. Nick left it behind, something he would never usually do as he was always so organised, making Greg believe he did it intentionally.

Greg immediately head out to look for Nick, checking the places he thought he might have gone to escape his mother. Two hours and thirty three mouth full's of ice cream later, he finally found him.

"Hey." Greg whispered, stepping up beside Nick so he wouldn't startle him.

"Hi. How'd you find me?" He turned to face him.

"I knew where to look." Greg pulled himself up onto the fence beside Nick, looking out at the landscape around them. "When my mom told me what she was talking to you about before you left, I knew you'd go somewhere to escape . . . probably somewhere that looks like home." He looked over his shoulder at the landscape that could almost look like the ranches landscape from back home in Texas. "I found you didn't I?"

Nick smiled up at him. "Good work CSI Sanders . . . but how'd you know I'd escape to here?"

"Because that's what I do when my life gets too overwhelming, I escape to somewhere that looks like home. Granted there's not a sea around here for miles, but the Bellagio fountains work fine." He smiled round at him. "Nicky, you don't have to cram your whole life into categories and neat little boxes like my mom wants..."

"It's not that." Nick interrupted, placing his hands on the fence beside where Greg was sat. "Back in that box . . . I didn't have a future, I thought I was gonna die there . . . now I do . . . and I still feel like escapin' it . . . not because of you . . . you're the one part of my future I really want. Does that sound stupid?"

"Nope." Greg pulled Nick closer to him, lifting the key chain he gave him from beneath his shirt, holding it tightly in his hand. "I am your future Nick; we don't have to do this marriage thing if you don't want to. I know you love me, you don't have to prove it by doing this."

"I want to marry you Greg . . . I just . . . have you seen how thick those weddin' books are that Jean carries around in her purse." He smiled up at him. "Who needs that much plannin' for one day of your life? We should be plannin' our future, like kids... do we want our own or adoption, are we gonna have to change shifts to look after them. Which schools are we gonna send them to, if one of us gets sick, how is the other goin' to deal with the house, cars . . . and what if one of us gets shot on the job, how's the other goin' to live without them?"

Greg's heart broke for him. He pulled Nick into his arms, holding his head against his chest as he softly soothed him. Nick closed his eyes, breathing in Greg's deep scents, feeling so much better now Greg was with him. "Hey . . . we could always do it Vegas style? Quick in and out with Elvis," Greg giggled softly, finally getting a smile out of Nick. Pressing soft kisses to Nick's hairline, Greg wrapped his arms around him tightly. "Nicky, I don't care if we get married in front of a fake Elvis, in a barn, by the sea, helicopter or in front of the CSI lab for all I care . . . as long as we're together . . . that's all that matters, right?"

"See . . . why'd you have to go and fall asleep Greg, I woulda never had a freak out if you were awake." Nick smirked, raising his head to press his lips to Greg's.

"Don't worry about the future Nick; we never know what's gonna happen, that's the beauty of it."

"But what do we..."

Greg silenced Nick, putting his finger to his lips. "Don't worry about the future Nick. You keep worrying about it, eventually it's gonna bite you in the ass." Nick smiled up at Greg, placing his hands on his thighs as he joined their lips together.

"Are your parents still at our house G?" Greg nodded as their lips tenderly brushed together. "Didn't somebody want a dog?" A wide smile spread across Greg's face as he looked into Nick's eyes. "C'mon." He lifted him down from the fence, holding his hand as they walked back up the trail towards Greg's car. "Hey Greg, did you bring my..."

Before Nick finished speaking Greg revealed his jacket from the back seat of the car. "Yep." Greg sweetly smiled, handing it over. "I knew you'd forget it."

"God I love you." He smiled, pulling it over his shoulders to warm himself up.

"I know you do, which is why you're driving." Greg threw Nick his keys as he climbed into his passenger seat himself, turning down the volume of his radio before Nick started the engine and complained it was deafening him.

"So Greg," Nick pulled his seatbelt on. "If you knew where I went . . . why'd it take you two hours to find me?" He smiled round at him curiously.

"How'd you know I was looking for two hours?" Nick grabbed the gas receipt off the dashboard. "Clocked in two hours ago."

"That's what I get for dating a CSI." He grinned, reaching for another receipt. "This is why."

"Shoppin'?" Nick took it in his hands, running his eyes across the list. "Ice-cream . . . how many flavours do you need?"

"They were on special offer." Greg reached onto the back seat for his half eaten tub of ice-cream. "Want some?"

Nick laughed shaking his head at him. "Nice to know I'm not your number one priority when you leave the house."

"You know when I have a tummy ache I go for ice cream Nicky, and I was almost out of gas when I first started looking so I had to stop for gas..."

"Relax G, I'm teasin'." Nick leant across the middle of the seats, giving him a soft smooch. "I love your ice-cream habits; I wouldn't care if it took you two or five hours to find me Greg, I'd still be happy to see you."

* * *

"Stinks like road kill."

"Quit moanin'." Nick laughed, leading Greg through the door then nodding to the guy behind the desk. "Close your eyes G."

"Why?"

"It's a surprise." He covered his hands over Greg's eyes as he led him off down the hall after the rescue shelter worker, watching as he unlocked the door in front of them. "Okay. You can look now." Nick whispered against his ear as he removed his hands from Greg's eyes. He smiled as he watched Greg's reaction.

Greg's jaw dropped in awe as he looked around at the small golden puppies with dark faces running around in a smaller enclosed space of the room. "Oh my god . . . are you serious?" Greg asked looking round at Nick.

"You said you wanted to raise your very own dog, so yeah."

"Wow." Greg gasped.

"We have Lab pups, Belgian Malinois pups and beagles. These are the Belgian Malinois ones, just a few weeks old." The rescue worker informed them. Greg stepped over the small fence as the puppies ran around him, yapping and wagging their tails at him excitedly.

"Wasn't Rusty a Belgian Malinois?" Greg crouched down, stroking the little puppies as they ran around him.

"Yeah he was." Nick nodded. "I remember how much you loved him."

"Do we have time to raise a puppy though? We're out a lot Nicky." Greg asked, ruffling the puppy's soft fur that was giving him his full attention.

"I think so. Jade lives nearby too, she grew up with dogs. So she can help out. Not to mention your moms always coming over . . . and we're only out nights . . . most of the time."

"Well how do we know which one?" Greg asked, looking round at all their adorable little faces.

"The scare test." Nick stepped over the fence, stepping over to where Greg was then stomped his foot on the hard floor. All but one of the puppies ran to the other side of the room. Greg looked at the only puppy left then up at Nick. "See . . . my dad taught that to me."

"I guess that's your guy then." The rescue worker smiled to them. "You can't take him home just yet; they still need to be weaned."

"Him?" Greg questioned the man, ruffling the soft puppy's fur. The rescue worker nodded to them both, smiling as the pup Greg was stroking rolled over so he could tickle his tummy.

"That's good . . . the house isn't ready for one yet." Nick watched the puppy licking Greg's hand. "That the one you want then G?"

"Definitely." He smiled, patting the puppy's little head. "He even looks like your dog Rusty."

"You just gotta figure out what to call him before he hits college." Nick joked.

"He's so tiny." Greg gently ruffled his fingers through the puppy's golden soft fur before he looked up at Nick again. "My mom would be pissed if she knew you were letting me even look at puppies."

"Well, it's time we started makin' our own decisions G. You want him?" Greg nodded, giving Nick a wide smile. "Well he's all yours then Greg."

* * *

**Please Review. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**To see Greg's Puppy (without the spaces) = http:/ / pics . live journal . com / lolly4holly / pic / 0001 pgze**


	49. Chapter 49: Body Image

**Chapter Forty Nine: Body Image**

"See these transsexuals slash prostitutes have the greatest operation. They're methods are flawless; they've never been caught out doing it until now. I'm thinking one of them went rogue and started doing his slash her own operation, where he slash she doesn't leave the client alive. He slash she makes his slash her plan..."

"Greg, please tell me you're getting to the point soon." Catherine snapped at him. "You've been at this for the last," Checking her watch, Catherine groaned angrily. "Damn it, I had to pick up Lindsey an hour ago."

"Hey, I wasn't finished." Greg shouted after her.

"Sorry Greggy, gotta go. Go find Sara." Catherine rushed off towards the locker room, grabbing her purse and car keys before Lindsey decided to hitchhike home again.

Greg slumped back into his chair, looking through all his notes and photos he had taken from his last crime scene. He had planned a whole speech leading up to his conclusion of who could have possibly committed the murder, but now he had no one to tell it to.

"Hey bud," Nick poked his head round the doorway. "Your moms planned the flowers and everythin'; she's sent you an email of the photos, we just need to pick a date before we can start plannin' everythin' else." Greg nodded up at him, resting his chin on his elbow. "What's up G?"

Greg absently shook his head, giving out a heavy sigh. "Nothing."

"Okay, I'll see you later." Nick went to walk away, but Greg's grumpy face made him stay. "G, what's up bud?"

"I suck."

"No you don't." Nick walked into the layout room, leaning on the opposite side of the table. "What are you workin' on?" Resting his palms on the edge of the table, Nick looked down at all the paperwork in front of Greg.

"Doesn't matter," Nick took a seat in front of him, resting on his elbow as he waited for him to speak. "I think an MTF did it."

Nick looked at him a moment then raised his eyebrows with confusion. "Huh?"

"A transsexual Nick. MTF – Male to female. These dead guys invite women slash men into their hotel rooms; they end up butchered and murdered, and raped with unknown semen inside them. But some of them are different from others. So my guess is that it's more than one rogue."

"Rogue?"

"Well they never used to butcher and murder their clients."

Nick looked over his evidence then raised his eyebrows to him again. "Transsexuals though G? How can you be sure?"

"I asked one of the victim's wife's. She told me her husband had a thing for... you know." Nick raised his eyebrows at him confused. "Some guys have the male fantasy of sleeping with... butch women. Not like us, he wasn't gay . . . he just liked his chicks . . . to have..."

"I get it." Nick nodded before he finished that sentence. "But how do you know that an... MTF killed your victim?"

"Because I found a bra with male epiphyllous inside, not the vic's, and there was semen inside the dead guy, also not the vic's. So there was another guy in the room." Greg explained.

"So... they knowingly sleep with these men slash women?" Nick questioned.

"Uh huh. You're catching on there Nicky." He teased him.

"Sorry, I'm not down with the lingo or what kind of fantasies other men have." Nick smirked, looking down at one of the crime scene pictures. "So they sleep with them then kill them?" Greg nodded. "How do you know its rape then? Maybe they like it rough."

"Doc Robbins told me. I suggested that, but he said even if they did like it rough, they wouldn't allow someone to cause them that much pain. Something about severe muscle tears and heavy bruising. If you like rough sex you still let your partner inside your body." Scratching his head in frustration, Greg reached for all of his case file evidence, shoving it into one folder.

"Where are you goin'?"

"Find Grissom . . . or Sara, she usually listens to me."

"I did listen." Nick objected.

"Do you wonna hear my idea then?" Greg walked round the other side, leaning against the table beside Nick.

"Okay. What's your idea?"

"All our DB's went to the same hotel, but the judge won't issue me a warrant because Catherine doesn't even believe my theory. And I got this from the last vic's wife."

"An ad?" Nick questioned, looking at it confused.

"Her husband answered it right before he turned up dead. This guy Bonnie, may very well be our killer." Pulling himself up onto the table, Greg looked at Nick curiously.

"What?" Nick asked as Greg was staring at him in a way that made him uncomfortable.

"You're exactly what I need."

"For what?" He nervously asked as Greg continued to stare. "For what?"

"I just have to run it by Brass." Greg sprang off the table, running off out the layout room, leaving a confused Nick behind.

"For what Greg?" He shouted after him but he wasn't listening anymore, he was already off on his mission to find Brass.

* * *

"No... no." Nick objected once Greg had finished explaining his idea to him with Brass and Grissom in the same room. "No way." He shook his head again. "I'm not doin' it."

"C'mon Nick, we already know yah like driving stick." Brass teased him, getting an evil scowl from Greg. "What? It's my nature. Leopard can't change his stripes."

"Leopards have spots." Greg corrected him.

"No they don't." Brass frowned as he tried to think. He looked towards Grissom for help, who was nodding to him, agreeing with Greg. "Who cares? I meant it as a joke. What's your excuse _not_ to do it Nick?"

Nick folded his arms across his chest as the other three men looked at him expectantly, waiting for his reason, but he didn't have one. He just couldn't believe his boyfriend actually wanted him to go in undercover to find his transsexual rapist slash killer.

"Please Nicky; you won't have to do anything. We just need you to identify this Bonnie guy so we can bring him in for a DNA sample." Greg sweetly requested, flashing his puppy dog expression towards him.

"Well... why me?"

"You're the better looking half of the team." Brass smirked, watching Greg frowning at him again. "No offence Greg. You can do it if you want."

"No." Nick objected, not wanting his boyfriend put in harm's way. "Fine," He sighed in defeat as Greg continued to stare at him with his adorable puppy dog expression, pleading him to do it for him. "I'll do it."

"Good, I'll get some men together. Don't worry... it'll be easy." Brass assured him as he head off out of Grissom's office.

"Greg, I want you and Catherine in the surveillance room, keep an eye on things in case things go wrong. And Nick..."

"I know." Nick interrupted him. "No heroics. I won't. I promise." He assured him as he left the room with Greg.

"Do you really promise?" Greg asked him as they head off towards the AV lab.

"I promise. No heroics." He nodded. "I'll be fine G, don't worry." He winked, heading over to Archie to get a wire setup so he could talk to Catherine and Greg, without appearing suspicious to their suspect.

* * *

Catherine leant over Greg's shoulder, looking at all the computer monitors in front of him from the security office where they were sat. She smiled as she saw Nick appear on the monitors in a 007 styled tuxedo. "How did you get him to do it?" She queried, taking a seat beside him.

"P-lease, I can get him to do anything." Greg cheekily smiled round at her.

"_I can hear you talkin'." _Nick scolded him over their coms. "_Don't think you're not payin' for this later G."_

"Sorry." Greg sweetly apologised.

"Ooh, can I watch?" Catherine asked, giving Greg a cheeky smirk.

"No." Greg frowned at her. "Why would we ever let you watch?"

"Oh c'mon Greggy. Out of all the people in the lab, I'm the one who has the ultimate fantasy of being with two guys. You've gotta include me just once." She pleaded with a wide smile.

Greg frowned at her even more. "That's a little squicky."

"_I second that." _Nick added as he had heard the whole thing.

"Why's that squicky?"

"Because . . . you're like my mother," Greg teased her. "I mean you're not anything like _my _mother, but you're like a mom at work."

"Oh thanks." She groaned, leaning back in her seat. "That makes me feel better."

"_My reason is I don't go for girls... or threesomes . . . anymore."_

"Damn it, I'm always too late." She sighed softly. "Why are the hot ones always gay?"

Greg snickered softly, rolling his eyes at her. "When's the last time _you _got laid Cath?" Catherine answered him with an evil scowl. "I'm just asking."

"I dunno . . . like... 3 months." She muttered under her breath. "Maybe longer. I don't know why I'm telling you, you two probably have sex all the time." Greg shook his head, turning back towards the monitors. "You don't?" She asked surprised. "You're not one of those gay couples that never have sex are yah?"

"Can we not talk about this right now? May I remind you Nick and Brass can hear everything we say."

"_No, no Greg. I don't mind, just no details." _Brass smirked. Greg slumped back in his seat, folding his arms across his chest as his skin started to crawl. He liked him and Nick to be private; he started to wish they hadn't told everyone after all.

Leaning further forwards on the desk, Greg watched as a busty babe walked past his fiancé, eyeing him up. "Don't even think about it." He warned him.

"_P-lease, she's not even my type G. She lacks certain... plumbing." _He whispered, making his way off towards the bar to take a seat. "_You see him... or her anywhere?"_

"Nope, not yet." Greg shook his head, rechecking all of the monitors in front of him.

"Nicky, try not to mess up that suit." Catherine warned him.

"_Why?"_

"Because it'll be perfect for your wedding," She chuckled softly, getting a scowl from Greg. "What? He looks hot." She whispered away from the microphone.

"True," Greg agreed, eyeing up his delectable fiancé through the camera. "But you're not allowed to think that."

"I'm sorry." She smiled at him. "Just coz I'm not allowed to have a threesome with you two, doesn't mean I can't imagine it."

"No you can't." Greg cringed. "I don't want you in here if you're thinking about..."

"You can't stop me." She teased, watching him blushing bright red.

"_Hey, could we keep the chatter down? I feel a little weird talkin' to myself." _Greg and Catherine burst into giggles, watching Nick giving them a scowl through the security camera.

"_I second that." _Brass added. "_I don't wonna think about you and Sanders getting it on while I'm trying to work."_

"Brass." Catherine tusked, shaking her head at him even though he couldn't see her. "When are yah gonna come out of that closet of yours and embrace the homosexual life?"

"_I'm not gay." _He almost shouted through the casino.

"May I remind everybody we're on a stake out." Greg pointed out to them. "No more chatter about gays, threesomes or . . . anything else."

Catherine sighed softly, leaning back in her seat. "I thought you're supposed to be hip and young Greg?"

"I am."

"You're not. You're such a party pooper." She continued to tease him. "Found him yet Nicky?"

"_I don't even know who I'm lookin' for."_

"Relax Nicky; all you have to do is identify the target. Brass and Vartann are nearby to bring him... her in." Catherine explained.

"_Then why did I have to do it?"_

"Because you're the better looking part of the team. No offence Greg." Greg rolled his eyes at her as she giggled. "I'm teasing, but he does look better in a tux. And we needed someone to bait him... her in."

"I know, I planned it." He reminded her. "You can just call him slash her Bonnie. That's what the ad says." Greg pointed out.

"You found him... her via an ad?"

"Nope, the wife found it in her husband's desk draw." Greg smiled round at her.

"Here I was thinking you were really that smart." She teased him again.

"_I can hear you teasin' him Catherine." _Nick warned her.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend the wifey."

Greg decided to ignore her along with Brass's laughter as he tried to concentrate on working. He leant forwards in his seat again as he watched a red head walked past his fiancé giving him a soft smile. Greg knew Nick had a weakness to red heads; male or female, he didn't care. Red head's were his biggest weakness. The only thing Greg would ever have to worry about for splitting them up after their wedding was a red head.

"Looks like you got some competition there Greggy."

"P-lease," Greg rolled his eyes at her again, immediately turning his head back towards the monitor as someone was approaching Nick. "That might be Bonnie."

"That's our MTF killer?"

"He's not an MTF killer. He's a male turned female, who happens to kill his clients." Greg corrected her, leaning on his elbow again.

"Sorry . . . so, when's the big day for you guys?" Greg shrugged. "You haven't picked one yet? How do you know when to start slimming down for your dress?"

"_I knew it, I knew Sanders was the woman." _Brass chortled to himself.

Greg gave her an evil scowl as she caused that. "You think you're a riot. I get enough of this crap from Hodges."

"Hodges doesn't love you like I do." She smiled, putting her arm over his shoulder. "Which you should be thankful for."

"Not really, he did save Nick . . . all of us actually." Greg reminded her. "He's not so bad; he just acts like a complete ass... pretty much all the time . . . when he's not kissing ass that is." Catherine smiled, turning her head towards the monitor as Nick finally started talking to someone who looked like a very butch female. "I think that's them."

"Brass, we think we got him... her. The guy. He's talking to Nick now." Catherine informed Brass.

"_Roger that, moving in now." _Brass confirmed for her, sending his team over to surround him so he could make the arrest.

Catherine and Greg watched on the monitors as the team swiftly made their way towards him, pulling his hands behind his back to slap some handcuffs over his wrists.

"You know most brides start to slim down before their wedding." Catherine told him as she climbed to her feet.

"Are you saying I'm fat?" He questioned her.

"No . . . I'm just saying it's the guys who bulk up." She smiled softly as she head towards the door. "Do you really wonna be the scrawny little husband in your wedding pictures?"

Greg raised his eyebrows at her as she walked out of the door. He looked at Nick on the monitor then down at his own body, feeling oddly self conscious. He started to realise why Warrick, Catherine and Hodges all referred to him as the wifey.

* * *

Greg stood clear of the interrogation room, keeping his distance from Catherine and Brass too. He couldn't be bothered to listen to anymore of their gay or wifey jokes about him. He knew they were joking... most of the time. But it was the constant joking that was really starting to annoy him, making him have his first second thoughts about marrying Nick.

"Hey Sanders," Warrick called from the locker room door. "Wendy told me to tell you your suspect's DNA matches one of the semen donors from one of your victims." Greg absently nodded without looking round at him. "What's up Greggo?"

"Nothing." He insisted, but there was clearly something wrong as his behaviour was completely unlike the Greg Warrick knew and was starting to miss.

"Scoot up." Warrick walked towards Greg, sliding onto the empty spot of the bench beside him. "You know we're still friends right Greggo. You dating... and marrying my best friend won't come between us. You can still talk to me." Greg turned his head to look round at him. "C'mon, I was there for you after your first day out in the field, there's no reason why that should change. Black, white, gay, straight... in the end we're all just people. So talk to me."

Greg smiled round at him. "You've been watching too much 'I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry." He giggled softly.

"Are you kidding? I love that flick." He smirked, making Greg giggle louder. "So what's up? Your case? Or is it something to do with Nick?"

"Nope." Greg shook his head, placing his hands on his lap as he picked at the dirt under his fingernails.

"Then what? Is it Hodges still? I can bust his head in if the little kiss ass won't stop."

"That's very thoughtful," Greg smiled up at him. "But it's not _just _Hodges." He sighed softly. "Nothing will change . . . I'll always be the ass of everyone's jokes. No pun intended there." He smiled again.

"You having seconds thoughts . . . about your wedding? Because if you break Nick's heart, I'll bust your head in."

Greg shook his head, returning to staring down at his hands. "I thought you didn't want us to get married anyway?"

"Well," Warrick scooted back slightly on the bench, looking at the lockers in front of him. "I was a little hurt that Nick had been keeping this huge secret from me all these years. I know we're not as close as we used to be... but he's still like a brother to me. And to find out he's keeping this massive life changing secret from me, with you no less . . . I was a little hurt."

"I'm sorry. I never meant for you to find out the way you did." He apologised again.

"It's water under the bridge." He assured him with a friendly smile. "So, who's been saying what to my Greggo?"

* * *

Catherine closed the door of the interrogation room behind her, looking up surprised to see Warrick stood in front of her. "Hi, what's up?" She nervously asked as she saw his arms folded across his manly chest and an angry frown on his face.

"Threesomes?" He questioned her, watching the blood draining from her face.

"Oh, who told you that?" She asked shocked.

"Doesn't matter. How long have we been going out?"

"Not that..."

"And you never told me that you have a fantasy of being in a threesome with Nick and Greg?" He interrupted her before she could finish. "What am I not man enough far yah?"

"No, it's not that. C'mon Warrick, everyone has their own private little fantasies." She smiled softly, trying to turn his frown, upside-down.

"Not everyone tells their private little fantasies to Brass, Nick and Greg." He pointed out to her.

"Was it one of those three?" She looked back into the interrogation room at Nick and Brass, realising it couldn't have been them since they were with her the whole time. "It was Greg wasn't it? Did he seriously tell you that?"

"It doesn't matter who told me. You should have told me. Have I not told you that I hate people keeping secrets from me? I almost broke up my friendship with Nick because of some lousy secrets, I don't want us too either."

"We won't." She promised. "I just didn't think..." She stopped talking as an officer walked by the two of them. "I don't want my new boyfriend to know about my fantasies." She whispered softly so that no one would hear her.

Warrick looked at her surprised a moment, blinking his eyes open and shut a few times. "I'm a boyfriend?" Catherine shrugged, placing her hands on her hips. "Okay. One more thing."

"What?"

"Don't ever tease my Greggo again." He sternly warned her.

"We were just joking around with him."

"Did it ever occur to you that your jokes are a little hurtful to him? Nick may be able to shrug them off, but Greg takes them seriously. Don't you dare ruin this for them; they deserve some happiness after everything they've been through."

Catherine gulped hard, looking down at the floor in front of her. "Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"You should be apologising to Greg." He told her before he walked off, leaving her to hang her head in shame as she thought about what she had done.

* * *

Nick waved goodbye to Catherine and Brass at the end of his shift once they had finally wrapped up their case, heading off down the hall towards the locker room to find Greg. "Hey G, you ready to go home bud?" He asked, leaning through the door.

"Nope," Shaking his head, Greg climbed to his feet once his sneakers were tied, readjusting his hoody on his shoulders as he stood up straight.

"Why? Where are you goin'?" He asked surprised.

"The gym." He replied, grabbing his bag from his locker.

Nick raised his eyebrows surprised as Greg never went to the gym. "Why?"

"Because I wonna go to the gym. I don't complain when you go." He pointed out to him, still avoiding eye contact with him.

"Okay. Do you want me to go with you?" Greg shook his head, closing his locker as he pulled his bag over his shoulder. "Be careful."

"I don't need to be."

"Yes you do."

Greg shook his head at him. "It's been almost a year Nick. I know how to take care of myself."

"I don't care; you still have to be careful. Your body was badly beaten; it's not as strong as it used to be." Greg rolled his eyes as he stepped past him; somehow Nick had turned into his mother. "Hey I'm only sayin' it coz I care about you G." He shouted after him.

Nick watched him go then pulled his car keys from his pocket. He didn't know what he had done wrong, but Greg was acting very hostile towards him since they got back from their last case.

"Hey Greggo." Warrick shouted, catching up to him in the elevator. "I talked to Catherine and Brass for yah."

"You didn't have to do that."

"Yes I did." Warrick nodded, leaning back against the elevator wall as the doors closed. "If anyone else gives you anymore trouble. Just tell me."

"I don't need you to protect me."

"It's okay, Brass doesn't know you talked to me about it. I said Catherine told me, and she's not gonna say anything. I'm your bud Greg, it's what friends do." He smiled at him then pulled his cell phone out as it started to ring. "Brown." He answered, staring up at the ceiling as whoever was on the other end was talking to him. "What? Yes I did . . . I paid that. Yes I did. I sent the freaking cheque myself . . . I know I paid it. Okay, yeah... well I can't go right now. Because Tina, I'm working . . . okay, I'll go round and see Eli. Yes I will . . . no I won't forget. Okay . . . bye." Warrick snapped his phone shut, looking back at Greg.

"Who's Eli?" Greg asked curiously as the elevator doors open to the garage.

"Um..." Warrick looked around the parking lot as he nervously scratched his forehead. "He's um... my lawyer. I gotta go, call me later Greggo. I'm serious." He sternly told him, taking a step out of the elevator. "Call me whenever you need me, we're still friends." He smiled at him then made his way off towards his car.

Greg watched him go then pulled his I-Pod buds out from under his hoody, raising them to his ears. He selected his Marilyn Manson playlist, deciding to jog over to the gym as it was early in the morning and he suspected no one would try to attack him between here and there.

* * *

Jade looked over at Greg, trying not to smile as he stumbled towards her completely exhausted. "Need a paramedic?" She asked him.

"Shut up. I'm just a little out of shape." He held his painful sides as he watched her eating two chocolate bars at once. "You hungry?"

"No, this freaking baby is making me crave chocolate. This morning it was apple juice. I peed like a freaking horse." Greg giggled softly, pulling his hooded sweatshirt down over his head again as he had taken it off in the gym to work out. "Why didn't you ask Nick to pick you up?" She asked him curiously. Greg shrugged, walking round to the passenger side of her car. "Are you two okay? You are okay right? The weddings still on?" She panicked.

"Yep." Greg climbed inside, cranking the air con up to full blast as he leant back in the seat, wincing from his still sore muscles.

"Then why didn't you ask him?"

"I think he's busy." Greg lied. "Besides, you were in the area."

"So," Jade tossed the chocolate bar wrappers into a nearby trashcan, climbing into the driver's seat of her car. "Why are you hitting the gym all of a sudden?"

"It's not _all of a sudden. _I used to go all the time . . . like twice a month . . . before the lab explosion." He corrected. "But I was never this out of shape."

"I'm not surprised you're exhausted. You're as skinny as a rail G." Jade started the car, driving Greg off back home. "So what's really with the workout?"

"What do you mean?"

"You only started dying your hair after someone made that ginger joke about you, so what's with the workout? Nick teasing yah about your weight?"

"No." He protested, folding his arms across his chest, staring out of the window at the other cars going by.

"So why'd yah call me and not Nick? What's up with you two?"

"Nothing. Everything's fine." He insisted, feeling pain in his ribs as Jades car rolled over a pot hole. "Do you really think I'm _that_ skinny?"

"Well, you have lost a little weight since LA." She nodded. "Not a lot, but you weren't eating a whole lot then either if I remember correctly. You were drinking a lot. You're not still..."

"Nope." He interrupted her, shaking his head. "I'm clean for... dunno how many months now. But I haven't had a drink in ages."

"You still going to meetings?" Greg bit his lip as he nodded. "You're lying. Why aren't you going to the meetings?"

"I am." He protested. "And I'm not lying. How can you tell anyway?"

"I've known you a long time G, I can tell when yah lying." She explained, turning down their street. "Was it Nick who commented about your weight? Is that why you're killing yourself in the gym?"

"No." He persistently protested. "He didn't say anything. He just thinks I'm weak and pathetic."

"He actually said that to you?" She questioned, turning the car towards his house.

"Not in so many words." Greg reached for the door handle. "Thanks, I'll catch yah later."

"Yeah, anytime." She remarked, watching Greg walking up the drive, feeling as though she was his taxi service.

Greg pulled his keys from his pockets to unlock the front door. He quietly let himself inside, carefully setting the keys down on the side as he closed the door behind him. As he went to tip toe through the house he saw Nick stood in the hallway with his arms folded across his chest and a frown on his face.

"What?" Greg questioned, feeling as though he was in trouble or something.

"No hi Nick, how are you?" Nick asked him. "Where have you been?"

"The gym, like I told you."

"How come I just saw Jades car out front?"

"Not this again." Greg groaned, kicking his trainers off as he made his way towards the kitchen to get himself something to drink. "She was in the area, and I needed a lift home."

"Why didn't you call me? I've been sat home for hours worryin' about you."

"Jeez you sound like my mother." Greg grabbed a cold bottle of water from the fridge door, taking a soothing sip. "I told you I was going to the gym and I thought you'd be asleep, so I called Jade."

"You said she was in the area."

"She was, when I called her." Greg corrected. "I am allowed to call my friends Nick. I'm not bound to you yet."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing." Greg sat himself down on one of the stools, taking another sip.

"Have I done somethin' wrong?" Nick asked, taking a few steps closer to him. "You're never this angry at me."

"Why's everything always about you? Can't I do anything myself?" Greg pushed Nick aside as he climbed to his feet, wincing from his muscle cramps as he made his way off up the stairs.

Nick watched him go, feeling completely confused.

* * *

Nick knocked on the door again, leaning against the frame as he waited for an answer. A few seconds later the door finally opened. He looked at the items in her hands, giving her a slight frown. "Don't judge me, I'm pregnant." Jade explained, setting the peanut butter and tuna containers down on the side table. "What's up?" She asked, licking the peanut from the spoon in her hands.

"What's wrong with Greg?"

Jade shrugged, sensing some anger in the Texan's tone. "I don't know, how should I know?"

"Because he talks to you more than me, and I saw you droppin' him off. So, what did you talk about?" Jade gave him another shrug. "C'mon Jade. Just tell me what's wrong with him."

"I don't know Nick, I swear. I picked him up from the gym and drove him home; we didn't really talk about anything."

"What did you talk about?" He asked, trying to control his temper.

"What is this an interrogation?"

"I can't help him if I don't know what's wrong with him."

"Well maybe you should ask him." She suggested. "It's not my fault your fiancé won't talk to you so don't take it out on me." She snapped at him.

Nick looked down at his feet, inhaling a deep breath. "Just tell me what you did talk about then." He pleaded her, looking back up into her eyes.

Jade rolled her eyes as she sighed heavily. "Apparently, you think he's weak and pathetic."

"Didn't talk about much huh?" He remarked. "Did he actually say that?"

"Yes." She nodded. "There, I told you everything I know. Am I free to go now?" Nick rolled his eyes at her, starting to walk off down the drive before she called out to him again. "That and he's concerned about his weight."

"He thinks he's fat?" Nick asked confused.

"No, the opposite. He thinks he's too thin." She corrected, reaching for her peanut butter again. "You know most brides go through the same thing before their weddings."

"He's not a bride."

"I know that. But maybe you make him feel like a bride." She insightfully told him.

"Me? What did I do wrong?"

"Hey don't shoot the messenger man, I'm just saying." She defensively stated. "Greg may be a man, but he was raised by Jean." She reminded him. "He's very sensitive." Nick rolled his eyes at her as he already knew that, heading off back towards his house to confront Greg. "Don't say thanks or nothing!" She shouted after him.

* * *

"Greg, c'mon out!" Nick shouted as he knocked on the bathroom door again. "I just wonna talk to you. I don't think your weak or pathetic Greg."

"She told you?" Greg asked from his position in front of the mirror. "I'm gonna kill her."

"I made her tell me G."

"You went over to see her? Do you still think I'm gonna cheat on you with her?"

"No, I went over to talk to her. I had to because you won't." Nick slumped back onto the bed, looking at the closed door in front of him. "Do I make you feel weak and pathetic G?"

"No."

"Is that no spelled y – e – s?" He queried, waiting to hear his answer.

Nick looked up as the door opened, seeing Greg stood in his shorts and t-shirt. "No." He repeated, making his way over to him.

"Are you afraid you're gonna become another victim?"

Greg shrugged as he stood in front of him, looking into his boyfriend's deep soulful eyes. "Maybe. In ten days it's been exactly a year."

"I know." Nick reached for Greg's hands, pulling him towards him. "No one's gonna hurt you again Greg."

"But if I was more like you, it never would have happened."

"We've been over this before. You were beaten up by a whole gang of people. Even Rocky would have gotten taken down." Greg shook his head. "Yes he would, he's an old man now G." He smiled softly, pulling Greg onto his lap. "You can't change the past Greg, no matter how badly you want to."

"I know." Greg rested his head on Nick's shoulder, wrapping his arms around him. "But I can stop it from happening again."

"You already took self defence classes."

"Shit load of good that did. I was attacked again." Greg reminded him, burying his face into his warm neck as Nick wrapped his arms securely around his still sore body, but he didn't care. "Do you think I'm too skinny?"

"No, I think you're perfect." Nick rolled their bodies back onto the bed so Greg was underneath him. "I love everythin' about you; I wouldn't want to change a thing."

"Are you just saying that because you don't want to hurt my feelings?"

"No, I'm sayin' it because it's true." Nick smoothed his hands down his slim chest towards his hip. "I love your body, I love your mind, I love everythin' about you. There's not a single thing I would ever want to change." Propping himself up on his elbow beside Greg's head, he looked down into the younger mans innocent eyes. "But if you wonna bulk up or take self defence trainin' again, I'm not gonna stop you. If you think it'll help you."

"It's better than firearms training. People who have guns get shot with them."

"You will need to take that test eventually though G, if you ever want to advance to a CSI level 3."

"I had a dream that I had a gun that night." Greg confessed. "It didn't help, I couldn't shoot it, they used it on me . . . and they had knives this other time. Every time I dream about it they have different weapons."

"I've had that. I had dream that the coffin was fillin' up with water once, this other time I was the coffin and I could hear the dirt bein' thrown on the top. You and the whole night shift crew were standin' above me as the surface was bein' covered with dirt. The worst one was where the coffin was full of ants, spiders, snakes and scorpions." Resting his head against Greg's, he circled his arms around him, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "It's just a dream though G, it's never gonna happen to you again."

"I believe you said that after the first time too."

"Well it's definitely not goin' to happen again this time. I promise you." Pressing a tender kiss to his fiancés lips, he carefully lifted the key from beneath his shirt to hold in his hand. "I not only hold the key to your heart, I protect your heart too G."

"Careful, you don't wonna say something that will out do your wedding vows." Greg smirked.

"I still got some romance up my sleeve for that." He chuckled. "See, you can talk to me G. We can help each other; I'm just as crazy as you." He smiled softly, watching a small smile finally spreading across Greg's lips.

"You know," Greg gently trailed his fingertips across Nick's broad chest, looking deep into his lover's eyes. "With peck implants and a little weight lifting," Nick looked at him confused. "I could look just like you."

"You want plastic surgery?" Nick cringed at the thought of his beautiful Greg going under the knife. "Greg, you don't need plastic surgery. I love your slim chest. And peck implants won't help you."

"Are you afraid I'll out do you?"

"No, I don't want you to go under the knife. I love your body, every inch of you. I wouldn't change a thing about you. I've told you that. If you get peck implants it will look like you have giant boobs on your slim chest. There's nothin' wrong with your figure."

"Not if I bulk up." Greg corrected. "And I may not need it now. But when we're older... you'll be the good looking hot stud, with your scrawny little husband."

"No, you'll be the cute, young hot stud . . . and I'll be the old wrinkly husband. You'll always be younger than me G. You'll never get a beer belly; I've already got wrinkles comin' through and your cuteness will never fade." Nick smiled at him, gently trailing his fingertips across Greg's chin. "When you're in your nineties, and I'm in my hundreds, we'll see who's the better lookin' one." He smirked.

"Do you have an answer to everything?"

"Yeah, good practice for our kids huh?" He smiled widely at him. "I don't wonna change anythin' about you Greg. And you definitely don't need surgery. If you want to bulk up you might wonna consider a personal trainer, before you ever consider the plastic surgeon. Peck implants aren't gonna make you stronger. You're better off with the gym than surgery. I mean if you get plastic surgery, how are we supposed to stop our daughter from gettin' a nose job or even breast implants when she's older?"

"We have a daughter?"

"Hopefully one day we will. I've always wanted a daughter." Leaning on his elbow beside Greg's head again, he stared deep into his beautiful eyes as he smiled softly. "I love you Greg."

"You know I've had plastic surgery before."

"That was necessary surgery to fix what those little assholes did to you. You don't need peck implants baby." He assured him again.

"But I..." Greg looked down at his hands on his chest before he finished his sentence.

"Who told you your skinny G?"

"How do you know someone else said it to me?"

"Because, you're Greggo, a free spirit. You don't care what you wear, the way you style your hair or what you look like unless someone comments on it. So, who said it to you?"

"What are you going to do to them?"

"Ah ha, so someone did say somethin' to you. Who was it?" Nick demanded to know who could say something like that to his adorable, loveable Greg. "C'mon Greg, who was it?"

"Catherine . . . but she didn't say _that_ exactly."

"What did she say?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does."

"Nick, I don't need you to fight my battles. This is how you make me feel weak. You always have to be this big hero."

"Do not."

"Do too. I can deal with Catherine myself. Well actually . . . I kinda already had another hot stud do it for me." Greg cheekily grinned up at him, knowing it would make Nick jealous.

"Who?" Nick questioned him with a pouting lip.

"You don't really need to know. It's taken care of."

"Is he hotter than me?"

"No way." Greg shook his head, sliding his hand down Nick's side as he pulled his body closer towards him. "No one would ever be hotter than you."

"So, who is he?"

"Just some tall dark and handsome guy." Greg grinned, loving the tortured look on Nick's face even more. "You don't need to worry about him; he'll never come between us because he wants us to be together."

"Greg, who is he?"

"Nobody." Greg giggled as Nick pouted even more. "I love you Nick. Only you." Pulling Nick down into his arms, he hugged him tightly, feeling their heartbeats pounding together. He loved being this close to Nick, it made all his troubles disappear. They all seemed so far away and insignificant when Nick was in his arms.

* * *

Greg awoke on the middle of the bed a few hours later, rubbing his sleepy eyes open. He looked round at the clock, noticing a blanket was thrown over him as he lifted his other arm. He kicked the blanket off him, crawling towards the edge of the bed to go and find Nick downstairs. "Hey there sleepy head." Nick smiled up at him from his position on the sofa. Greg dropped down beside him, resting his head on his shoulder. "Sleep well?" Greg nodded as he wrapped his arms around Nick. "What's up bud?"

"Nothing. I just missed you. What are you watching?"

"Penguins." Greg climbed across Nick's lap, resting against the arm rest the other side of him with his legs splayed across his lap. "You still tired bud?"

"Nope, I'm bored." Nick looked at him surprised. "What?"

"Nothin', I just never thought you could get bored G." Nick clicked the volume off on the TV, turning to face Greg. "What are you gonna do then?"

"I don't know, that's why I came to find you. I'm bored."

"Go work on your book."

"I'm bored of it."

"Watch TV with me then." Greg rolled his eyes. "I don't know what I can do for yah then G, I'm watchin' this." Nick clicked the volume back on, watching the rest of his discovery channel program.

"I can't believe you chose penguins over me."

"I would never choose anythin' over you." Nick assured him, placing his hands on the younger mans knees. "Penguins are cute, besides they're on the TV right now, and I can see you whenever I like." He smiled round at him. Greg rolled his eyes in frustration again. "Don't fidget G."

"I'm bored. I fidget when I'm bored." He complained.

"Well go and find somethin' to do." Greg reluctantly climbed off the couch, giving Nick an evil scowl as he made his way out the room. "You love me really." Nick shouted after him.

"Too much." Greg mumbled as he made his way off towards the kitchen.

On the counter he found Nick's sketch book, deciding to take a peek at some of his drawings. The first one was of him, the picture Nick drew when he was asleep on the sofa when he first started drawing. The second was one he had never seen before of him asleep on the bed with the covers barely covering his naked body.

Greg could see his scars how Nick saw them, beautiful.

Greg flipped over the next page that was a close up of the side of his face, admiring how Nick's pencil strokes made him look so much more handsome than he ever believed he was. "You're not supposed to be lookin' at that." Nick startled him, wrapping his arms around his waist from behind him as he rested his chin on his shoulder.

"I thought you were watching TV?"

"Commercials." Nick watched as Greg flipped over another page, revealing Greg comfily nestled in a mound of pillows on their bed. "What are you lookin' at G?"

"Do you really see me like this?" Greg brushed his fingers over the pencil stroke scars on his back that made him look unique, rather than a monster as he saw himself.

"You're so much more beautiful than I could ever draw you." Nick admitted, pressing a moist kiss to his neck.

"You're just saying that."

"Am not. You're gorgeous Greg."

"How come you only ever draw me?" Greg asked him curiously.

"Coz I love yah." Nick hugged him tighter, pressing a warm kiss to his cheek. "My therapist told me to draw somethin' I thought was beautiful. So I did."

"You're an artist Nicky."

"I'm not an artist. I just have a beautiful subject to work with." He smiled softly, pressing a warm kiss to his neck again. "Come sit with me G."

"But I'm bored." Greg grumbled, following him off towards the front room.

"You won't be bored with me." Nick tugged him off towards the sofa, dropping down onto the soft cushions with Greg on top of him. Greg took a gasp for breath before Nick covered his mouth with his own, kissing him passionately. Greg started to whimper against his parted lips as his warm strong hands started to explore his sensitive skin beneath his clothing.

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait. I'm finally off on two weeks hol's as of now so I should be able to update a few more chapters of my stories a little quicker. I've got another three more for this almost ready, i just need to make some changes before i send them off to me beta then i'll get them to you asap :D**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter**

**Please Review**


	50. Chapter 50: I Need You

**Chapter Fifty: I Need You**

Greg rubbed his sore eyes, raising the binoculars once again to look out at the endless desert. The longer he was out there the more worried he got about Sara's safety. She had been missing hours now, he refused to go home or tell the helicopter to turn around until he had found her. They had already managed to find the car she was once stuck under, but there was no sign of Sara inside. Grissom and Catherine proceeded on foot patrol while Nick and Sofia followed the road in the Denali, hoping they might see Sara trying to make her way back to the city of Las Vegas.

Seven long hours later the rescue helicopter was finally called out. The search helicopter took Greg back to the city once the search was called off.

Greg couldn't face going to the hospital with the others. Instead he went back to the lab, crashing onto the break room sofa, waiting to hear news that his pseudo sister was still alive.

Praying that she really was alive and well.

Nick stayed at the hospital in the waiting room with Catherine, waiting to hear news on Sara. "Hey, where's Greg?" Catherine suddenly asked him as she couldn't see him in the waiting room with the others. Nick shrugged as he checked his phone for any messages. "You're not gonna go look for him?"

"I already left him three messages, he probably went home."

"Why don't you go look for him? The doctor said Sara's not gonna be awake for a while. I'll call you if there's any news. Go on, go find your fiancé." She insisted, practically pushing him out of his cheer to get him to leave.

Nick reluctantly climbed to his feet, giving her a smile as he walked off down the hall. He glanced in Sara's hospital room on his way past, looking at Grissom sat holding Sara's hand tightly at her bedside, desperately hoping and praying that she was going to wake up. As he looked in the room he feared that one day he was going to be sat in that very chair that Grissom was, holding Greg's hand as he desperately waited for him to wake up.

He quickly dialled Greg's number as he left the hospital, but there was still no answer. He grabbed a taxi back to the lab as that's where he left his truck, hoping Greg was still there too otherwise he didn't know where he would have gone.

As soon as he got to the lab, he head straight off towards the break room as that's where people told him that they saw him last, but there was no sign of him.

"Wendy!" Nick shouted as he spotted her in the hall, quickly hustling after her. "Have you seen Greg?"

"Yeah, he left about ten minutes ago."

"Thank you." Nick rushed off towards the elevator, taking it all the way down to the parking lot. As soon as the elevator doors opened he sprinted off towards his truck, quickly starting the engine. He started driving off towards their house, carefully watching the streets in case he saw Greg walking along them on his route. He eventually spotted him with his hands dug deep into his sweater pockets and his head hung low as it poured down with rain around him.

Nick curb crawled after him, winding down his window as he watched the traffic around him. "Need a ride gorgeous?" He shouted out the window. Greg stopped walking, turning to look at him through the blanket of rain around him. He watched as Nick put his brakes on, bringing the truck to a complete halt. "C'mon Greg," He reached across to open the passenger side door, waiting for him to climb inside. Greg thought about it a moment then climbed inside, pulling the door shut behind him. "You okay bud? You must be freezin'." Nick watched as Greg shivered, pulling his wet hood down to run his fingers through his wet hair. "Hey Greg, Sara's..."

"Don't tell me if it's bad." He interrupted him, whipping the drops of rain from his face that were carefully covering his tears.

"It's not bad Greg. Sara's alive. She's at the hospital with Grissom, Catherine and everyone. She's a little dehydrated but she's gonna be fine." He assured him.

"You sure?"

"Baby, would I lie to you?" Greg shook his head as he looked round at him. "I swear she's fine, you can call her later to check on her if you don't believe me."

"I believe you." Greg pulled his seatbelt down over his shoulder, leaning back in his seat as Nick turned the heater on. "I believe you because I trust you with my life."

"You do?"

Greg nodded round at him. "Technically I already have. I was straight before you kissed me." He slyly smiled round at him.

"You keep tellin' yourself that G." He winked round at him as he pulled up into their driveway. "And that wasn't your life . . . that was just a kiss."

"Calling that _just _a kiss is an insult Nicky." Greg wiped the rain drops from his face again, quickly climbing out the truck as soon as it stopped, heading off towards the front door, letting himself in.

Nick followed him in, watching Greg running straight upstairs to their room. Nick kicked the front door shut, hastily making his way off after Greg, finding him in their bedroom. He looked through the doorway at Greg lying flat on his stomach in the middle of the bed with his discarded wet hoody left at the doorway.

Nick pulled his boots off, helping Greg with his sneakers before he climbed onto the bed beside him, propping himself up on his elbow beside his head as he smoothed his other hand up and down his back. "Hey, what's the matter bud?" He pressed a soft kiss to his head, gently smoothing his palm up and down his back. "C'mon Greg, talk to me baby. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Greg's voice muffled against the pillow.

"Really? Nothin' at all," Nick sunk lower on the bed, wrapping his arms securely around Greg's shivering body. "Is this about Sara? Because she's goin' to be okay." He gently weaved his fingers through his soft hair, pressing kisses to the top of his head.

"It's not that." Greg slowly rolled over in his arms, looking up into Nick's eyes. "It just brought it all back. All that time we were looking for you. I can't lose you again Nick. What if that was you and I'd be left all alone?"

"Hey, I'm not goin' anywhere baby . . . and thanks for the lack of faith." He smirked. "What you think I wouldn't last out there?"

"You've had too many chances already. No ones that lucky, not even you." Greg snuggled closer, resting his head against Nick's shoulder. "I can't lose you Nicky . . . I love you. Seeing Grissom in so much pain over losing the one he loved, I never wonna feel like that."

"You won't because I'm not goin' anywhere."

Greg breathed in a deep breath against Nick's neck, wrapping his arm around his waist as Nick's fingers softly continued to smooth through his hair. "Are you sure Sara's okay?"

"She's fine G." Nick held Greg tightly against his chest, pressing his lips to his forehead. "I'm not goin' anywhere baby, I promise you . . . and Sara's fine. Everythin's okay baby."

Greg relaxed against Nick's body, breathing in slow deep breaths. "You smell like desert."

"I should, I've been out in it all day. So you got to ride the helicopter all night huh?"

"My eyes hurt."

Nick lifted Greg's head slightly, pressing soft kisses to his eyelids. "Lookin' out at the desert all day will do that to you G." He gently brushed his fingertips down the side of Greg's face, glad to have Greg back in his arms after watching Grissom going through the distress of losing a loved one all day. "Hey Greg, I love you baby."

"I know you do . . . I love you too. No more about work though." Greg whispered softly. "I don't wonna think about it anymore."

Pressing a kiss to Greg's forehead, he smoothed his hands around his partner's shivering body, despite the heat of his skin. Nick had warmed him up with his own body heat, but he was still shivering. "You wonna go to sleep?"

Greg shook his head, holding his empty stomach as it started to rumble again. "No . . . too hungry."

"C'mon up . . . we should get you some food. You're skinny enough as it is, don't need yah wastin' away before I marry yah." Nick smiled softly as he helped Greg to his feet, wiping away one of his lover's tears with his thumb. "No more tears okay sweetie? Everyone's okay. Okay?" Greg nodded inhaling a deep breath. "Good, now c'mon baby." He led Greg off down the stairs by his hand towards the kitchen, searching for something quick to make for them to eat.

Greg grabbed two beers from the fridge. Nick watched Greg out of the corner of his eye. He didn't say anything just watched as Greg contemplated whether to drink it or not.

Greg stared at the bottles in his hands, hesitant to open them.

Just when Nick thought he was going to put them back, Greg cracked one open, taking a large mouthful from the top before he set it down on the counter, taking slow deep breaths as he stabilised himself against the closed door of the fridge.

Nick walked around the counter to Greg, taking the unopened beer bottle from his hands. He set it down on the side beside the other, gently raising Greg's chin in his hand to look in his eyes. "Did that make you feel better?"

"Not really." Shaking his head, Greg gave out a heavy sigh of frustration. "Maybe I need something stronger?"

"No." Nick stopped Greg before he reached for the tequila bottle. "C'mon Greg, alcohol isn't the answer. C'mon think back to your twelve steps to recovery G."

"More than half of those steps we have to recite God in each line." Greg pulled himself up onto the counter, holding the cold beer to his head. "I'm not feeling very religious right now."

"Whoa, not for drinkin'." Nick pulled the beer away from Greg before he took another sip, pulling open the freezer for a frozen bag of peas. "Here, hold that to your head instead."

"Frozen peas don't go down as well as beer." Greg complained.

"That's the point." Nick pried the bottle from his surprisingly strong grip, forcing him to exchange it with the bag of peas. Greg groaned softly, reluctantly raising the cold bag of peas to his head instead. While he was distracted Nick quickly cleared away the beers before Greg felt tempted again, searching the fridge for some food. "Isn't now the time you're supposed to call your sponsor?" Nick queried.

"She's out of town . . . and I haven't called her in weeks. Not since you ditched me for Warrick."

"I didn't ditch you . . . you are still goin' to the AA meetin's right?" Nick looked up at Greg as he hesitated to answer. "You're not?"

"I didn't say that . . . I just cut back on a _few_ group sessions. Nick, you've never been to one of these things, everyone's talking about their wives leaving them, their kids aren't perfect, they have thousands of bills due... it's so boring. I was dragged from my car and beaten up until I couldn't move a single limb in my body within an inch of my life . . . what's their excuse?"

Nick shrugged, placing his hands on Greg's knees. "Maybe you should switch to post traumatic stress therapy groups."

"They actually have those?" Greg questioned, dropping the peas to his side. Nick nodded as he reclosed the fridge. "I'm not going to anymore meetings. Listening to other people's problems, won't help me with mine. I'm not an alcoholic . . . I . . . comfort drink."

"Comfort drinkin' is what alcoholics do G. There's nothin' to eat in this house except ice-cream and potato chips." He noticed as he started searching the cupboards.

Greg shook his head. "There's frozen meals in the freezer with cooking instructions stuck underneath them." Greg pointed out to him. Nick pulled open the freezer again, grabbing one of the frozen lasagnes from the back. He flipped it over finding a detailed list of cooking instructions stuck underneath. "The Jean specialty. When she used to leave me alone at home for a weekend or something she'd leave a list stuck to the fridge of things I should eat and drink for the correct dosage of vitamins and minerals for my day."

"Huh, maybe I should try that with you." He teased him. Greg rolled his eyes at him, replacing the frozen bag of peas to his throbbing head. "Hey, what's Salmon Roulade?" Nick asked curiously as he read the note left on the lasagne in front of him.

"It's kinda like sushi . . . only it's salmon in cream cheese and spinach." Greg looked at the note Nick was looking at, reading a special note left by his mother for them:

_Boys, this would do great as a romantic meal for two, for starters you might want to prepare some Salmon Roulade and perhaps some tiramisu for dessert._

_Enjoy! ~ Jean_

"See, now she's planning our meals. I'm surprised she's not planning which underwear we wear for each day." Greg smirked as Nick looked up at him shocked. "Yeah, hopefully I was kidding about that . . . hey, did you say ice-cream and potato chips?" He asked him curiously. Nick nodded, looking up at Greg as he removed the bag of peas from his head again. "You know, we still have to watch that movie we rented. Fancy a movie snuggle with some junk food?"

"Are you sure? I thought you were tired?"

"A movie snuggle will send me right off to sleep."

Nick replaced the lasagne in the back of the freezer with the rest of the frozen meals, looking at Greg a moment before he made his decision. Usually he was against junk food eating, but he figured after the day they had they deserved a little comfort food. "Okay."

"Cool, we got some PB and J in the cupboard too."

"No thank you, you know I hate the stuff."

"I've never seen you eat it so how would I know you hated it?" Greg grabbed the half empty jar from the cupboard along with a spoon as he jumped down off the counter, searching the cupboards for the potato chips. Nick grabbed one of the many tubs of ice-cream that inhabited their freezer, following Greg off towards the front room to set up the movie to watch together.

Nick sat down first against the arm of the chair; before he could get comfy Greg pushed him along slightly so he could sit against the arm of the chair, draping his legs over Nick's lap. "Are you comfy there G?" He smirked at him.

"Yep, very," Greg smiled as he twisted off the cap of the PB and J, dipping his spoon inside. Nick cringed as he watched him take a mouthful, turning his head back towards the TV as the movie started. "Stop cringing." Greg poked Nick in the stomach as he continued to look at the PB and J in disgust.

"How can you eat that stuff G?"

"Easy . . . I put the spoon in my mouth and lick." Greg chuckled softly, dipping the spoon inside for another mouthful. "Wonna try it?"

Nick shook his head as he turned up his nose. "No."

"It's not so bad." Greg opened the ice-cream tub on his lap, starting to eat mouthfuls of it at the same time as his peanut butter and jelly.

"Don't." Nick poked him in the stomach as Greg touched his cheek with his cold fingertips. "Your hands are freezin' G."

"I know." He cheekily smiled. "That's the whole point." Greg lay his head back against the arm of the chair, watching as the opening credits of the movie started up.

"Greg," Nick reached for one of Greg's hands, holding it tightly in his own. "I'm not goin' anywhere. You know that right?"

"You can't know for sure. I bet when Sara started her day, she didn't know she was going to be kidnapped and dragged out to the desert to be buried under a car to then have to track her way back across the desert in the..."

"Greg, she's okay." Nick assured him again.

"But she could have died . . . that Natalie girl coulda picked any one of us to do that to."

"Let's just not think about it anymore." Nick pulled Greg into his arms, resting the younger man's head against his chest as he placed a soft kiss to his temple. "Hey we still have to pick a date for our weddin'." He tried to change the subject to a more exciting topic to take Greg's mind off it. "My mom's flyin' over at the end of the week to go over things with Jean and the reverend."

"We're having a minister?" Greg queried.

"Yeah," Nodding down at him, Nick's heart broke as he looked at the tears in Greg's eyes, threatening to spill. "You don't remember that? Your mom wanted us to get married the legal way, and my mom wanted it the traditional way in a church with the priest and everythin'."

"I don't wonna do it in a church."

"You don't?" Greg shook his head. "Why's that?"

"We're not even allowed to get married Nick, have you seen gay weddings protesters? Who's to say they won't be at ours?" Greg trembled in his arms as he thought about it. "What's this film called again?" He abruptly changed the subject again.

"I am Legend." Nick lifted the tub of melting ice-cream from Greg's hands, setting it down on the coffee table as he was starting to fall asleep and he didn't want ice-cream all over their sofa cushions. He carefully moved Greg to lay down flat against the sofa, while he lay on his side right beside him with his back against the cushions, propped up on his elbow to watch the rest of the movie.

"What date are we gonna pick then?" Greg spoke softly a few minutes later, pulling Nick's hand down to rest on the surface of his chest.

Nick shrugged as he looked down into the younger mans eyes. "December?" He suggested.

"That's only four months away."

"What if I meant 2008's December?" Nick asked him.

"Did you?" Nick shrugged, hugging Greg's body closer to his. "I like his dog." Greg indicated to the dog on the movie.

"You do, do yah?" Nick planted a kiss on Greg's cheek, wrapping his arms tighter around his waist. "Well your little puppy is gonna be able to come home soon. Thought of any names yet?"

"I have to name it?" Greg gasped with a chuckle.

"Yeah genius." Nick smirked, kissing his cheek again. "You haven't thought of any names yet?" Greg shook his head, turning back to the film. "What about Sam?" He suggested from the dogs name on the film they were watching.

"There's too many Sam's about . . . it's not really a dog kinda name. You realise we have to pick names out once we get kids too." Greg chuckled.

"We have until they leave for college for them." Nick joked. "I think dogs are easier though. Did you look for a suitable vet?"

"No, Jean gave me a whole portfolio on them. I picked one, the vaccinations are all booked."

"Wow." Nick smiled at him surprised. "You really are a great parent G."

"You really think so?"

"Let me see; you've booked the vaccinations, checked the fence for holes, you're readin' up on trainin' books and you've even researched the best dog foods." Nick smoothed his hands down Greg's chest kissing him on the neck. "I think you'd make a great father to a kid someday too."

"I think you will too Nicky."

Nick smiled softly, turning his head back towards the movie. "So, what did Jean say when you told her I was gettin' you a dog?"

"She calmed down after I said it's the first step to getting kids." He smirked, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes. "My Papa Olaf said if we get ourselves a pet and a plant, and if they're both alive by the end of next year . . . then we're ready to have kids."

"What if one of them dies?"

"Then we suck."

Nick smiled shaking his head at him. "Well we haven't killed any plants in our house . . . yet, and all my pets as a kid died of old age. So I think we're pretty responsible." Greg nodded in agreement, lifting Nick's hand from his chest to weave their fingers together.

"I never thought I'd be this lucky to find someone who actually loves me."

"I love you Greg. You mean the world to me."

"I love you too." He turned his head slightly to join their lips for a sensual kiss. Nick smiled at him, delicately brushing his fingers through his hair as he upped the heat of their kiss. "I love it when you do that. I still get warm tingles in my tummy." Greg giggled softly.

"Good." Nick rasped, kissing the soft spot behind Greg's ear. "It's been ages since we last got to cuddle up on the sofa together." Nick smoothed his hands around Greg's body again, hugging him tightly.

"Coz we're always so busy."

"First day you thought of me before your book too." Nick chuckled.

"I still think of you even when I'm writing my book." Greg smiled at him. "You know I keep Nicky porn in my desk draw."

"Really? So that's why you always come lookin' for me once you finished a chapter." He laughed, running his hands under Greg's t-shirt.

"That and I miss you." Nick smiled, pressing a soft smooch to Greg's cheek. "You know this film is kinda sad; I thought we were trying to cheer each other up."

"You picked it and I assure you, Sara is absolutely fine. She's bein' released tomorrow." He assured him again.

"Nicky, seeing Grissom today . . . such an emotional wreck like that . . . it made me think, if either one of us dies or is kidnapped on the job . . . we don't have anything to..."

"I know baby." Nick interrupted as he had been thinking the same thing. "How about March?"

"For our wedding?"

"It's not too close, not too far. That leaves us with seven months plannin'; with both our mothers helpin' it shouldn't be too stressful." He explained, feathering his fingertips across Greg's smooth chest. "How's March then G?"

"Okay." After another quick kiss, Greg smiled as he looked up into his future husbands eyes, feeling even more excited now that they had a date. "March it is . . . now we just need to pick a day."

"We'll probably have to do it on a weekend, we'll check with Grissom when swing shift can cover us all."

"We can check that off the list then." Greg smiled widely.

"What's that now? One out of a million." He laughed. "We've got the church down, which you don't want..."

"Not _just_ me. That was your mom's idea. My mom wants us to get married at the beach house in Maui. She thinks it'll be the perfect romantic setting."

"Isn't this supposed to be our day?" Nick asked him. "Do they even care what we want?"

"Well according to what you said, 'Marriage is a _public_ declaration of love', so the public have to be happy too."

"I said that didn't I." Nick chuckled slightly. "They can have our weddin' day. We get our marriage to be together." Nick kissed Greg on the forehead, eyelids, nose then lips. "I love you . . . I only want to be with you."

"I love you and only want to be with you too Nicky."

"Are you watchin' this film?"

"Well Sara said the dog dies . . . I really don't wonna see that part, so let's turn it off while it's still alive."

Nick reached for the remote, clicking it off. "Done . . . so bedroom?"

"You need to shower first; you're covered in sand still." Greg pointed out, ruffling his hand through his sandy hair.

"You don't wonna join me?"

Greg shook his head. "Too tired to stand up for that long."

"Okay, I'll jump in the shower; don't fall asleep like last time." Nick cautioned him, climbing to his feet.

"That was one time Nicky!" He protested. "I worked a triple shift, you try staying awake for one of your impossibly long showers after a triple shift dumpster diving all over town." Greg giggled, being pulled to his feet into Nick's arms.

"I'll hurry." Nick snatched another kiss, quickly making his way off up the stairs. Greg followed close behind, watching Nick stripping open his shirt and pulling his belt out then jumped out of his trousers and boxers on his way to the bathroom.

Greg laughed at him as he almost fell over. "Don't break anything Nicky. I don't want any excuses." He teased him.

"I'm fine." Nick shouted, stepping under the shower spray quickly. Greg dropped to the bed, rolling onto his back in the middle of it. Nick quickly showered down all the sand from his hair and body, feeling the tiny grains scratching at the surface of his skin, making it feel like he was being bitten all over.

Nick repeatedly kept having to snap his eyes open, just to make sure there wasn't any biting ants crawling all across his body. He shivered at the memory, running his fingers across the many scars on his arms and chest. No one at work ever noticed, but up close he could see the bumps all over his body, making it look like he permanently had goosebumps everywhere.

He wondered if Greg ever noticed them, he never brought it up when they were together. Maybe he did notice, but he didn't care since he had scars of his own.

Nick soon emerged from the shower with a towel wrapped his waist, looking at Greg laying fast asleep on the middle of the bed. He dropped heavily onto it, waking Greg who had a wide smile on his face. "I told you not to fall asleep Greg."

"I was resting my eyes, thinking of you naked." He sleepily murmured, rubbing his eyes open.

"You don't have to think about me naked now." Nick straddled Greg's hips, dropping the towel to the floor beside the bed. "Coz I'm here now." He rasped. "Why aren't you naked?"

"That's where you come in." Greg giggled as Nick began to strip him of his clothing, grinding their equally aroused parts together.

Nick joined their lips, gliding their moist warm tongues against each other. They moaned into another kiss, arching their hips towards each other. Greg parted his legs to wrap around Nick's waist, pulling him closer. Nick softly sucked Greg's bottom lip, pulling back slightly to look into his eyes.

"Hey Greg, I was thinkin'; now we're gettin' married, officially. Did you wonna stop using condom's?"

"Seriously?" Greg asked with a wide smile on his face.

"Yeah, we're not gonna be seein' anyone else are we?" Greg shook his head. "We're both completely clean and healthy. There's a chance we could get infected at work..."

"Okay."

"Are you sure coz..."

"I said okay Nicky." Greg interrupted him with a wide smile. "Just don't tell my mom." Nick smiled in an ear to ear grin, grabbing the lube off the side table, slicking up two fingers to enter Greg's body.

Greg gasped at the welcomed intrusion, letting his eyelids flutter as Nick's fingers slid in and out of him. Nick eased in a third finger, smiling as Greg arched into his touch, softly moaning his name. He saw the familiar glow in Greg's twinkling eyes knowing it was just enough.

Nick coated himself in lube; no condom this time, lining himself up with Greg then slowly started thrusting inside of him. Greg eased himself closer, pulling Nick deeper inside of him. He wrapped his legs around his back again, pawing at his fleshly washed hair, clutching him closer. Nick could see the tears in his fiancés eyes; he decided not to ask as Greg needed him right now. He was clutching him tightly, tighter than he's ever held him before.

Greg had been emotional all day. Sara was like a big sister to him and he thought he was going to lose her. Nick however held back his emotions, forgetting to eat or sleep until she was found.

Nick's warm seed came inside of Greg, giving him a fullness feeling, something he had never felt before. He too came between their grinding bodies, letting his tears pool down his face. Nick went to pull out, but Greg held him in place.

"No, stay . . . stay in me." He pleaded. Nick nodded, resting against Greg's chest, wrapping his arms around his warm body. "I love you Nicky." He softly murmured.

"I love you too baby."

Greg gently cupped Nick's face in his hands, pressing a soft kiss to his temple. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me Nick."

"Me too G. I don't care if you don't wonna get married in a church, I just wonna be with you for the rest of my life."

Greg smiled widely, wiping the tears from his cheeks. "You know we don't have any birth control in the house." Greg sweetly joked.

"Uh oh, don't worry honey. I'll support you durin' your pregnancy." He teased him.

"I think my dad would castrate you if he found out you got me pregnant before our wedding." Greg teased him back.

"I didn't know your fathers traditional." Nick pulled out of Greg, clicking the light off beside the bed as he spooned him tightly.

"He is. Not as traditional as your parents. But he wants us to have a traditional wedding. It's the only thing he's told me about our wedding so far."

Nick snuggled closer, wrapping his arms tightly around Greg's body in front of him. "He is okay with us gettin' married though right?"

"Yep, he loves you. You're the son he always wanted." Greg leant right back against Nick's chest, closing his eyes. "My family love you; you have nothing to worry about."

"My mom and sisters love you. They think you're adorable." Nick pressed a warm kiss to the back of his neck. "I do too. G'night G, I love you."

"Love you too." Greg murmured softly, getting comfy against the pillow as he began to fall asleep. Nick clutched his warm body tightly, trying to do the same but he couldn't stop his skin from crawling all over, making it impossible for him to fall asleep.

Being out in the desert looking for Sara, reminded him so much of being trapped back in that coffin. It brought back all his bad memories of his thoughts and fears that he would never again get out of that coffin.

Nick shook himself awake a few hours later, having to click on the light beside the bed as he could feel his skin crawling all over. As the light clicked on it made him jump and his breathing started to speed up as it reminded him of the light in his coffin.

Nick lifted Greg from his arms, scrambling off the bed to check his body for any ants. He itched and scratched at the surface of his skin as he padded his way to the bathroom, splashing his face with some cold water to calm himself down.

Nick searched the cabinet for his Valium that he hadn't had to take in a long time because he thought the dreams had finally stopped. Twisting off the cap, he threw back two pills with a handful of water, trying to stop his body from shaking, but it seemed like an impossible task to do right now.

Gripping the edge of the sink, he inhaled heavy deep breaths as he tried to return his breathing to normal. "Nicky." Greg's sleepy voice called out to him.

"I'm comin'." Nick shouted back, drying his face on a towel. He hid the Valium bottle behind some aspirin in the mirrored cabinet, quietly returning to the bed to spoon Greg once again. He clicked the light off as he hugged him tightly, trying to keep his body from trembling as he snuggled closer.

"Are you okay?" Greg whispered, half asleep.

"I'm fine. Go back to sleep baby." He whispered as he tried to do the same.

For the next few days Nick continued to shake himself awake from continuous nightmares that seemed to suddenly come back with a vengeance after having to deal with the disappearance of Sara. While he was looking for her, he closed off his emotions, trying to focus on the task at hand, but now it was all coming back on him, giving him endless restless nights of sleep and his PTSD was all starting to come back too. He found himself shivering whenever he saw a bug, feeling his skin crawling all over.

He couldn't deal with this right now; he had so much on his plate already, which only made it worse as he tried to ignore it.

A week later things only got worse.

Nick awoke once again, feeling his body shaking and sweating all over. He turned his head to the side to look for Greg, instead to be faced by a giant ant in his bed. He shook with fear as he saw it's giant arms and legs reaching out to him, the pincers around it's mouth ready to bite as it closer and closer towards him.

Nick shook himself awake again for real this time, feeling Greg's warm body on top of him. But he had to get up as he couldn't stop his body from shaking, violently. If he stayed there any longer his panic breathing would make him hyperventilate and he'd wake up Greg.

Gently lifting Greg as he crawled out from under him, he carefully set him down on the pillow, watching him get settled before he head off out the room and down the stairs towards the kitchen to where he left his Valium the night before. Grabbing a glass from beside the sink, he ran the tap until it was cold, filling the glass halfway. Setting it down on the side, he grabbed for the bottle of Valium on top of the fridge, twisting it open quickly in his hands as his heavy panic breathing started to make him wheeze.

A light suddenly clicked on across the room, startling him even more as it reminded him of the light in the coffin once again.

The bottle in his hands scattered to the floor, spilling the pills from it all around his feet, causing them to roll off in all directions.

Nick looked up to meet Greg's concerned gaze, trying to stop his hands from shaking and calm his breathing as Greg walked over to him. Instead of asking what was wrong, Greg dropped to his knees, helping Nick to pick up the escaping pills, pouring them back into the bottle.

Nick kept two in his hand to swallow back with his water. He set the glass back down on the side then looked at Greg, hoping he wouldn't ask him as he didn't want to recall his nightmare once again. He was trying to get it out of his mind, and he couldn't do that if Greg knew what he was dreaming about.

Instead Greg took him by the hand, leading him off back up the stairs to their bedroom. While Nick climbed back into bed, Greg opened the windows a little to let a soft breeze in. He climbed into bed with Nick again, wrapping his arms tightly around him as Nick continued to try and calm down his body from the shakes.

Greg pressed his soft lips to the side of Nick's head, smoothing his hands up and down his body to softly sooth him. Nick felt his heart rate and breathing finally beginning to calm. He wrapped his arms around Greg, feeling safer already with his warm body pressed against his own. "It's okay Nicky." His soft voice whispered against his ear, sending him right off to sleep again.

* * *

Nick looked up as Greg walked back into the kitchen where he was sat with his coffee, hearing him talking but he couldn't make out the words he was saying. It just sounded like background noise to him. "Nicky!" Greg almost shouted at him, leaning across the counter in front of him.

Nick shook his head, trying to snap himself out of his daze as he looked up into Greg's eyes. "Huh?"

"I said don't forget to pick up your mom from the airport after work." Greg sweetly smiled at him.

"Oh," Nick nodded as he remembered. "Okay, where are you goin'?" He frowned at him as he looked up at the time.

"Work, I got the early shift remember. Grissom said I'm maxed out on overtime and he'll get in trouble with Ecklie again, and he already is in enough trouble over the Sara thing last week. So he moved me to help swing shift for the week as they're short staffed." Greg pressed a kiss to Nick's forehead, heading over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water.

Nick glanced up at the clock, trying to concentrate instead of keep spacing out every few seconds like he was. "Greg, swing shift doesn't start for another hour."

"I know." Greg pecked another kiss to his cheek, grabbing his keys off the counter.

"Where are you goin' then?"

"Jogging. See you later babe." He shouted back as he head off towards the front door.

"I love you." Nick shouted before he left.

"Love you too." He heard Greg shout back before he heard the front door close.

Nick climbed off the stool once he was gone, reaching for the bottle of Valium set on top of the fridge once again. He threw back two more pills with a sip of his coffee, setting the bottle back on top of the fridge.

Nick jumped as he heard a noise behind him, surprised to see Greg leant against the frame of the kitchen door. "You know Nicky . . . we are gonna have to talk about this eventually."

"Nothin' to talk about. I thought you were goin' out?"

"Forgot my water." Greg head over to the fridge, grabbing it off the counter beside it where he had left it. "You know, we keep saying we're going to be more honest with each other, but whenever this stuff happens to us we always keep it to ourselves." Greg looked up into Nick's eyes, waiting for him to speak but he decided to remain silent, still.

Greg sighed softly, placing his bottle of water and keys down on the side again. "What are you doin'?" Nick questioned him.

"I'm not going anywhere when you need me."

"I don't." Nick objected, but Greg wasn't hearing any of it. He took him by the hand, leading him off towards the front room. Before Nick could protest again, Greg pushed him back onto the sofa, straddling his thighs. "Greg, I don't need you. You can go." He insisted as Greg sat down on his lap.

"You do, you're just too afraid to ask. You always have a way of getting me to talk when I'm down, so I'm gonna do the same to you, and you'll make me late for work if you don't talk." Greg wrapped his arms around Nick's neck, looking into his eyes, waiting for him to speak.

Nick looked down out of Greg's gaze, placing his hands on the younger mans thighs. "It's nothin' Greg..."

"Nothing doesn't wake people up in the middle of the night, sweating and shaking. Nothing doesn't make you OD on your Valium..."

"I did not." Nick protested, looking up into his lovers eyes with a pouting lip.

"Yes you did too. Yesterday you took three when you thought I wasn't looking. Nick you haven't slept a decent night's sleep all week. What's going on?"

"Bugs."

Greg looked at him confused as though he hadn't heard him right. "Huh?"

"Bugs G . . . I'm seein' em everywhere. Mostly ants. I can feel em crawling on my skin when I'm in bed; yesterday I woke up to a giant one. The other night I dreamt I walked up the aisle of this church, stood at the front was this freakin' giant ant in a weddin' dress." Greg bit his lip, trying not to laugh as this was very serious. "See why I didn't tell you now . . . you think I'm freakin' insane."

"No." Shaking his head, Greg pressed a kiss to his temple. "I don't think you're insane Nicky. What brought all this on?" Nick shrugged, turning his eyes back towards his lap. Greg leant forwards on Nick's thighs, looking at the scars of ant bites across Nick's bear arms. "Maybe it's time to see your therapist again." Nick immediately shook his head. "Why not? The drawing helped with your anger then you suddenly stopped going to see him, why?"

"It doesn't matter G."

"Yes it does, you can't keep doing this Nick. You can't depend on the Valium to get you through the day. That's drug seeking behaviour. And what are you going to do when your prescription runs out?" Greg tried to reason with him, having seen this happen to a friend of his in college before.

"You want me to go back to my therapist and tell him I had a dream about a giant ant in a weddin' dress? He'll have me committed."

Greg tried to stifle his laugh as this was a very serious matter. "He won't . . . it's just a dream Nicky. Maybe it's not the bugs that's got you all freaked out." Nick looked up to meet Greg's gaze. "Maybe the ant in the wedding dress is trying to tell you something... like maybe you think marrying me would be worse than the coffin?" He suggested.

"Why would it be tellin' me that?"

Greg shrugged as he looked down at his hands in his lap. "Maybe you're not ready to marry me yet. With everything that's going on..."

Nick gently lifted Greg's chin in his hand, just enough to look into his eyes. "I want to marry you Greg. Marryin' you is a dream come true, not a nightmare. The ants are my nightmare, not the weddin'."

"How can you be sure? You said it yourself you woke up next to a giant ant. Was I there?" Nick shook his head. "See, your subconscious must be thinking I'm a..."

"You're a what? Giant ant?" Nick couldn't help but smile. "I think I'd have noticed by now if my boyfriend was a giant ant Greg." He chuckled softly. "You're the only good thing in my life, why would my subconscious be thinkin' that? I've never been this happy before."

"Maybe now that we've set the date and all the planning's coming along, you do think that marrying me would be a nightmare though. You never had these types of dreams before."

"Trust me, it's not you." Nick joined his lips with Greg's, giving him a soft tender kiss as his hands slid up the younger mans back beneath his t-shirt.

"Knock, knock." A voice suddenly came from the door.

Nick and Greg quickly pulled apart, looking around to see Warrick stood in the hallway open mouthed. He knew they were together, he just never expected to walk in on them like this. His best friend that he had known for years as a girl chaser was being straddled by the young goofy lab tech with Nick's hands beneath Greg's shirt and their lips locked in a passionate kiss that he only ever saw between men and women.

A few seconds of awkward silence later, Nick lowered his hands as Greg pulled his t-shirt back in place. "Warrick, you're early." Greg quickly scrambled off the couch at the sight of his shocked face, pulling his t-shirt down as far as it would go to cover his semi hard on.

Nick climbed to his feet, wiping his lips with the back of his hand as Warrick's jaw slowly closed as he realised how long he had been hanging it open like that. "Yeah... I er... I... I'll go wait the car." Warrick quickly head back off out the door, practically running down the drive to get to the safety of his car.

"You knew he was comin' over?" Nick asked Greg once Warrick was out of earshot.

Greg nodded his head as he licked his lips. "He's been put on swing shift too, so we were gonna carpool to work." Greg explained, rushing off to the kitchen to grab his keys.

Nick stayed stood in the front room; the look on his best friends face was still running through his mind. He started to worry what they were all going to do once they saw them kiss at their wedding.

Nick was so immersed in his thoughts that he couldn't hear Greg talking as he came back into the room. He didn't even snap out of his thoughts completely until Greg snatched a kiss, waving him goodbye. Nick nodded as Greg head off out the door. He leant over the sofa, staring out of the window as Greg climbed into Warrick's car, wondering how the tension was going to be in the car after Warrick had just walked in on them kissing like that.

"Sorry." Warrick apologised as he pulled out of the driveway.

"For what? I forgot I left the door open."

"No," Warrick shook his head, inhaling a deep breath before he spoke. "I mean for the way I looked."

"Relax; if I walked in on two of my best friends kissing like that, I'd do the same thing. You're forgiven, just as long as you don't bring it up with Nick." Greg smiled at him, fiddling with his radio.

"Hey, Nick may let you get away with that, but this is my car Sanders." He sternly warned him, flipping it over to some heavy bass music and cranking it up so the speakers actually vibrated the seats. Greg could feel the pulse of the music in his chest as it was so loud. "Why can't I bring it up around Nick?" Warrick shouted over the beat of the music.

"Huh?"

"Nick, why can't I bring it up around him?"

"Because he'll worry about it!" Greg shouted, barely able to hear himself. "I told you, he cares about what you think. He'll leave me if you don't agree with our relationship."

"Oh . . . Sorry!" Warrick shouted, turning off towards the crime lab.

Greg gave out a grateful sigh as the car came to a halt and the speakers went dead. He could still feel the vibrations in his body as he climbed out of the car, trying to pop his ears so he could hear properly once again.

Warrick locked up his car, leading the way off towards the elevators. "Still, I am sorry Greggo." He apologised again.

"You don't have to be, shocked looks are okay. It's the people that cringe that get to me. Once Nick and I are married though, nothing will bother me anymore."

Warrick gritted his teeth as the doors had opened on Ecklie and the Undersheriff a few seconds into Greg's speech. Greg turned his head towards what Warrick was looking at, noticing the two of them looking at him completely shocked and disgusted at the same time.

"Uh . . . oh..."

* * *

**Based around the episode 'Dead Doll' in case you didn't notice :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry, I gave you a cliffe. But you won't have to wait too long, I just have to make a few changes to the next chapter before I post it.**

**Thanks so much for your reviews on the last chapter. I'm glad you liked it.**

**Please Review**


	51. Chapter 51: Honesty

**Chapter Fifty One: Honesty**

"What?" Nick almost snapped, holding the phone closer to his ear as he head off towards the residence of his deceased victim to talk to the family members about their son. A job he hated to do, but it had to be done.

"_I said, McKeen and Ecklie kinda know about us and Ecklie wants to talk to you when you get back."_

"Kinda know about us? In what way Greg? Who told them? We told everyone not to tell them..."

"_Well . . . I kinda told them that we're getting married," _Greg gulped hard. "_And we're living together."_

Nick looked up as the door in front of him opened, revealing his victims mother. "Um... Greg, I'll talk to you later."

"_No Nick. There is no later, we have to..."_

Nick snapped his phone shut, trying to concentrate on his work. He would have to deal with Ecklie and the undersheriff later. He had too much on his mind to start worrying about them too.

Nick quickly stuffed his phone into his pocket, looking up at the confused woman stood in the doorway. "Hi, I'm from the Lime Crab... the Crime Lab." He quickly rushed to correct. "My names... N-Nick..." He stammered, having to look at his badge to read his surname. "Stokes. Nick Stokes." He inwardly rolled his eyes at himself. "Um... I'm here to talk to you about your son..." Nick referred to the file in his hands to read off the name. "Brian."

* * *

Greg sat outside of Ecklie's office, feeling like a naughty child that just got busted for late homework or something. He wanted to go home and get some sleep, but he couldn't as Ecklie insisted that he stay until he had the chance to talk to the both of them about office romance. Ecklie was especially pissed as he had only just gone through all of this with Grissom and Sara then he found out more members of Grissom's team were knowingly breaking the rules too.

"Sanders," Ecklie poked his head out of his office door. "Any word on Stokes?"

"He's busy working his case."

Ecklie gave him a slight nod then head back into his office before he could speak again, closing the door with a loud thud behind him. Catherine walked off down hall towards Greg, frowning at him as he was supposed to be off home by now.

"Greg, you're already maxed out on overtime, why are you still here?" Greg indicated towards Ecklie's office door. "Oh, Warrick told me about that. What's he gonna do to you guys?"

"He won't talk to me properly until Nick gets here. He doesn't want to have to repeat himself." Greg explained, avoiding eye contact with her as he was still mad at her about what she said and she never apologised.

"Want me to talk to him?" She kindly suggested.

"Does everyone wonna fight my battles? You know if you really wonna help there's this old lady that always takes the best parking spot at Costco."

"Just trying to help." She defensively backed away with her hands in the air as if she was a suspect before she turned around and head off back down the hall.

Greg folded his arms across his chest, glancing at his watch sat on his wrist. He _was_ excited about leaving work today as tomorrow he would be getting his puppy as it was his and Nick's day off, but now Ecklie had put him in a mood that he couldn't even think about getting his dog tomorrow.

_Where R U Nicky?_

Greg texted Nick a further forty five minutes later, getting even more annoyed as the seconds ticked by.

_I'm busy you'll just have to tell Ecklie to wait!_

Nick's text came back through a few minutes later. Greg rolled his eyes, leaning back in the most uncomfortable seat he had ever sat in for the longest period of time.

_Nicky! He won't let me go until YOU get here!_

_Hurry up, I'm tired!_

Greg looked up as Grissom walked down the hall towards him, pocketing his phone as he approached. "Greg," Grissom looked at him confused, clutching the files in his hands as he looked inside Ecklie's empty office. "Where'd he go?" Greg shrugged as he never bothered to ask Ecklie where he was going. "Go home Greg. Go on, go!" He insisted.

"But then I'll..."

Grissom shook his head, he didn't want any excuses. "Just go Greg. You haven't done anything wrong. Go home." He insisted again.

Greg climbed up from the chair, feeling his legs go limp as he had been sitting down for so long. He gave Grissom a smile then finally head off towards the locker room to collect his things and head home, without receiving a text back from his supposedly loving boyfriend.

* * *

Nick finally got back to the crime lab four hours later, heading straight off towards Ecklie's office. Greg was no longer sat outside as he went home to get some sleep ready for tomorrow. Nick knocked on the door before he went inside, looking at him annoyed. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Over four hours ago Stokes." Ecklie nodded then motioned for the door. "Take a seat." Nick pushed the door shut, taking a seat on the sofa in the corner of Ecklie's office. "How long have you and Greg Sanders been in a romantic relationship?"

"Why do you need to know that?" Nick defensively asked, folding his arms across his chest. "It's just between us."

"No Stokes, when it affects the department's policy, it becomes _my_ business."

"We haven't affected the department's policy on datin'." Nick corrected him. "Neither one of us is in a supervisory or manager role." He informed him. "If it was that then you'd be talking to Calvin and Louise from day shift, they've been datin' months and everyone knows about it. Face it; you're only talkin' to us because we're gay. It has nothin' to do with the department's policy. It just makes you look bad if you have two gay guys on your team."

"I never said that Stokes, and yeah, we do have to uphold a certain public image. How would the victims' families feel if they knew..."

"Who I date will never affect my performance. The fact I'm gay doesn't make me any less capable to do my job. I've always been gay and the night shift crew have more cases solved than any other shift." Nick defensively stated. "If you discriminate us just because of this it would look so much worse on your part."

"Well we'll just have to see about that once we get the Sheriff involved."

"What's he got to do with it?"

"We don't want this getting out to the public Stokes, we have a bad enough rep after what Sanders did to that black kid."

"How's it gonna look when the city discriminates two gay CSI's?" Nick asked him, climbing to his feet. "Greg didn't kill _some_ black kid! He was saving Stanley Tanner's life. Whenever anyone brings that up, they always forget to mention that part. Would it be different if the guy attacking him was white?"

"What are you getting at Stokes?"

"We're not supposed to discriminate people. We're supposed to help anyone and everyone that needs our help. We see a black victim, we don't discriminate. We see a gay, transsexual or a lesbian victim, we don't discriminate. They deserve our help just as much as anyone else..."

"What's your point?" Ecklie shouted over the Texan's angry voice.

"My point is . . . we don't discriminate our victims, so why should you discriminate us? You only gave Warrick a freakin' award because it looks good if a black guy is awarded. You've completely turned Greg into some racist cop..."

"One more word Stokes." He warned him.

"One more word and you'll what?" Nick shouted, taking a step closer to him. "You're not gonna do anythin' . . . you can't. You can ruin my rep and make me out to be some disobedient queer, but I really don't give a damn. You won't have to worry about this queer, I'm sick of this shit. I quit!" He shouted as he head off out his office.

Nick head straight off to collect his mother from the airport, driving her off towards her hotel as she was tired after her long trip. He kissed her goodbye, not really wanting to go to lunch tomorrow with Greg's parents and his mother tomorrow as he had too much on his plate to deal with already. He couldn't go home to face Greg just yet either and he couldn't sleep anyway so he head off out to a bar, deciding to drink instead of resorting to his Valium like Greg warned him about earlier.

Nick staggered home out of a taxi a few hours later, stripping his clothes off as he crawled into bed beside his slumbering lover with a splitting headache. He knew he'd be able to sleep today as his body was pulsing with alcohol, ready to knock him right out.

* * *

Grunting loudly at the sound of his obnoxious alarm clock, Nick slammed his hand down on the top to make it stop, searching the bed for Greg. "Sorry, I put the alarm on because I didn't wonna wake up too late." Greg emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel.

"Late for what?" Nick questioned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he lay back against the pillows beneath him.

"Lunch with our moms, and we're picking up my dog." He smiled widely with the glow of excitement in his eyes.

Nick watched Greg bounce around the bedroom to get dressed, struggling to keep his eyes open and listen to what he was saying at the same time. Greg suddenly jumped on the bed beside Nick, lying on his stomach to watch Nick rubbing his eyes open. "Are you excited by any chance G?" Nick smirked, sleepily rubbing his eyes again with a wide yawn.

"All this time waiting to get him and today's the day we finally bring him home." Greg giggled softly.

"I know," Nick yawned. "You told me like a thousand times over the past week." He grumpily pointed out to him, wrapping his hands around Greg to pull him closer with his eyes closed. "We're not pickin' him up until _after_ the lunch though remember . . . so lemme sleep."

"But its 9:30am now, that's not far away." Greg excitedly announced very loudly. "Please can we go get him now?"

"Shut up Greg!" Nick shouted holding his head. "I only just got in two hours ago." He groggily answered.

"Sorry . . . grouch." Greg whispered quieter, cuddling up against Nick's body. "I love you Nicky." He whispered, watching Nick softly snoozing. He pressed a kiss to Nick's cheek, leaning over him to watch his eyes moving beneath his eyelids. He could smell the alcohol on his breath, but he didn't want to piss him off by asking about it.

"Greg . . . your starin' at me and you keep fidgetin'." Nick mumbled.

"Nicky you've been grouchy since yesterday. Are you mad at me? I didn't mean to tell them."

"I'm not mad." Nick shook his head without opening his eyes. "Just how can you _accidentally_ let somethin' like that slip G?"

"Because I was talking to Warrick. I tried to cover it up, but they didn't believe me."

"Tried how?" Nick questioned his tone still angry.

"Well to Warrick I said 'as soon as Nick and I are married, nothing will bother me anymore.' When Ecklie questioned what I said, I told him Nick and Irene were getting married, but he didn't fall for it. Mostly because of the look on Warrick's face."

"You didn't have to lie Greg."

"I thought we didn't want him to know though."

"Too late now."

"You are mad."

"I'm not mad." Nick almost snapped at him, trying to pry his sleepy eyes open to look up at the younger man pressed against his body. "I promise you G, the only person I'm mad at is that snide freakin' weasel." Nick assured him, reclosing his sore eyes again. "Now go and do somethin', I can't sleep with you bouncin' around all over the place." Gently pushing Greg out of his arms, he readjusted himself to a comfier position on the pillow under his head.

"I don't have anything to do. I did it all while you were working last night."

"Then go grocery shoppin'. You know I'm grouchy without my sleep."

"Where is it?"

"There." Nick faintly pointed off towards the bedside cabinet beside him. "Only stuff on the list G." He warned him. Greg kissed his forehead then climbed off the bed, grabbing Nick's grocery list off the bedside cabinet. "I love you." Nick shouted after him.

"I love you more." Greg shouted back, pulling his sneakers on along with his jacket before he head off out the door.

* * *

"Jade." Greg shouted startling her.

"Holy Shit Greg! You don't just jump out at people like that. I coulda hit you thinking you're a mugger or something."

"Sorry, touchy." He sweetly apologised, wheeling his trolley round to where she was standing. "So what are you doing shopping at this time?"

"Me? I'm not the one out of my time zone here Sanders. Shouldn't you be snuggled up in bed with Nick?" She chuckled.

"I was. He kicked me out..."

"What?" She shrieked, turning completely to face him with a shocked expression on her face.

"No, no. Not kicked me out, kicked me out. I was watching him sleep and he got annoyed and grouchy . . . he told me to go and do something. I think he was drinking." Greg quickly clarified. "You know I get a little intolerable when I'm hyper excited."

"Oh." Jade relaxed, holding her heart as she almost had a heart attack at the thought of those two breaking up. "He does still love you doesn't he?"

"Yep." Greg assured her with a nod. "We're never _ever_ splitting up."

"Better not."

"There's no chance in hell. We're getting married in March, having kids, getting our dog today." Greg excitedly told her.

"I know, you called me when Nick was out, remember?" She reminded him. "Are you sure you guys are ready for all that? I mean your perfect for each other, but you know how marriage and kids can ruin a perfectly good relationship." Just as Jade spoke a young couple walked by shouting at each other over the cheapest loaf of bread to buy. Greg and Jade stood silent watching them going blue in the face.

"You said you liked the whole wheat bread." The woman shouted at him.

"I said it was okay. I don't even like sandwiches."

"Ugh, why don't you ever tell me these things?" She screamed at him, pulling at her hair on her head in frustration.

"Do you ever listen when I do?"

"Son of a bitch." She snapped at him, whacking him with her purse before she stormed off.

The man looked round at Jade and Greg. "Don't ever married!" He warned them then followed after his fuming wife.

"Don't you just love it when that happens? Like completely on cue." Jade laughed, nudging Greg with her elbow.

"Nick and I like the same bread, so that's okay." Greg smirked, dropping a loaf into his trolley.

"What about the kid's thing? You may both be guys, but you're still gonna get stressed out."

"What would you know? You don't have any kids and you completely freaked out when you thought you were pregnant."

"I didn't _think _I was pregnant. I _was _pregnant. Notice the belly. I'm not just stocking up for the winter here G." She smirked at him.

"No, I meant in college when you thought you were pregnant. I seem to recall you pounding on my door at 3am, having a panic attack. I had to give you a paper bag because you were hyperventilating so much."

"That was different. I was only twenty then. I'm still pretty freaked." Jade placed one hand on her stomach. "But there's a life growing inside of me now . . . so it's a little less freaky."

Greg tilted his head to the side, looking at her confused. "How does that make it less freaky? If I had a life growing inside of me I'd be freaked out, like one of those alien body snatcher movies."

"It's fear of the unknown G." She informed him. "I was scared of pregnancy because I always had to listen to my mom going on and on about having all us kids, being in labour for hours, sometimes days on end. Not to mention all the gas and toilet trips. Now I realise . . . it's not so scary and disgusting . . . I have a tiny little baby inside of me. Pregnancy is beautiful."

"Who are you and what have you done with my friend?" Greg teased her. Jade thumped him in the arm, making him flinch as she was surprisingly strong. "So why don't you think Nick and I can do this if you're having a kid?"

"Coz I'm not keeping this one. Don't get me wrong, the pregnancy is beautiful and everything, but can you really see me with one of those little snot makers." She indicated towards a small child in the store that was screaming as his mother was trying to get him to follow her.

"You're still not keeping it?" He asked surprised. "Who are you giving it to?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "It's a closed adoption."

"You're giving your kid to some stranger and you'll never get to see him or her ever again?" Greg pouted at her.

"Greg, you're not even married yet, and I know how Nick feels about me. He wouldn't even take the kid if I gave it to you guys no strings attached. Besides, the paperwork's all signed. The family are ready and waiting for their child to be born."

They both watched a screaming toddler slam his weight into a display of mayonnaise jars, shattering all the jars to the shop floor. "And I'm thankful for that." Jade smirked, watching the angry mother coming to get him and quickly run away from the mess.

"Not all kids are that badly behaved. Especially not with good parenting and proper guidance." He smiled at her. "So you're practically a surrogate for this family?"

"Yep." She nodded, looking at Greg's expression suspiciously. "No Greg, no way."

"You don't even know what I was gonna say."

"Yes I do, and no way. Not to mention the fact I hate being pregnant."

"You just said it was beautiful."

"Greg, I'm gassy, I'm as big as a freaking house and I can barely fit in my car let alone my jeans, which part of that is beautiful?" She suddenly changed her tune. "No way, there's not a chance in hell."

"But you have a uterus and you're my best friend..."

"But I'm a terrible person."

Greg laughed shaking his head. "You're not Jade, we really want kids, ones of our own. And you're not grossed out by the fact we're guys or wanting to be together. I practically have you to thank for being with Nick right now. I wouldn't want anyone else in the world to be the mother of my children."

Jade looked at him wide eyed a moment. "No." She shook her head. "Go bother some other poor girl. I will not be your surrogate."

"I'm not saying you have to do it anytime soon." He shouted as she started to run away. "Don't you want kids one day? This would be a great practice for you . . . for in the future and we'd fully compensate you and all..."

"Stop talking." Jade interrupted him as he caught up with her. "No, I'm not doing it Greg."

"You have plenty of time to think about it, we're not getting married until March, we probably won't have kids straight after that."

"Why me? You must know other women who can house your kids."

"Nuh uh." Greg shook his head, rushing around the fruit section to keep up with her. "None of them are my best friend. I don't want my child to have some strangers DNA. And you are perfect."

"Really?" She finally stopped walking, looking around at him.

"Yes." He nodded with a wide smile. "You're perfect Jade . . . besides the fact your only 5 feet tall." He teased her.

"Asshole." She scowled, punching him in the arm. "I'm 5 foot 5 for your information."

"Hopefully our kids will get their height from me or Nicky." He continued to tease as he dodged a second punch.

"Keep teasing me and my answer will still be no."

"I'm sorry . . . please be our surrogate!" He pleaded with his puppy dog eyes.

"Does Nick even know about this? What happened to your making decisions together thing?"

"We still do. I just think he would be too afraid to ask you. You have plenty of time to think about it. You don't have to say no just yet..."

"No Greg." She immediately shook her head.

"Do it for me?" He pleaded with his irresistible puppy dog eyes once again. Jade tried to avoid eye contact with him, she wasn't about to be manipulated into doing something for him. "Pwease Jade." He sweetly requested.

"The cute factor doesn't work on me Greg." Jade grabbed her trolley, starting to walk away again.

"Just sleep on it, you don't have to say no right away."

"No!" She shouted down the aisle in his direction.

"Just sleep on it!" Greg insisted, heading off towards the checkout. He smiled at Jade as he saw her walking down another aisle, giving him an evil scowl in return. Greg giggled to himself then answered his vibrating cell phone. "Sanders?"

"_Only me honey." _Jean's voice echoed over some fuming traffic.

"Mom, shouldn't you and dad be driving?"

"_Oh I was." _Jean looked over her shoulder at her smoking engine. "_The car broke down, and your fathers not coming. He had something else to do; he's been very secretive this past week. Anyway, I won't be able to make it to our lunch date as the tow lorry is taking forever to get here."_

"Tow lorry? Why didn't you call triple A?"

"_Because..." _Jean looked past her car at the triple A van with the angry man leant up against the side of it. "_He can't fix it, something about something very bad that I should have noticed a while ago."_

"You pissed him off didn't you?" Greg giggled as he made his way closer to the check out, loading the contents of his shopping trolley onto the conveyer belt.

"_No... I merely suggested a little cardio and hair cut could help him get his wife back. But I called Jade, and apparently the reason he gave me for the engine compartment... stuff. Is very legitimate."_

"You called Jade?" He asked surprised.

"_Yes, we do talk you know honey. Anyway, we could talk for hours... but my batteries almost dead. So I suggest we meet for dinner at your place. I'll cook, make sure you call Jilly."_

"Okay, that actually works out better anyway."

"_Why?" _She queried, immediately sensing something was wrong. "_What's going on with you two?"_

"Nothing, we're fine. Just Nicky's a little tired. We can't talk about the wedding if Nicky's tired."

"_Right, he's a real grouch when he's tired." _Jean remembered from some of their previous conversations. "_Okay honey, I'll see you later. I don't know how long, but make sure you tell Jilly."_

"Promise mom, love yah."

"_Love you too sweetheart."_

Greg snapped his phone shut, pulling his wallet from his pocket. "Somebody meeting the in laws?" The check out assistant asked him. Greg looked up at her surprised, reading her name tag, Mary.

"No, I've already met them." He smiled softly. "This is sort of an early get together to go through the wedding plans."

"Oh, did they love you?" She pried.

"My mother in law, yes. But I think my father in law still needs a little time to adjust."

"Oh, well your fiancés a lucky one." She smiled up at the adorable young man in front of her that was nearly three times younger than her, but completely adorable. If his fiancé was anywhere around, she'd be elbowing her out of the way to get him all to herself. "I hope that Nikki knows how lucky she is."

Greg smiled softly; actually glad that his boyfriend had a girly sounding nickname. "Yep, I'm sure _she_ is." He wasn't about to out himself to the check out lady he just met.

"Have a good day love. And congratulations." She winked as he handed over the money to her, collecting up his shopping bags.

"Thanks I will." He grinned widely as he head off out the store, dialling Nick's mothers cell phone number as he head over to his car.

"_Hello?" _Jillian answered after three rings.

"Hi, it's Greg."

"_Oh, hello sweetheart." _She kindly answered. "_Is anythin' wrong?"_

"No, I just wanted to call and tell you that we're meeting for dinner instead of lunch. My mother got broken down or something on her way over, so she won't be able to make it and Nick's exhausted after a long shift, so we're meeting at our house for dinner instead, if that's okay with you?"

"_Of course, that's fine sweetheart. Any particular time? And would like me to bring anything?"_

"I'm pretty sure my mom will have that part covered, she always brings enough to feed an army." Greg chuckled softly as he loaded the shopping bags onto the back seat of his car. "And I don't know what time. When my mom finally manages to get here I'll give you a call."

"_Okay, thank you for tellin' me Greg. Send Nicky my love, you too sweetheart and I'll see you soon."_

"Okay, goodbye." Greg waited for her to hang up before he snapped his phone shut, climbing into the driver's seat of his car ready to head home.

"Hello." One of his neighbours waved to him as he climbed out of his car in the driveway. Greg gave him a friendly wave, lifting the shopping bags into his arms. "I noticed you moved in a while ago, but me and my partner Dave have been so busy that we never actually got the chance to meet you." He smiled as he walked up the drive towards Greg. "I'm Otis. Dave's the tall dark and handsome one. And our teenage daughter Jody, well she's Dave's from his first marriage. But she's the one with hair a bit like yours." He smirked, extending his hand for a friendly handshake.

Greg looked at him curiously then balanced the bags on his hip, extending his hand to accept the friendly handshake. At first he thought since he was a black guy he was going to get a beating for being the cities most hated racist. "Hi, I'm Greg... and I live here with my... partner Nick, he my tall and dark handsome guy." He nervously gulped as he had never introduced someone new to the fact he was gay before.

"Lovely to meet you Greg." Otis smiled at him warmly. "If you ever need sugar or anything," He joked. "We live right next door," He indicated to the tall house to the left of his own. "Don't hesitate to come by."

"Oh, okay thanks. You too." Greg smiled at him, pushing the car door shut with his hip. Greg watched him go, thinking his first impression was completely wrong since he was a gay black man, and he didn't appear to know who Greg was. "You don't know how to use a lawn mower by chance?" He sweetly smiled at his new neighbour.

"Yes I do actually." Otis smiled. "Dave showed me how when we moved in, he's a perfectionist so the lawn has to be cut perfectly, no lines or loose strands."

"I know what that's like." Greg chuckled softly.

* * *

"Nicky!" Greg shouted diving onto the bed beside him. Nick rubbed his eyes open, frowning up at Greg.

"I thought you went shoppin'?" He sleepily groaned, reclosing his eyes.

"That was hours ago. It's time to pick up Rascal." Greg excitedly bounced on the bed to wake Nick up more.

Nick frowned up at him, questioning, "Rascal?"

"Well I was listening to one of your Rascal Flatts CD's in the car on the way back from the store where I met Jade, she's _really_ pregnant now. She's still giving up the baby, to a closed adoption no less. Oh and you're always going on about Rascal Flatts in the car, but I couldn't remember any of the bands names so it hit me... Rascal Flatts your second favourite thing in the world after me of course, anyway Rascal, it's like the perfect name and I..."

"G." Nick put his finger to Greg's lips silencing him. "I was lookin' for the short answer." He sleepily groaned, feeling as though he only slept for another five minutes.

"How are you gonna deal with hyper little kids when you can't even put up with me?" Greg asked him.

"I _can_ put up with you." Nick pulled him closer, holding him against his chest as he pressed his lips to his head. "I _can't _put up with long workin' hours and minimal sleep." Nick informed him, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "I love you . . . and I swear if you call me a grouch one more time . . . I'm gonna have to tickle you to death." He threatened, teasing his fingers under Greg's shirt, making him giggle and squirm in his arms. "So you wonna call him Rascal?"

"I have to ask him if he likes it first." Greg chuckled slightly against Nick's neck as his fingertips tickled their way up his chest. "Nicky stop it." He pleaded as he started giggling even more.

Nick smiled widely as he watched his lover giggling, only continuing with the torture to watch him sweetly giggle. "Why would I stop when I love to watch you cutie?"

"Please... I can't... breath." Greg burst into a fit of giggles, trying to restrain Nick's hands. He finally managed to get out of his reach, putting a pillow down between them so he couldn't get him again.

"You're adorable Greg."

"That's not fair when you tickle me like that. I can't breathe." Greg pouted at him.

"I'm sorry, I can't help myself." Nick crawled closer to Greg, pushing the cushion aside so he could hug Greg tightly. "You're the sweetest, cutest boyfriend anyone could ever have . . . and you're all mine." He possessively rasped against the younger mans parted lips, before he engaged in a series of tender kisses.

They both pulled apart with wide smiles on their faces, looking deep into one another's eyes.

"So, do you like the name then Nicky? Do you think he'll like it?"

"I'm sure he will. Can we lay here for ten more minutes or so?" He asked, laying back against the pillow behind him.

"I'm sure he can wait ten more minutes." Greg rolled over to lift the covers and snuggle closer to Nick's warm body beneath them.

"I thought the lunch is first anyway?"

"I called my mom, we're meeting for dinner instead, her car broke down and my dad's not coming. I already called your mom, she said it's fine. We're meeting here, but don't worry, you don't have to cook, my mom's gonna cook. She should be here in a couple of hours. So we can get Rascal settled..."

"Greg, short answers." Nick interrupted him, feeling his head pounding. "I'm tired, I can't understand you. I can just hear noise. I can't process your ramblin' right now."

"Sorry." Greg smiled softly. "No, we're having dinner instead."

"Thank you. Why do you have grass in your hair?" Nick pulled the strand from Greg's hair then looked down at him curiously, waiting for his answer. "You didn't cut the lawn did you?"

"Yes . . . but I did it perfectly. You can't see the lines or anything." Greg assured him, knowing the perfectionist never allowed him to do it because he liked it done perfectly. "I checked it from all the angles and emptied the mower, just how you like it."

"Okay . . . thank you." Nick wrapped his arms around Greg then closed his eyes again with his chin resting in Greg's soft grass smelling hair. Greg tried to lay as still as he could, trying to contain his excitement about bringing his puppy home, but it was an impossible act for him to do. "Stop fidgetin' G." Nick mumbled.

"I can't." Nick snickered slightly, holding Greg tighter so he'd stop moving, but it didn't work. "C'mon Nicky, wake up please." He whispered softly. "I've done everything I can to keep me occupied, but nothings working now. I'm too excited."

"Okay." Nick sighed in defeat. "I'm gonna need some coffee though." He sat up, sleepily running his hands through his hair. Greg scrambled off the bed to go make him some, while Nick tried to pry himself from the comfy warm bed to get dressed.

Greg quickly poured Nick out a cup of coffee, heading off back up the stairs towards their bedroom with the hot mug in his hands. "Here we go." Greg set down the coffee on the bedside table, shoving his hands into his pockets as he watched Nick pulling on some jeans then fastening the belt around his waist. "Okay Nicky, what's up?" Nick looked up at him with his eyebrows raised. "It's not just the lack of sleep that's got you in a bad mood. What case did you work yesterday?"

"Greg, I don't really wonna talk about this right now. Let's just go get your puppy." Nick picked up the coffee, immediately smelling the sweet scents of Greg's blue Hawaiian stuff as he brought it to his lips.

"The puppy can wait a _little_ longer." Greg carefully pushed Nick back so he sat on the edge of the bed. "Talk to me Nicky . . . you promised after all."

"I never promised."

"Well you should have. Tell me." Greg folded his arms across his chest, looking down at Nick. "Was it Ecklie? Did he say something to you about the two of us being together? Or is it about what Warrick walked in on?"

Nick shook his head, taking another sip of his coffee. "No, we're cool. I talked to Warrick, he didn't care."

"Then... what is it?" Nick looked up to meet Greg's gaze, looking into his puppy dog eyes that always made him cave.

"Just . . . that kid Brian. Why would he kill himself to avoid humiliation?" Nick easily broke. As far as Greg was concerned he was telling him the truth. He was more or less, that was just one of the things that were bothering him. "I mean there's other things he could of done to save himself the embarrassment. He could have talked to his mom. Now she's all alone because he went and did that. What gives him the right..." Nick stopped a moment looking up into Greg's eyes. "You know it's not his fault it's the friggin' water in the first place."

"Nicky." Greg knelt down in front of him, looking up into his sad eyes. "I think there's a little more to this that you're not telling me. Why are you taking this case so personally?" He asked him, placing his hands on Nick's knees.

"Because I . . . I don't wonna talk about this Greg."

"We're not leaving this room until you do." Greg climbed to his feet then lay on the bed beside Nick, propping himself up on his elbow. "C'mon Nicky, you can tell me anything. Nothing will ever change the way I feel. Are you still having second thoughts about the wedding?"

"I never had first thoughts. We're gettin' married, there's not a chance in hell I'm backin' out of that."

"That's good, coz your dad thinks we're still going to hell."

"Not funny Greg." Nick set down the coffee mug then lay down with Greg, looking into his eyes. "I quit."

"Huh?" Greg looked at him confused.

"I quit." Nick repeated, shamefully looking down at Greg's hand on the bed beside him. "I was in Ecklie's office talkin' to him. He said we were violating lab policy, not because we were datin', but because we're gay. He didn't want the public to know he had queers workin' for him."

"That's discrimination."

"I know, I told him that too."

"Before or after you quit?" Greg queried. Nick looked up into Greg's eyes then shrugged. "But you want it back right?" Nick shrugged again. "You love your job, you've worked so hard to get where you are, you can't just quit because Ecklie's a homophobic kiss ass. You can't give into his threats."

"He never threatened to fire me."

"Then... what did you say when you quit?"

"Somethin' along the lines of . . . I'm sick of this shit . . . I quit."

"Is this about the dreams?" Greg queried, reaching out for Nick's hand.

"No, I've been wantin' to quit for ages." Nick admitted. "I don't know how many more kids I can scrape up off the sidewalk, how many more blood splatters I can photograph . . . or how many more crime scenes of my friends I can work. I don't want it back." Nick inched himself closer towards Greg, joining their lips for a soft kiss. "They doin' that special offer on Oreo's at the grocery store again G?" He chuckled as he licked his lips, tasting it on Greg's breath.

"They might be." Greg guiltily answered through a wide grin as he had sneaked one when he rushed downstairs to grab Nick's coffee.

Nick smiled then rolled their bodies so he was on top, softly joining their lips again for a deep passionate kiss, caressing Greg's body with his hands. "No wonder you're so hyper G. You didn't pig out on loads again did you? You know what happened last time." He smirked at him.

"That was one time Nicky, and I'm pretty sure the cream was a little off in those Oreo's. They've never made me throw up _that_ much before. There's still like two thirds of a pack down there."

"Okay." Nick smiled, trusting his word. "You really wonna go get this dog then?"

"Rascal." Greg corrected.

"Right, you wonna go get Rascal then?" Greg eagerly nodded. "Okay, gimme 5 minutes." Nick kissed him softly then climbed to his feet heading off to the bathroom. "Hey G!" He called back from his position at the sink.

"Yeah?"

"Did you buy any toothpaste?" Nick asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Was it on the list?" Greg asked sitting up. Nick thought about it then shook his head. "Then no, I didn't . . . there none left?"

"Tiniest bit." Nick mumbled, heading back into the bathroom.

"Not my fault, if you don't put it on the list, I won't buy it." Greg shouted back as he heard Nick brushing his teeth.

Nick emerged a few minutes later with fresh breath and a freshly shaved jaw. "Oreo's weren't on the list Greg." He pointed out to him as he grabbed a t-shirt off the end of the bed, smelling it to check if it was clean.

"There's clean ones in the draw." Greg pointed, grabbing the dirty one from Nick's hand to toss into the pile with the others.

"Did you get any of my protein shakes?" He asked as he pulled a fresh clean t-shirt from the drawer. Greg bit his lip thinking about it. "They were on the list Greg."

"Possibly."

"What _did_ you buy?" Nick returned to the closet, pulling out some fresh socks.

"Bread, coffee..." Greg searched his pockets for the receipt. Nick pulled it from his hands so he could read it for himself.

Nick frowned as he read through it. "Greg . . . half this stuff wasn't on the list!"

"Well I kinda lost the list." He finally confessed. Nick raised his eyebrows as he looked round at him. "It was really windy when I got out the car." Nick rolled his eyes, sighing heavily. "Are you mad at me?"

"No." Nick laughed softly. "How could I be mad at you? C'mon, let's go." He led the way off down the stairs, heading towards the door. Greg jumped to his feet, following the grouchy Texan off down the stairs. Nick pulled a baseball cap on, grabbing his car keys, ushering Greg out the door. "What?" Nick asked as Greg stood still staring at him.

"I'm not going with you angry at me."

"Greg! You been buggin' me all mornin' about this now you don't wonna go?"

"I wonna go . . . not with you like this though." Greg pushed the front door shut, leaning against it. "What did I do wrong now?" Greg asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Nothin', can we just go?" Nick made his way for the door again, but Greg pushed him back. "What Greg? What do you want me to say?"

"If you don't want your job anymore then why are you acting like this?"

"I'm tired, now move." Nick insisted. Greg moved out the way, following Nick off down the drive towards his truck.

"Is it really this Brian kid from your case that's got you all hot and bothered?" Greg stopped him before he could unlock the car, not noticing the car pulling up at the foot of their drive.

"Shut up Greg."

"How am I supposed to help you if you don't talk to me?"

"Just drop it Greg!" He snapped at him, tossing his keys accidentally with the angry reflex. "Just stop talkin' about it, okay?"

Greg picked up Nick's keys off the floor, handing them back to him. "You can't let the cases hit you like this Nick."

"Well they do, I'm only human Greg. I can't just forget about it like you."

"You think I just forget about it?"

"They don't affect you as much as they used to!" Nick shouted at him, his voice full of emotion.

"You're the one who told me you just have to deal and move on. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about that kid I killed!" Greg shouted at him, turning to face his mother as she cleared her throat from the end of the drive.

"Don't let me interrupt." She smiled slightly at them, lifting some shopping bags from her car. Nick leant against the wall behind him, hanging his head low with the rim of the baseball cap covering his eyes. "Where you boys off to?"

"Get his..."

"Nowhere." Greg interrupted Nick, helping his mother with the bags into the house. Jean looked between the two of them before she head off into the house, following in Greg's footsteps off towards the kitchen. "Mom, don't interfere." He warned her once they were alone.

"I won't." She playfully zipped her lips shut, tossing a key over her shoulder. "I really gotta pee." She spoke two seconds later.

"You know where it is. No snooping." He warned her. Jean gave him an innocent smile, heading off up the stairs towards the bathroom. Greg head back out the front door to talk to Nick, noticing he was still in the same spot he was before. "Nick." Greg softly spoke, taking a few steps closer towards him. Nick neither looked up or moved. Greg took another step closer, leaning on the wall beside him. "Why do you always have to attack me when you're down Nick?"

"I'm sorry; I don't know what I'm sayin' half the time. I'm a hot head . . . you know I am."

Greg reached for Nick's hand, lacing their fingers together. "I think it's because you don't like to be vulnerable . . . so you attack me to make me weaker than you."

"I don't."

"Maybe not on purpose." Greg waved to his neighbour as he walked by.

"Hi Greg." Otis waved back, giving him a warm smile as he head off up his driveway.

"Who's that?" Nick questioned Greg, watching the rather large black man entering the house next to theirs.

"That's Otis. He lives next door." Greg pointed out. "He helped me out with the lawn mower this morning. He invited us over for brunch at the weekend with him and his partner too."

"He knows we're gay right?"

"Yep, he is too." Greg smiled as Nick finally raised his head so he could see his eyes just beneath the brim of his cap. "He's married to his partner Dave, they have a teen daughter... called Jo or something like that, and they're expecting a baby in a couple of months. They've got a surrogate."

"Oh." Nick looked at Greg wide eyed a moment, wondering how he always managed to make friends with complete strangers so fast.

Greg leant closer against Nick, holding his hand tighter as they both stared down at the ground in front of them. "Have you noticed we always do that?" Greg suddenly asked him after a few minutes of silence later.

"Do what?"

"Change the subject." Greg smiled round at him. "We never stick to a topic we're arguing about, we always have to change it."

"Right." Nick nodded in agreement. "We have to work on our communication."

"Total honesty?" Greg leant on his side on the wall, holding Nick's hand to his chest. "Dreams, crazy melt downs, everything. You have to really promise this time."

Nick moved his hat back slightly further on his head so he could look right into Greg's eyes. "I promise. One hundred percent honesty. I'll tell you everythin'. Even if I'm worried about bein' vulnerable."

"Shit, can I have that in writing?"

Nick poked the little tease in the stomach, rolling his eyes at him. "I can't help it okay. My dad never let us boys cry when we were kids, we're supposed to be strong, show no weakness. So it's kinda hard after years of trainin' to bottle it up, to suddenly open up to you." He confessed to him.

"We'll have to rewrite your training then." Greg smiled up at him. "Tell me what you're thinking right now."

"I'm thinkin' those jeans really show off your gorgeous backside." Nick smirked, almost blushing as he confessed that to him. "I'm also thinkin' that if we stand here any longer and talk, you're gonna get even more anxious to see Rascal."

"Do you promise on my life that you'll always tell me the truth?"

"It works both ways G."

"I know. But you first." Greg insisted.

"Tell me what you're thinkin' first." Nick requested as he reached for Greg's other hand, looking deep into his gorgeous eyes. "I promise on your life . . . and mine I'll tell you the truth from now on. Now tell me what you're thinkin'."

"There's not enough hours in the day to tell you everything." Greg giggled softly. "I'm thinking that you try and start fights with me because you're trying to protect yourself from feeling weak. You're happy with me being the chick in our relationship, but not you. You're also worried I'm gonna leave you . . . and your flies are undone." Nick quickly reached for his zipper, pulling them up before anyone else noticed.

"You're thinkin' all that?" Greg nodded to him. "You're half right. Greg I've been the baby of a big family for years. I love bein' the older one for once. It's not about who's the chick and who's the guy. I just want you to be happy. I want to protect your innocence . . . make you happy and take care of you. I love bein' able to hold you in my arms, you're my baby . . . not in a weird squicky way." He quickly confirmed. "But I love bein' able to hold you and watch you sleep. So to feel weak around someone I'm tryin' to protect..."

"You don't have to protect me."

"But I want to. It breaks my heart to see you cry, you're so much braver than me Greg. You can give yourself over to me completely, and I want to do that. I wish I was half as brave as you."

Greg smiled in awe as he looked up into his boyfriend's eyes, loving him even more than he ever had before.

"Kiss him you fool!" His mother's voice suddenly shouted from the bedroom window above them. Nick and Greg smiled as they looked up at Jean's smudged makeup from the tears in her eyes. "Well, what are you waiting for? That was beautiful." She sobbed, pulling another tissue from her pocket.

Greg grinned widely, inching a little closer to Nick. "I promise to tell you the truth too. Complete one hundred percent honesty. Nothing in the world means anymore to me then you do. I'd die for you Nicky." He whispered softly before he joined their lips together, giving him a sweet tender kiss, hearing his mother awing them in the background. "You know I'm sure Rascal can wait a few _more_ minutes." Greg whispered, smoothing his hand across Nick's forearm.

"Are you kiddin' me? You've been excited about this all day." Nick smiled, kissing him softly on the forehead. "I don't wonna ruin it for you... anymore than I already have."

"But if you're not up to it..."

"Seein' a smile on your face will cheer me up." Pulling Greg closer into his arms, he smoothed his hands up and down Greg's back; kissing him once again before they pulled apart. "Ready to go now?" Greg nodded, lacing his fingers with Nick's. "I love you baby."

"I love you too Cutie." Greg snickered softly. Nick playfully swatted Greg's back seat, giving him a soft smile. "Mom, we're going out, be back soon. No snooping!" He shouted a warning up to her again.

"As if I would?" She called back from their bedroom where she was routing through their bedside draws.

"You did put that extra packet of condoms in there right?" Nick asked him as they walked towards his car.

"Yep, she won't suspect a thing." Greg assured him, letting go of his hand as they had to part ways to get in each side of the car.

Once they were both strapped in they shared a quick kiss before Nick pulled off out the drive, watching Greg fiddling with the radio as they finally set off to pick up Rascal. "So, what else did you do today G?"

"Not a whole lot," Greg wound down his window to let in a soft breeze, leaning back in his seat to get comfy. "I bumped into Jade in Wal-Mart. She thinks pregnancy is beautiful, but also gross. She's still giving up the baby, and there's not a chance in hell she'd ever be our surrogate." Nick looked round at him surprised. "I was gonna discuss it with you if she said yes."

"You can't just go around askin' people to be our surrogate Greg."

"But you want your own kids and I can't give them to you. It makes me feel guilty."

"Guilty, why?" Nick asked surprised, thinking he didn't have anything to be guilty about.

"Because you fell in love with the one person that can't give you kids. It makes me feel guilty because you deserve to have kids, you have a huge heart and I love you for that." Greg turned to face him. "It's my fault you can't have kids, so I feel as though I should fix that problem."

"Greg," Nick reached out for his hand, squeezing it tightly. "It's not your fault. Not at all. You don't have to fix it. I love you even if you can't give me kids. I wonna be with you for the rest of my life. Gettin' this dog will be like havin' a kid, sorta. It's not your fault." He assured him again. "I hate it when we fight . . . it feels like half of me is dyin'."

"Dave and Otis fight all the time, but they've made a pact to never go to bed angry at each other."

"Who's Dave and Otis?" Nick looked round at him confused.

"Our neighbours. You met Otis on the drive." Greg reminded him. "You'll have a chance to meet him this weekend too. If you want to go."

"I do if you do." Nick pulled up the car at their destination, slowly turning the engine off as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "Is Otis or Dave better lookin' then me?"

"Nope, they don't even compare." Greg sweetly smiled, leaning across the middle of the car for a quick kiss. "Dave's in his fifties . . . almost bald . . . and he's got a bit of a beer belly thing going on." He told him between soft kisses.

"And Otis? I didn't get a good look at him before."

"Late forties . . . nowhere near as cute as you . . . and he's got this weird lopsided grin." Greg closed his eyes as Nick's warm tongue swirled around inside of his mouth, smiling widely as they pulled apart. "I love it when you do that."

"I love doin' that, so it works out nicely." Nick gently brushed his fingers down the side of Greg's face, studying his angelic eyes. "I love this honesty stuff."

"Me too."

"Ready to go get your puppy then G?" Greg nodded with a wide smile on his face. "Hey, I'm really sorry G . . . for everythin' I put you through..."

"We're just as crazy as each other like you said." Greg wrapped his arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "But I wouldn't have it any other way. Grouchy, tired Nicky and all."

"Well I love your hyperactive brain and personality. I love the overtalkin', over explain' and the ability you have to make friends with anyone..."

"Oh I didn't even tell you about Mary at the check out."

"See what I mean." Nick chuckled softly. "There's not a single thing I would ever change about you Greg."

Greg giggled as their mouths inched closer together. "Did we just exchange wedding vows?"

"I think we did." After a slow sensual kiss, Nick smiled as he looked into his lover's eyes. "I love you Greg."

"I love you too. Please can we go now?" He impatiently pleaded, wanting to see his puppy.

"Yes." Nick pecked a kiss to his cheek then climbed out of the truck as Greg's excitement was still bubbling up inside of him as they were seconds away from getting his puppy and nothing could stop him now.

* * *

**Based around 'The Case of the Cross-Dressing Carp' episode. Brian is Nick's victim from the case in case you don't remember. When they first found him they thought he was taking hormone injections in preparation for a sexual reassignment surgery, but really the water was just contaminated so Brian killed himself. That's why Nick's so upset about it.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks for your reviews on the last one. I'm glad you liked it :D**

**Please Review**


	52. Chapter 52: You'll thank me one day

**Chapter Fifty Two: You'll Thank Me One Day**

"I can't believe you got him a puppy." Jean tusked, folding her arms across her chest as she looked out the window at her son playing with the puppy in the garden like an excitable young child.

Nick gulped nervously as he stepped up beside her. "He said he already told you." Nick smiled as he looked at his adorable boyfriend softly ruffling the pup's golden coloured coat.

"He did, but he said dog, not a puppy." She informed him, stuffing her hands on her hips. "How are you going to look after it with you two out of the house all the time?"

"We've already thought of that actually, Jade's gonna help out for a while. And Greg's been readin' up on all sorts of books. He's been researchin' like crazy."

"He always does that when he gets his mind set on something."

"I know." Nick smiled at her. "So do you need any help..."

"Oh no, no, no," She insisted, heading back over to the stove to continue cooking. "You go, go quick before Greg gets too attached to the puppy and forgets all about you." She teased him.

Nick smiled round at her then head off out into the garden, kneeling down beside Greg on the freshly cut grass. "Have you shown him where he's gonna sleep yet G?" Greg shook his head, ruffling his fingers across the pups head. "Do yah like him?"

"I love him . . . no more than I love you." He quickly assured him, turning his head to press a kiss to his lips.

"Good." Nick stretched out his legs as he sat down beside Greg, softly ruffling his fingers through the puppy's soft hair, who seemed to be enjoying all of the attention. "My mom's gonna be here soon."

"Okay," Greg lay back on the grass beside Nick, pulling him towards him. "So we have a few minutes to make out before she gets here." He cheekily asked.

"Do you think everythin' through?" Nick chuckled, feathering his fingertips down the side of Greg's soft cheek. Greg nodded with a wide smile, wetting his lips ready for a kiss. Nick hooked his leg around Greg's, smoothing one hand up his side as he joined their lips together. "Do you know what the best part about marryin' you is?"

"I can think of a few things." Greg cheekily giggled.

"The best part is that I get to be with my best friend forever."

Jean watched in awe of her son and his fiancé. She was so glad her baby boy had finally found somebody to love him for who he was, just like she did. Hearing a knock at the front door, she checked on the dinner before she rushed off to answer it, smiling widely at the sight of her new mother in law, Jillian Stokes.

"Hello Jilly." She once again used the nickname she had given her.

"Hello Jean." Jillian replied, giving her a warm smile. "Am I early?"

"Nope, right on time." Jean ushered her into the house, hanging her coat up for her before she led her through to the kitchen. Watching her in law scanning the room, she gave her a knowing smile as she was thinking the same thing. "I know . . . I told them they need to do a better job in decorating too." She chuckled softly, returning to the stove to stir her pots.

"Boys will be boys." Jillian smirked, catching sight of them out in the garden. Slowly walking towards the window, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of the young lover's cuddled up on the grass together, reminding her of her teenage years with her husband. "Is that a dog?" She suddenly asked Jean.

Jean licked her lips from the sauce she was tasting, nodding over to her. "Yes, Nicky bought it for Greg. It's names Roscoe... or Rider... something weird like that." She shook her head as she couldn't remember, turning for the fridge to start chopping up the vegetables.

"I take it you're not a dog person." Jillian chuckled softly.

"No, can't stand the things. All their fur and yapping." Jean cringed at the thought of having a dog in her nice clean home. "I like to keep a neat house, and animals don't really keep the place in good shape... neither do children actually." She added with a smirk.

"You're tellin' me. I looked after my daughters nine and six year old over the weekend. They turned the place upside-down within the hour." Jillian chuckled. "I spent the next few days cleanin' up places I didn't even know they went."

Jean looked over at her in envy. She would give anything to have a house full of grandchildren.

Jean joined Jillian at the window, both stood in awe of their son's, trying to make sure they didn't see them spying on them. "This is like when Nicky was a teenager, catchin' him makin' out with someone on the old porch swing we had out the back." Jillian giggled softly.

Jean nodded in agreement. "Only the first time I caught Greg, he was a senior in college." She chuckled to herself. "I'm so glad my Greg found your son."

"Don't tell my husband this... but I'm actually glad too. Nicky was never happy with any of the women he ever brought home with him. Deep down I always knew he wanted somethin' else. I could see it in his eyes . . . like he was tryin' to force it to impress us or somethin'." Jillian looked at the happiness in her son's eyes now, smiling as she finally got to see her baby happy just like his elder siblings.

"Wine?" Jean offered, opening up another bottle as she had finished off the first by herself while she was cooking.

"Oh yes please." Jillian nodded, being handed a wine glass while Jean filled it up for her right to the rim. Jillian looked at it wide eyed before she took a sip. She never usually had that much wine in a single glass.

"You're so lucky to have such a warm hearted son." Jean told her as she poured herself a glass. "I know my son's lucky to have found him."

Jillian smiled round at her. "I think it's my son who's lucky to have found someone as lively as your Gregory. He reminds me of when Nicky was a child. He was a little hyperactive when he was younger. My husband Bill used to say he was intolerable . . . but I loved the energy in that child. He was my baby and I wanted to keep him that way for as long as I could. He always wanted to learn. It was always one more Mama; one more push on the swing, one more game..."

"Sounds just like my Greg." Jean giggled. "We couldn't go anywhere without the one more mommy. I think I mothered him too much too. I wanted to keep Greg a baby for as long as possible. If I had it my way I'd be cradling him on my lap right through to his teen years." She smirked, getting a wide smile out of Jillian. "He was the only child I could have so I wanted to keep him as my baby. I still have to remind myself that he's in his thirties now. Do you think that's what made our son's gay?" She drunkenly giggled. "We coddled them too much?"

"Well my Nicky was raised in sports and the tough love approach from my husband, so I seriously doubt that we made them gay if they came from different upbringings."

"My son didn't grow up a lot around his father though. He was always away working. Do you think that had some influence?"

Jillian shook her head turning to face her. "My husband never showed love to his son's either. I think it's just in them. Like genetics or somethin'. Both Nicky and Billy were raised the same way, but they both turned out so differently. Nicky was born the way he was born . . . and I wouldn't change him for the world. He's my baby and I'm so proud of him."

"Aww," Jean flicked away a tear from under her eye, putting her arm around Jillian's shoulder. "You know I never thought I would ever hear you say that after hearing you and your husband were very traditional. That's the one mistake so many mothers make. They suddenly reject their children just because they're a little different from others. They don't understand that they've always been that way. They are still their children no matter what. I for one am glad that my son was brave enough to tell me the truth . . . even if I did find out from his Papa Olaf's slip of the tongue. I'm glad he wasn't one of these children who decided to go at it alone. They need all the love and support they can get."

"I'm a little ashamed of myself that my own son couldn't of told me sooner."

"Don't be Jilly." She softly patted her shoulder, giving her a soft smile. "Nicky was probably battling his own demons for years. He never wanted to disappoint you. It's tough for them to come out to their families, especially when all of their brothers and sisters are married with what they believe to be normal. They feel guilty because they aren't reaching your expectations." She explained to her, using all the knowledge she had gained from reading books and listening to other parents at the P-FLAG meetings.

Jillian felt even more guilty now as she looked out the window at her son.

Jean was actually glad she could talk with her in law so openly about their son's relationship and lives. After how Greg described Nick's family, she never would have thought they would both be stood here watching them smooching while they were snuggled together.

Both mothers shared a giggle as they watched the dog licking Greg's face.

Greg turned his head away from Nick, giggling as Rascal started to lick his face. Nick patted the pup's head as he gently pushed him away; pecking a kiss to Greg's other cheek. "Someone else loves yah too baby." He smirked at him.

Greg smiled up at him, pulling his hips closer against his own as they pressed their warm lips together again. "Oh, don't flinch." Greg quickly told him as he pulled back from him. Nick looked at him confused, wondering what he was doing then he spotted the beetle climbing up his arm.

Nick watched Greg easily flicking it away, softly rubbing the skin where it was with his delicate fingertips. "What?" Greg asked as he stared down at him.

"You saved me."

"It's just a beetle Nicky." He chuckled softly. "It can't hurt you."

"You still saved me. I love you Greg."

"Boys! Dinners ready!" Jean shouted out the door, immediately chuckling to herself as she hadn't said that in years. "Wash your hands when you come inside."

"No jokes mother!" Greg warned her, being pulled to his feet by Nick. They both brushed down their clothes from the grass, snatching a kiss before they head off inside to eat their dinner.

"You boys really need to buy a dining room table." Jean tusked, having to set up dinner at the counter, and she really hated to sit on a backless stool when she had drank a lot of wine.

"Maybe we'll put it on our list of wedding presents." Greg smiled at her as he washed his hands then went to take a seat beside Nick. "I also want a car, possibly a boat... and a round the world trip ticket..."

"You little sod." She laughed, going to slap him round the head but he quickly ducked out of the way to dodge the strike. Nick pulled him down into his seat to stop him from pestering his mother while she served out the rest of their dinner.

"Or skydiving." He added.

"Don't even think about it." She warned him. "I worry enough when you're out in the field. I still can't believe you delayed telling me that fact for three whole years before you were beaten to death within an inch of your life."

"I wish dad was here." He muttered under his breath.

"Nicky's been skydivin'." Jillian informed her, trying to change to a happier topic before everyone started feeling awkward and uncomfortable at the beginning of the meal.

"Oh you must have been terrified." Jean gasped as she looked at her.

"No," Jillian shook her head. "Of course he didn't tell me until after he'd done it." She smirked as she shot an accusing glare towards him.

"I was perfectly safe." He assured her as she looked at him.

"Gregory, I forbid you to ever do anything like that." Jean sternly warned him, hoping Nick wouldn't be a bad influence on her son to try out new dangerous things that could very well end his life this time. "So, seven months away? Is anyone getting excited yet?" Jean excitedly giggled as she took a seat beside Jillian, trying to change to a happier subject again. "I for one am so excited about this whole wedding finally coming together..." She continued to babble, spooning more than enough coleslaw onto Jillian's plate, but she was talking so fast about how excited she was that Jillian couldn't get a word in edge wise to stop her.

"Mom, remember to take breaths between each sentence." Greg interrupted her, finally stopping her from rambling. "And I think Jillian has more than enough coleslaw." He pointed out to her by the heaps of coleslaw on her plate.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. Don't feel the need to eat it all." Jean giggled, moving round to Nick to spoon some onto his plate. "So, are you filling your wedding planner book? Georgina Harris from P-FLAG gave me some more wedding planner books..."

"Mom, we already have stacks of them all over the house. We don't need anymore." Greg assured her.

"Are you even looking at the stacks of magazines?" She questioned them both, placing the bowl of coleslaw down on the counter as she returned to her seat, serving everyone but Greg. Nick and Greg both bit their lips as they looked up at her, shrinking into their seats. "You haven't looked at them? Seven months will fly by boys; if I wasn't helping you out you'd be lost. Do you even know what you should be planning at this time?" They both looked at her blankly. "See useless. You should be planning your guest list, creating a budget, visiting and reserving a location for both your wedding and the after part. You should have the caterer, florist, bakery, DJ and photographer all planned and booked. Created a song list..."

"Oh we've already done that." Greg interrupted her as he watched the blood draining from his fiancés face at the long list of things to do that his mother just spilled out.

"One thing Gregory? I've done the florist, spoken to the caterer's to get your cake all planned. You still need to book your honeymoon location, start drafting your vows, plan you gift registry..."

"Whoa, slow down!" Greg silenced her. "You seriously need all this planning for one day?"

Jean and Jillian looked at each other wide eyed.

Their sons were completely clueless to all the planning and preparation that went into one single big day.

Possibly the biggest day of their lives, after their births of course.

* * *

"Greg, you okay bud?" Nick stepped outside, looking at Greg sat on the step, stroking his puppy's soft head of fur. Greg hadn't spoken a single word since dinner which was very unusual, especially for him. Nick sat down on the step behind him, putting his legs either side of his body as he pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "What's up Greg?"

"I'm usually so prepared for everything. I don't like looking like an idiot, but this... how are you supposed to prepare for all of this. I had no idea there was so much work to do for one day."

Nick wrapped his arms around Greg's body, sliding towards the edge of the step so they were closer together. "Don't worry; you won't be the only idiot Greg." He chuckled softly. "I had no idea either." Nick pressed another soft kiss to his lover's cheek, holding him tighter in his arms. "We'll get through it Greg, especially now I'm not workin'."

"That's not a good thing; we can't live on my income alone. You've gotta get your job back." He told him as he looked round at him.

"What if I don't want it back?"

"You don't have a job?" A voice suddenly shrieked from behind him.

Nick turned his head to see his mother stood in the kitchen, grabbing another bottle of wine for her and Jean to drink together in the front room as they had just finished off the last. "Oh Mama..."

"When were you gonna tell me?"

"I smell something burning." Greg quickly climbed to his feet, heading off inside so Nick and his mother could talk.

"Mama, I'm sorry. I..."

"Did you lose it? Lose your job? Your father would be so disapp... appoint.. apaion..."

"Disappointed." Nick corrected for her as she seemed to be having some trouble getting the words out with the amount of wine she had drank.

"Yesss." She slurred. "He would be so... disappa . . . oh you know what I mean."

"Like he isn't already?" Nick finally came out and asked her. "He doesn't seem overly thrilled about any of this. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't even show up to our weddin'."

"Of course he will honey. It just takes some gettin' used to. You know he's very old fashioned. He still believes all of his daughters are virgins." Jillian pointed out to him with a smirk. "What happened to your job then?"

Nick slumped back onto the step, resting his head on his knees as his mother sat down beside him. "The undersheriff and Ecklie found out about us. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole lab knows by now."

"That's why you quit? Because they found out that you're gay?" She drunkenly hiccupped. "So what?"

"No, because we're bein' discriminated because we're gay. I never even meant to quit. It just kinda came out. I don't think I can do it anymore anyway. I almost lost Greg, Brass was almost killed . . . then Sara . . . who's next? I don't know if I can do it anymore."

"You used to say they were just the risks of the job."

"They were . . . but I was alone then. I love Greg. I saw how broken up Grissom was when he thought he lost Sara, I never wonna feel like that."

"So," Jillian steadied herself as she climbed to her feet, feeling even more dizzy now that she was vertical. "What are you gonna do instead?"

Nick shrugged as he looked up at her. "I can't go back there."

"Are you goin' to let this Ecklie weasel scare you out of your job?" She asked him. "You're supposed to complain against discrimination . . . not quit honey. It's against the law to discriminate against sexual orientation, age, race..."

"I know that Mama." He interrupted her, sighing heavily.

"In the workplace everyone has the right to be treated with respect," She informed him, getting into lawyer mode. "We can get Ecklie out of a job for doin' this to you."

"I don't wonna cause any problems."

"You never do honey." She sighed heavily. "Do you remember when you were seven and the coach wouldn't let you join little league because you were too short and he thought you wouldn't be able to run as fast as the other team members because you had shorter legs?" Nick nodded up at her. "Well your father talked to him and he got you on the team, and thanks to you they won the whole season."

"This is a little different than that Mama."

"Not by much." She shook her head. "It's still discrimination. Don't worry, I'll sort it."

"No Mama." Nick insisted shaking his head at her, but she wasn't having any of it.

"You'll thank me when you're back doin' what you love sweetheart."

Nick sighed in defeat then smiled up at her. "Okay, thanks Mama." He climbed to his feet, receiving a warm hug from her.

Greg smiled from his position in the kitchen, glad that someone finally got through to Nick about his job. He knew how much Nick loved his job, and he was scared about the risks too, but he shouldn't have to quit his job to make everyone happy at work. They should be able to stay in their jobs, despite their sexual orientation.

Greg head off to the front room, where he caught his mother red handed, snooping through some of their draws. He loudly cleared his throat, making her jump as she turned to face him. "Oh, hello sweetheart." She tried to act casual.

"What are you doing?" Greg pushed the draw shut, standing in the way so his mother couldn't snoop inside again.

"I wasn't doing anything honey."

"I think you were."

"No, I was just looking for the... cork screw." She lied.

"It's in your hand." He pointed. "You'd think I'd be used to you snooping around by now, but you can't keep going through my stuff. It's Nick's stuff too, and he hates his privacy being invaded." Greg reminded her. "I'm not a child anymore mom, you can't keep treating me like one."

"Oh, I'm sorry honey. But you'll always be my child. You'll always be my baby boy, nothing will ever change that."

"You said you'd back off once I'm married though." He reminded her. "I should have tape recorded it or gotten it in writing."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be a better mother to you honey."

"You're already the best; you can't get better than the best." Greg smiled up at her.

"Aww, thank you honey. I tried my best, especially with what I had to work with." She teased him, getting an evil scowl in return.

"I think I take back my comment."

"Nuh uh, you can't do that." Jean giggled. "All I did for you was follow you around, picking up after you like some maid. You owe me some gratitude, especially after what you've put me through since you left home."

"What about what you've put me through? Years of embarrassment and therapy?"

"Don't be so dramatic." She laughed, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. "You know god couldn't be everywhere at once, that's why he invented mothers."

"Ouch." Greg winced, struggling to pull out of her arms as she kissed him on the cheek repeatedly. "I've never heard that version. I thought it was god was everywhere."

"Nope, he couldn't possibly be everywhere. That's why he invented mothers." She laughed.

"Then how come Jesus didn't stay with his mother?" He giggled as he pulled out of her arms. "Do you think she smothered him too much?" He teased then did his best impression of his nagging mother's voice. "As long as you live under my roof, you'll do as I say. Beds are not made for jumping on. Close the door! You don't live in a barn..."

"You little..." She went to slap him upside the head, but he managed to quickly duck back again just in time. "You'll thank me one day, you little monster! And Jesus did live in a barn."

"Do you think your socks are going to pick themselves up?" He continued to impersonate her, dodging another strike from his drunken mother as he giggled his way back to the kitchen.

"I hope one day you have children just like you, then we'll see who's laughing!" She shouted after him, collapsing onto the sofa behind her, wondering where Jillian had got to with the wine.

Greg stopped as he heard a knock at the front door. Turning on his heels he head back towards the front door, glancing at the time as he wondered who it could possibly be at almost one o'clock in the morning.

"Dad." He gasped surprised.

"Hello son." Daniel immediately stepped through the door, giving his son a warm hug. "I came to pick up your mother, thought you might need rescuing right about now." He chuckled softly.

"Yes, she's been at the wine." Greg giggled, leading his father off to the front room. "Mom!"

"What?" She lifted her head from the sofa, smiling as she saw her husband and son. "Honey, what are you doing here?" She asked, brushing back her messy hair, but only made herself look worse as she did so.

"I came by to see if they needed rescuing yet." He chuckled, heading over to the sofa to peck a kiss to his wives cheek as he flattened the birds nest on top of her head for her. "And how much wine did you drink?" He accusingly asked her.

"About," She squinted across the room at the two empty bottles sat on the side. "Not a lot." She replied after a drunken hiccup.

"And you?" Daniel looked over at his son.

"Haven't touched a drop." He promised him.

"Good boy." Daniel winked at him, spotting Nick and Jillian walking into the room. "Hi Nick." Daniel shook his hand then gave a warm smile to Jillian. "Hello Jillian, nice to see you again."

"Hello Dan... iel." She hiccupped, almost stumbling over as she made her way over to the couch.

"You're a bad influence on her Jean." Daniel tusked his wife.

"I am not. We were just discussing our babies wedding, and we needed a little drink." Jean explained, climbing to her feet to pull her son into a bone crushing hug again. "I can't believe you're getting married. It seems like just yesterday I was changing your diapers and singing you off to sleep."

"Ouch, well you gotta let go some time mom." Greg winced, trying to struggle free but she only held onto him tighter.

"C'mon Jean, let the boy go. I better you home." Daniel insisted.

"But he's my baby." She protested as Daniel freed his son from her grip. "Are we going home then?"

"Wait Dad, you have to come see Rascal." Greg insisted, tugging his father away by his arm, just like he used to when he was a child, desperately wanting to show him something.

Greg excitedly dragged his father off out the back door towards Rascal who was still sat on the grass with his chew toy that Greg had bought especially for him. He wanted to buy the one that squeaked when you squeezed it, but Nick thought that it might get on their nerves after a while, so he just went with the ordinary one shaped like a hamburger.

"Rascal did you say?" His father questioned.

Greg nodded. "After Rascal Flatts, Nick's favourite band." Greg explained, watching Rascal licking his father's hand as he stroked his soft golden coat.

"You named your dog after your boyfriend's favourite band?" He queried, rubbing the dogs belly as he rolled over, enjoying the attention once again.

"Yeah." Greg grinned, kneeling down the other side of him. "Would you prefer I called him Marilyn Manson?" He smirked up at him.

Daniel laughed, shaking his head at him. "No, I suppose Rascal Flatts is better than Marilyn Manson."

"Did you get more wine Jilly?" Jean asked, reaching for her empty glass on the counter.

"No, no more wine." Daniel warned her, turning to face her in the kitchen. "From the looks of it you've had enough." He pointed out to her as he head back into the kitchen. "It's time to get you home anyway; I think the boys could use some peace. Jillian, would you like a lift back to your hotel?" He offered.

"Oh yes, that would be lovely, if it's not too much trouble that is?"

"Nope, none at all. You all done with the wedding arrangements?"

Jean gave out a drunken giggle. "You need months to do that, not an evening. Oh Gregory, did you get that email of the flower arrangements?" Greg bit his lip as he hadn't actually checked his email in days. "Go and get it, we can show Jilly and your father." Jean led everyone but Greg off to the front room to sit down.

Daniel sat on the arm of the sofa beside his wife, while Jillian and Nick sat the other side.

"Got it." Greg rushed back into the front room with his laptop, taking a seat right between Nick and Jean.

Jillian watched as the younger man swung one of his legs over her sons before he opened the laptop on their laps. They were sitting just like a young couple in love, and it didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. She looked at Greg's computer screen, noticing a large picture of her son and Greg in one another's arms with wide smile on their faces on his screensaver. She had never been more proud of her son then now. She could clearly see the love they had for one another in their eyes and it brought tears of joy to her eyes.

Greg opened the email from his mother; one of the many that had flooded his inbox. He opened the pictures file attached to it, slowly flipping through them so everyone could take a look. There were romantic red roses, bouquets of carnations; table setting's of lilies, chrysanthemums, orchids, tulips and fancy centrepieces made of many flowers, shaped to look like hearts.

"Jeez, how many flowers are we having?" Greg immediately asked as he was overwhelmed with the many different shapes and sizes they all came in.

"Well you have to pick. Obviously you don't need to worry about the bride's bouquet, corsage, hair flowers, throwing bouquet or the going away corsage. But you do have the bridesmaids hair flowers and bouquets. The child bridesmaids corsage, hair flowers, basket and petal confetti. The groom's button hole flower, along with the best man, ushers, fathers, grandfathers and the ring man. The mothers and grandmothers corsage's, along with all the ceremony flowers, from the entrance, pedestal..."

"So a lot." Greg interrupted his babbling mother, making Daniel and Nick laugh.

"Yes Gregory, there's also the ceremony table, chair decorations, wedding cars, the reception entrance, staircases, table centres, top tables, buffet tables, cake table, wedding cake flowers and the guest book table. I'm sure I forgot some."

"God I hope not." Greg muttered under his breath. "Wedding's aren't very environmentally friendly are they?" He asked, gripping Nick's hand tightly under the laptop.

"No dear." Jean chuckled. "You don't have a lot of time left to plan this either. You really should stop dragging your heels and get to work boys."

Greg turned to look at his father for help.

Daniel caught onto the look his boy was giving him, reaching for his wife's hand. "Right, time to go." He climbed to his feet, pulling his wife up with him. "See you soon Nick." He shook his hand again, smiling as his son climbed to his feet, throwing his arms around him. "I'll see you soon too Greg." He chuckled against his neck.

Jillian looked up at the gesture surprised. Her husband had never once hugged either one of her son's, but Greg and Daniel seemed very comfortable with it. Nick seemed to be slightly envious of the father son hug too.

Jillian gently patted her son's leg as she saw the envy in his eyes, giving him a soft smile.

Jean and Jillian finally started to gather up their purses and coats, heading off towards the front door then to Nick's surprise Daniel gave him a hug before he ushered the women out of the door towards his car. Greg stepped up beside Nick, weaving their hands together as they waved them off.

"Goodbye Nicky," Jean tipsily shouted after him, giving him a drunken wave before she climbed into the car. "Don't worry about all the planning. Jilly and I are here to help." She shouted out of her window once she was inside, quite possibly waking the neighbours with her loud shouting.

Nick nodded as he pulled Greg closer into his arms, pressing a kiss to his temple. Daniel and Jillian waved out the windows as they head off down the road, disappearing into the distance.

"Are yah gonna help me out with the dishes G?" Nick asked as he pushed the door shut, but Greg's cheeky smile said it all. "Fine, I'll do em solo . . . again."

"You sure you don't mind?"

"As if anythin' would stop you from seein' yah puppy." Nick smirked, pressing a kiss to Greg's cheek before he ran off to see Rascal. "You owe me." He shouted after him.

"Count on it." Greg winked from the back door.

Nick gave him a wide smile then started scrapping the plates clean, loading them into the dishwasher before he started to wash up the pots and pans in the sink. While it was finally quiet, he started to think about his job, along with everything his mother and Greg had told him.

Once he finished washing up, he reached for his phone, dialling Warrick's number. A number he hadn't dialled in a long time for help. "_Yo Nick, what's up?" _Warrick answered after three rings.

"Hey, how's yah shift?"

"_Pretty quiet." _Warrick ducked into the empty breakroom, leaning back against the counter. "_So what's up? You haven't called me in a long time."_

"I don't know if you heard or not . . . but I kinda..."

"_The job thing?" _Warrick interrupted him. "_Yeah I know."_

"Does everyone know now?" Nick made his way off up the stairs so Greg couldn't hear him.

"_Nope, Greg told me."_

"Greg?" Nick dropped onto the edge of their bed, looking down at the floor in front of him. "Why did Greg tell you?"

"_Don't get too offended there boss, but Greg does talk to me. He was just worried about you. Hell we both are Nicky, since when do you give into some asshole like Ecklie?"_

"I'm just sick of it man. I've told you that before."

Warrick sighed softly, not knowing what to say to him right now. "_Well Nick, that was after Greg was beaten up. I figured since things started getting better, you changed your mind."_

"No . . . I'm sick of this city man. There's nothin' good here."

"_There's Greg." _Warrick pointed out to him. "_There's your friends . . . this cities your home Nick."_

"It still doesn't feel like home. I've still got those housin' brochures for New York and California around here somewhere."

"_You really think Greg would quit his job and move that far away though?" _Warrick hoped he wouldn't as he didn't want to lose his best friends and brothers after he had just lost his wife and son. "_Nick, don't worry about it. Grissom, Catherine and I will get your job back. We won't let that little whimp bully you out of your job, you hear me? You can't let him get away with that Nick."_ Warrick looked up as Catherine walk in. "_Nicky I gotta go, just think about it okay? Talk to yah later." _Warrick snapped his phone shut, leading Catherine off towards Grissom's office to talk over Nick's situation.

Nick sighed heavily, falling back onto the bed behind him. No one was listening to what he wanted. They all thought they knew what was best for him.

He closed his eyes as he thought it all over, falling asleep within a few minutes as he was still completely exhausted.

Nick shook himself awake from a nightmare a few hours later, still alone on the bed. He climbed to his feet, rubbing his sleepy eyes open as he walked off down the stairs to look for Greg. He soon found him fast asleep on the sofa with Rascal in his arms.

Nick lifted a 'Pride and Groom' wedding planner book from Greg's hands, setting it down on the coffee table before he gently lifted Greg's arm, letting Rascal free from his grip. "C'mon boy." Nick led the way off towards the utility room where one end of the room was completely set up for the dog. There was a large warm bed, bowl of water and a bowl of biscuits that Greg had previously set up for him.

Nick stroked the puppy's soft head as he sniffed the new surroundings, taking a few cautious steps towards the large bed before he decided to climb on it and get himself comfortable. "That's a good boy. That's your bed." Nick spoke to him, kneeling down in front of him as the puppy was still a little jumpy. He waited for the puppy to get settled before he head out the room, quietly clicking the door shut behind him.

Nick locked the back door then checked the front one along with all the windows before he returned to Greg, pressing a delicate kiss to his forehead as he continued to soundly sleep. He didn't want to wake him, but he didn't fancy sleeping alone either, especially not after all the dreams he had been experiencing the past week.

Nick carefully slid one arm under Greg's back, gently tugging him to his feet. Greg began to softly stir, resting his head on Nick's shoulder, but he was too sleepy to open his eyes. "Where are we going?" Greg sleepily asked.

"Bed." Nick hooked his arm under Greg's legs, lifting him into his arms as he carried him off up the stairs. He quietly made his way off up the stairs with Greg in his arms, gently lowering him to the bed once he reached it. He pressed another tender kiss to his forehead, carefully removing his sneakers for him. He set them down on the floor then carefully unbuckled his belt to pull his jeans off as he knew he didn't like sleeping in them because they were uncomfortable.

Nick did the same to himself, crawling into bed beside his slumbering lover to spoon him tightly. "I love you." He whispered against his ear as he snuggled closer.

"I love you too." Greg repeated after him, leaning back into his warm embrace. "More than anything in the world."

Nick broke into a wide grin, pressing a warm kiss to his lover's cheek. "Me too baby." Nick clutched him tightly, pulling the covers up around them. "Hey Greg, how do you feel about movin' away from here?"

"On vacation?" He sleepily asked.

Nick bit his lip. "Maybe a little longer than a vacation G."

Greg inhaled a deep breath, slowly turning in his arms to face him. "I'd go anywhere with you." He whispered, wrapping his arms tightly around his boyfriend's strong body. "Just you try and leave me behind." He whispered softly, falling right asleep again.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Nick whispered, pressing soft angel kisses to his eyelids. "Good Night my angel." He whispered, watching him sleeping before he did the same himself, wondering what new adventures Greg would bring to his life tomorrow.

* * *

**The old mothers saying 'You'll thank me one day'. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Please Review**


	53. Chapter 53: Discrimination

**Chapter Fifty Three: Discrimination**

Greg dropped onto the bed beside his snoozing lover, waving a coffee in front of his nose. Nick slowly started to stir, rubbing his eyes open as he turned to face Greg. "Good Morning Nicky." He beamed a sweet smile down at him.

"Mornin' Gorgeous," He replied, pulling him closer to press a soft morning kiss to his lips as his hands drifted down his back towards his hips. "You off out?" He queried as he saw he was all dressed and ready for work.

"Yep, I gotta go to work. What are you gonna do today?" Greg set the coffee down on the bedside table, hooking his leg around Nick's as he trailed his fingertips down his bare chest.

"I don't know. I'll think of somethin' to do without you." He smiled as he pulled the younger man's body closer towards him.

"Don't mess up my hair." Greg warned him as he pulled him closer for a hungry kiss, gliding his warm hands beneath the younger mans t-shirt to caress his smooth chest. Nick hooked his leg around Greg's, rolling their bodies so he was underneath him, upping the heat of his passionate kisses and soft caresses.

* * *

"Hi Greg." Sara smiled as she walked into the locker room, watching him combing his hair with his fingers after a hot and heavy make out session with Nick; who he did warn about the hair, but once they got caught up in the moment he completely forgot about the _hair rule_.

"Hey Sara. You just getting off shift?" Greg pushed his locker door shut, turning to face her.

"Yeah, just pulled a double on swing shift with Ronnie. She never stops asking questions." She smirked as she pulled her locker open. "How's Nick doing?"

"He's okay." Greg dropped onto the bench in the middle of the locker room, retying his sneakers laces. "He's being really stubborn about this job thing still though. He's saying he doesn't want it back now. Then he complains that I never listen to him."

"Maybe he doesn't." Sara dropped onto the bench beside him, pulling her dirty boots off after her never ending shift dumpster diving for body parts. "You know Nick's been going downhill since the coffin thing. He lost it during that missing child case. He's not the same Nick anymore, something like that changes a person." She explained to him as she was sort of going through the same thing since she was stuck under a car in the middle of nowhere.

"He's okay with me . . . besides the nightmares."

"He's having nightmares again?"

"Don't tell him I told you." He warned her as he climbed to his feet.

"I won't." She promised. "Maybe some time off will do him some good. You know Warrick, Catherine and Grissom have talked to Ecklie, they're all threatening to quit if he doesn't give Nick his job back."

"They are?"

"Damn right we are." Warrick nodded from the doorway. "So when's Nick coming back?"

"I don't know." Greg shrugged as he checked his watch.

"Well you better convince him to get his ass back here. We need him." Warrick told him as he head over to his locker for his kit.

"I'll see you guys later." Sara smiled at them, patting her hand on Greg's shoulder as she walked past him.

"Seriously though Greggo, you've gotta talk to Nicky about getting his ass back here."

"I _have_ tried."

"Want me to talk to him?" Warrick offered.

"If you think it will do any good. But he's very stubborn once he's got his mind made up."

"Greg, Warrick," Grissom suddenly shouted, startling them both from the locker room doorway. "I've got a 419 for you two." Grissom handed Greg the slip then continued off down the hall to find Catherine.

"You wonna drive?" Greg immediately asked him.

"You know it." Warrick smirked, grabbing his vest and kit before he followed Greg off towards the elevators. "So what's Nick gonna do instead? He never really had any hobbies before, he's gonna bored stiff without his job."

* * *

Nick finished his fifty reps, collapsing back onto the floor as he panted heavily. He immediately turned his head towards the clock, continuing to count the minutes before Greg got home to him, feeling more and more pathetic every time he did.

He raced to find his phone as he heard it ringing, immediately snapping it open and answering the old professional way, "Stokes."

"_Stokes it's Ecklie."_

"Oh." Nick sighed softly, dropping to the edge of his bed. "What do you want?"

"_I was hoping we could talk." _Ecklie started, resting his elbow on his desk as he tried to think of something to say, hoping it would be the right thing to get Nick Stokes to come back to work.

"Really? Did _you_ want to talk to me? Or are you just worried about losin' the rest of the night shift crew if you _don't _talk to me." He intuitively asked, having already had a text from Greg about what was going on at work.

"_Listen Stokes, the other day in my office, things got a little out of hand. I merely just wanted to talk to you. I have warned both Calvin and Louise about their dating on the job. I was going to do the same thing to you, but you lost your temper with me before I could explain. It's not because you're gay at all . . . it's because dating on the job is dangerous, it clouds your judgement."_

"That's not what you said when you talked to me though. When you really want to apologise for the things you said about me and Greg . . . call me back." Nick snapped his phone shut, collapsing back onto his bed. He glanced back at the clock, but it had only been fifteen minutes, getting no closer to seeing his Greg again.

"God I'm bored!" He groaned heavily.

* * *

"Bored?" Jade smiled over at him. "So you came to see me?"

"All my other friends are either workin' . . . or sleepin'." He smirked, leaning against the wall in her garage. "Shouldn't you be sleepin'? Or doin' somethin' else. Pregnant women shouldn't be workin' on the engines of their cars."

"Most pregnant women don't have to get to work in less than five hours with a car that won't start. And I'm glad you consider _me_ as a friend, but don't tell me what to do. Understood?" She warned him. Nick nervously nodded over to her, looking down at his feet. "Hand me the socket wrench will yah?" Nick looked at the bench sat beside him that Jade was pointing to, wondering which one she was on about. "Far left." Nick went to grab it, but heard Jade snap, "No, your left."

"Oh." He grabbed the right socket wrench, handing it over to her. "Sorry."

"No problem." She smiled, sliding under the car to try and get it started. "So, your first day without Greg . . . or a job . . . and you're bored stiff?"

"Pretty much." He nodded, folding his arms across his chest. "Why don't you just buy a new car?" He asked as that's what he would do.

"Because that's what rich snobs do that can afford to buy a new car, instead of fixing up the old classic." She smiled as she climbed to her feet. "Not that I was calling you a rich snob or anything. No offence Nick."

"None taken."

"Besides, this car's family." She smiled as she wiped her greasy hands on a cloth.

"Family? It's a piece of junk."

"She's got a few dents and scratches. She may not look like much," Jade ran her hand across the shiny red surface of her car. "Do you even know your history on cars?" Nick shook his head at her. "This is a 1970 Plymouth Super bird; she goes two hundred miles per hour... very similar to the Dodge Daytona. She's capable of going naught to sixty in under six seconds. The Super bird itself has won eight Nascar races..."

"Greg told me you were a car nut." He smirked at her.

"I'm not a car nut." She protested, swinging the wrench around in her hand.

"Name three other cars from the 1970's." He tested her.

"1970's? Well there's the Mercury Cyclone, Plymouth GTX and the Plymouth 340 Barracuda. Doesn't make me a car nut." She warned him, loudly dropping the wrench to the bench beside her.

"Aren't these things supposed to sound like the road runner or somethin'?"

Jade smiled at him then reached through her driver's side window to honk the horn which sounded just like Road Runner cartoon character. "How did you know that?"

"I _used_ to like cars. I didn't obsess over them as much as you." He smiled as he walked round the car to check it out. "How much did you pay for a car like this?"

"Nothing," Nick looked up at her wide eyed, thinking she had stolen it. "It was my granddads. I didn't steal it if that's what you're thinking. You know I taught Greg how to drive in this." Nick looked over the roof at her, giving her a curious frown. "Granted he was only fourteen at the time, and I got him grounded for two months, but he was pretty good. The dent on the passenger door was where he hit a fire hydrant. If you look carefully you can still see the red paint in the dent." Nick looked down at the passenger side door, noticing the small spots of red paint in the dent, giving her a smile. "Wonna take her for a ride?" She asked him.

"You're gonna let me drive your car?" Jade nodded, tossing him the keys to her car. While she was locking up the front door of her house, Nick looked at the keys in his hands then walked round to the driver's side, pulling open the squeaky door.

"Oh but the window on your side doesn't work. I've been meaning to fix it." She explained, putting down the hood of the car then climbing into the passenger's side, waiting for Nick. He took a few more seconds to admire the car before he climbed inside, listening to the engine purring as it started up.

* * *

"Whoa Sanders, where you going?" Warrick asked as he saw Greg changing his shoes and pulling on his coat ready to head home. "The wife gotcha on a tight leech?" He joked.

Greg rolled his eyes at him, but couldn't help a smile from spreading across his lips. "Actually, we're meeting wedding planners in the morning. So I have to go home and get some sleep."

"Wedding planners?" Warrick queried surprised.

"Uh huh." Greg pulled his car keys from his pocket as he climbed to his feet. "You may have had the quickie Elvis wedding with Yoko, but you didn't have a mother who wants all the trimmings."

"Yeah, and look how my marriage turned out." Warrick smirked. "So, how _is_ the wedding planning coming along?"

"Horribly. Nick's driving me crazy with the seating arrangements. We don't even have a venue yet and he's planning all the seating and table arrangements, when we haven't even drafted up the guest list yet."

Warrick chuckled softly as he pulled open his locker. "And I thought it would be you who was driving him crazy. I meant that in the nicest way possible."

"You're forgiven." Greg smiled at him. "See yah later."

"Bye Greg, tell the wife I said hello." Greg laughed his way to the elevator, pulling his phone out to text Nick that he was on his way. Greg looked up as the doors opened on the fifth floor, revealing Ecklie and McKeen stood side by side, waiting for the elevator.

"Sanders." Ecklie nodded to him. Greg took a step back so they could climb inside, leaning against the back wall so he was nowhere near them. He shoved his phone back into his pocket, praying for the elevator to go quicker so he could get out of there as soon as possible.

"You know Sanders," Greg gritted his teeth together as Ecklie turned to face him in the close quarters. "I never wanted Nick to quit. You make sure you tell him that. He quit under his own free will. I offered him his job back, but still he refused."

"He did?" Greg looked at him surprised. "When did you offer it back?"

"Today." Ecklie told him just as the elevator doors opened. "So what's he doing now?"

"Um... I have to go." Greg pushed through them, running off towards his car to get home as quick as possible. He couldn't believe that Nick didn't tell him about Ecklie's offer, especially after the rest of the team had worked so hard to get him back on the team in the first place.

"Hi Greg," Otis waved as he watched Greg climbing out of his car on the drive way to his house.

"Oh, morning." He waved, hustling off up the driveway towards his front door. "Catch yah later." He waved again as he disappeared into the house, rushing through to the front room to find Nick fast asleep on the sofa. "Why didn't you tell me?" He immediately asked him, waking him up.

Nick shook himself awake at the sound of Greg's voice, reaching for the remote to quickly mute the TV so he could hear Greg. "Tell you what?" He sleepily asked as he rubbed his eyes open.

"Ecklie offered you your job back and you didn't take it?"

"My dad told me not to." Greg looked at him confused; since when did Nick ever listen to his father? "They're scared Greg. My dad and your dad talked to me about discrimination in the workplace. They've got lawyers on their asses for doin' that."

"It won't hold up Nick. You quit." He reminded him.

"After he discriminated me. It's still a crime Greg. I'm meetin' with a lawyer later."

"Why do you always have to do everything the difficult way?" Greg dropped onto the sofa beside Nick, cupping his cheeks in his hands as he gave him a soft tender kiss. "I love you Nicky, but you drive me crazy."

"I'm sorry."

"You realise all of this will only bring _more_ attention to us. Cavaliere completely ignored me today, even when I was talking to him and Vartann kept giving me this weird look every few minutes. They all know Nicky. It's gonna get worse once the whole city knows."

"Why would the city know?"

"They're getting the Sheriff involved, what _doesn't_ that man blab to the press? Everyone knows Catherine's an x-stripper and the daughter of a mob boss. I'm a racist. You're a blabber mouth..."

"I get it." Nick interrupted him. "But we can't just let them get away with this Greg."

"Exposing us to the whole city isn't going to help us though. It's gonna be all over the news." Greg straddled Nick's thighs, looking deep into his eyes. "Please Nicky, just accept his apology and take your job back. Please." He pleaded him, wrapping his arms around his neck. "Don't make this any worse."

"Greg, if Vartann and Cavaliere are givin' you trouble..."

"How are they gonna react once you blow this whole thing up? Everyone's gonna know, it'll be so much worse. They'll hate us if you do this. Especially me. I'll be the racist queer."

"Greg, I'm stickin' up for what I believe in. I'd appreciate it if you support me."

"I always support you. Just not for this. You didn't even believe in it before your mom convinced you to do it." He pointed out to him.

"She didn't convince me." Nick protested.

"Oh really?" Greg stubbornly folded his arms across his chest. "It's alright for your parents. They just have to live with the fact their son is gay. We actually have to live our lives with everyone hating us because people are so old fashioned, close minded and hatful towards us. I thought that once we were married everything would be okay . . . but it won't. It'll be worse. Getting married will open up a whole new set of problems for both of us. Ecklie's a walk in the park to all the other crap we'll have to put up with. So don't make this into some big thing. He never threatened to fire you, he was just discriminating you because according to Ecklie there's a lab policy against two people of the same sex falling in love on the job. Everyone at the lab has our backs, they've got you your job back, but you still wonna take it further." He talked until he was blue in the face, hoping he was getting through to Nick.

Nick looked into Greg's eyes then looked down at his hands in his lap. "Greg, are you regrettin' your choice to marry me?"

"No! And don't turn this around on my feelings of insecurity. You know I'm right about this Nick."

"What about what I said? We can move away, start fresh." Nick suggested. "In a city far away from here, without Ecklie or anyone knowing who we are."

"What are we gonna do about this house . . . or our jobs? What about our friends? You want us to just leave it all behind and move to some strange city where we don't have any support from our loved ones?"

"You were all for it the other night."

"P-lease . . . you could ask me to have sex with Grissom while I was sleeping and I'd agree to it. I never know what I'm saying when I'm asleep. My mind has a way of it's own. Like auto-pilot or something."

Nick looked back into Greg's eyes, feeling his heart slowing down inside of his chest at the thought of rejection from the one person he loved most in the world. "So you wouldn't go with me anywhere?"

"I'd follow you into a pit of boiling hot lava just to be with you Nick. But we can't move away now, how are we supposed to sell this place? Where are we gonna get jobs even? You have to think through this clearly Nicky..."

"Well I already talked to Debbie Bradshaw, our realtor." He reminded him. "If we're seriously thinkin' about sellin'..."

"Whoa, you talked to her without my consent?" Greg interrupted him.

"Just talked." He defended himself. "I wasn't gonna make any plans without talkin' to you first."

"You already did. You've quit your job and you're not gonna get it back. What are we gonna do about money? Do you realise how expensive wedding's are? Along with this house, our cars, bills and food?" He asked him as if he was some clueless teenager. "What are we supposed to do then?"

"I don't understand why you don't wonna move away with me. Is there somethin' keepin' you here that's more important to you then me? Is it Sara . . . or Jade?"

"I can't believe you Nick!" Greg climbed off his lap, groaning angrily as he made his way off out the room.

"Greg, where are you goin'?"

"Just leave me alone. I can't be around you right now!" He shouted before he slammed the back door, dropping down onto the step beneath him.

Nick stared at the muted screen in front of him, wondering what he could have possibly said wrong. He climbed to his feet, heading towards the kitchen to talk to Greg, but decided not to go out as he was still pissed at him.

Greg didn't support his decision to sort Ecklie out, so he'd just have to do it without him.

* * *

Nick knocked on the lawyer's door as he walked in, looking in at the pretty brunette sat behind the desk. "Hi, I'm Nick Stokes from the Las Vegas Crime Lab." He smiled at her, biting his lip as he wasn't actually a part of the Crime Lab anymore, but old habits die hard.

"I already sent my reports over to the station." She defended herself as he walked in.

"No, I'm not here on a case." He shook his head, taking a few steps closer towards her desk. "I'm here on... personal reasons."

"Stokes?" She looked up at him as she tried to think where she had heard his name from. "Nick Stokes . . . right. Well you've slept with three of my friends, as well as my sister. So I don't really care what your personal reasons are..." She climbed to her feet, walking towards her office door to usher him out. "But I'm very busy Mr Stokes, so go and pester someone el..."

"I'm gay." He blurted out to her, which seemed to automatically change her tune. "I'm gay, and I need your help with somethin'."

She looked at him confused. "Is this the old trick, I think I'm gay so I need to sleep with you to prove it?"

"No." Nick shook his head, having never actually used that on a woman before. "I need legal advice for discrimination in the work place."

"Okay." She closed her office door, walking back around to her chair. "Please, take a seat Mr Stokes." She offered him an empty seat in front of her desk as she took a seat herself. "I'm Becky Walsh, how can I help you Mr Stokes?"

Nick hesitantly took a seat, looking down at his hands on his lap before he began to speak. "I heard from my... future mother in law that you've done a few cases on work place discrimination against LGBT rights, which I'm told by my fiancé means Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual and Transsexuals." He smirked as he remembered it. "Is that right?" She nodded to him. "Well, is it right that you defend our rights..."

"Mr Stokes, are you... or your fiancé being discriminated in your work place? Or are you just here to do a poll?" She interrupted him, trying to move things along as she could see he was very nervous around her.

"Yes, I mean that's what I came here to talk to you about. See the undersheriff and lab supervisor found out about us bein' together. So they called us in to talk to us. While I was in the lab supervisor's office, he told me we were violating lab policy and he threatened to get the sheriff involved."

"What's the lab policy?" She queried.

"That anyone in a supervisory or manager role, can't date anyone below them. It doesn't say anythin' about two colleagues datin' though. And he hasn't talked to this other couple on day shift, and they've been datin' for months." He explained as she started routing through her desk draws, pulling out a notepad. "Is that discrimination?"

"Are this other couple opposite sexes?" She queried, watching Nick nodding to her. "Then yes. They can't discriminate you because you're dating a colleague if there's an opposite sex couple doing the exact same thing. You're lucky you live in Nevada. You have rights here against discrimination in the work place." She explained, wheeling her chair around to the filing cabinet, pulling out a large file. "It happens a lot more than you think Mr Stokes. You shouldn't be embarrassed for coming here and talking to me."

"I'm not. It's just my fiancé doesn't agree with me. He thinks I should accept their apology and go back to work like nothin's happened."

"I advise against that for now." She set the file down on her desk, flipping it open to find the file she needed inside.

"You wouldn't think this would happen in a free society."

"Only sixty five percent of work places today have non-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation, even Wal-mart." She informed him. "This is why the nation's political leaders need to enact ENDA to provide fairness for millions of hardworking Americans. What this country needs to understand is that your sexual orientation doesn't affect your work, no more than your race, hour colour or boot size." She smiled at him as she found the file she needed.

"ENDA?" He questioned her.

"The Employment Non-Discrimination Act." She told him as she handed over a calling card for ENDA over to him. "The first thing we need to do is document the incident. I need key details, such as names, dates, conversations and actions." She informed him, clicking on her pen.

Nick nodded to her, clearing his throat before he began to speak.

* * *

"Greg?" Jade looked at him confused as she pulled her door open, looking at the puppy on the leech at his side. "Out for a walk?" She asked him.

"Can I stay here?" He requested, getting another frown from her. "Nick and I had this little disagreement, and I don't really wonna talk to him for a few hours. So if I could just stay here...?"

"Sure." Jade stepped aside, allowing Greg and Rascal to enter. "How little is this little disagreement?" She queried once he was inside.

"He still won't drop this stupid gay discrimination thing." Greg set his bag down on the floor, unclipping Rascal's leech from his collar. "Do you have somewhere for him to sleep?"

"You brought his bed and biscuits?" She asked surprised as she looked at the bag of over night things.

"I wasn't gonna leave him there." Greg sighed softly, following Jade through to the utility room, just off the kitchen.

"Did you bring stuff for yourself?" She queried, leaning against the doorframe as he set up Rascal's bed and food bowl, along with his water on the floor of the utility room.

"I brought a toothbrush." He smirked, sitting down on the floor beside Rascal. "I didn't know what else to bring. I love Nick, but he's gonna make everything worse if he keeps doing this. We still have the wedding to plan, but all his times being taken up by this. The worst thing is that my mom's supporting him, and you know what she's like."

Jade nodded over at him. "A cheerleader to every cause."

"You don't agree with Nick do you?" He asked as he saw the look on her face.

"No." She lied, staying loyal to her best friend. "Have you talked to Nick about all of this?"

"He won't listen to me then he acts like I've betrayed him because I don't support his decision to out us to the whole city just so he can get his five freaking minutes of justice. I've been in the public eye called a racist before, I don't wonna be in the public eye called 'the queer that complained'."

"Is that what you're so afraid of? Being in the public eye again?"

"No, I just want to live a normal life. Everyone keeps telling me there's nothing wrong with being gay and it's completely natural and normal . . . then why can't I live normal? Why must I have to tip toe around everyone as if I've committed a crime? Even Nick."

Jade walked into the room, sliding down the wall to sit down beside him. "Even Nick?" She questioned. "How little was this little argument?" She asked again.

"It wasn't an argument . . . it was a disagreement." Greg pulled his knees close to his chest, resting his head on top of them. "How can someone I love so much . . . hurt me so much at the same time?"

"What was it?" She asked softly. "Was it something big?"

Greg shook his head, wrapping his arms around his legs. "He thinks the reason I don't wonna leave is because I'm in love with you or Sara. He can't ever let it go. I don't know how many more times I can prove it to him. I've never even dreamt about marrying you or Sara . . . only him. I've never loved anyone more than him. Do you think I'm gay enough for him?"

"How should I know?" She smiled softly. "But Greg, you're barely past your first year of being gay. It's not gonna be normal to you until you embrace the life and start to live like you are normal again. Tell me the truth, how many people do you lie to saying your girlfriends name is Nikki?"

Greg shrugged as he stroked his fingers through Rascal's soft fur coat. "Not everyone."

"Not everyone? So the milkman, the post man, Mary the check out lady, the old lady who always steals your parking spot at Costco, Roberta at the Laundromat..."

"Okay!" He angrily interrupted her. "And for your information, I say my fiancés name is Nicky. They're the ones who assume he's a girl."

"You could correct them . . . or call him Nick." She suggested.

"Our problem doesn't have anything to do with what people think my fiancés gender is. It's his lack of trust in me."

"How many gay bars have you been to?" She queried next. Greg blushed as he bit his lip, staring down at his hands in his lap. "Name at least three gay people you know."

"Otis and Dave." He immediately spoke.

"That aren't your neighbours." She scowled over at him. "Greg, if I didn't know any better . . . I'd think you have something wrong with being gay yourself."

"Why? I'm not ashamed."

"Really, then why don't you want Nick to fight for your rights?"

"I just told you why."

"Yeah, because you don't want to be a gay man in the public eye."

"I didn't say that." He protested.

"Greg, you are who you are . . . and we all love you for that. When you came to LA, were you running away from Nick . . . or the fact you might be gay? Have you even had time to fully embrace the fact that you're gay now?"

"Of course . . . the time I've been with Nick, I can tell. I never felt like this with anyone before him."

"Are you ashamed to tell people you're with him?"

"No." He protested, shaking his head at her. "And when did you become a shrink?"

"I didn't." She smiled at him. "I've been reading up a lot on pregnancy and stuff, I got this book on sexual orientation by mistake, but it's actually really helpful. Now I know what to do if my child turns out gay, lesbian, transgender . . . or straight."

Greg looked at her confused. "Hold up . . . did you just say . . . _my _child?" Jade sheepishly nodded, placing her hand on her stomach. "You're keeping it?"

"Yes . . . I cancelled the adoption . . . and I think . . . I'm gonna keep it."

"Oh my god." He gasped, looking at her wide eyed. "Since when? What changed your mind?"

"You actually. What you said in the store the other week, how you two are guys and you'd kill to have a child . . . and I kinda talked to Nick today about it too. I realised something, I'm alone and I'm about to have one . . . and I was gonna give it up. You've found someone who loves you for who you are . . . I may never find that. But I'll always have my son or daughter."

"You'll always have me." He added. "You're like a sister to me Jade. Why do you think I came over here in my time of need?"

Jade shrugged. "Maybe I did something horrible in a previous life so I got stuck babysitting you and the dog." She teased him. Greg rolled his eyes at her as she giggled. "C'mon, I was just teasing. But if Nick comes round looking for you, I'm gonna tell him where you are. I can't stand to see that man's heart broken."

"Okay." He nodded to her. "I kinda want to see him now anyway." He admitted, feeling those familiar butterflies in his stomach as he thought about him.

"In that case I won't let him in."

"Why not?"

"You're supposed to be mad at him. You're useless Greg. You can't even stick to your own decision."

"I am sticking by my decision . . . I just miss him."

"You girl." She teased, shaking her head at him as he blushed red. "You sure you don't wonna call him? He might not think that you'd come to me."

"Actually . . . I kinda left him a note."

Jade shook her head as she smiled at him. "And what did this note say?"

"Gone to Jade's."

"Someone needs to teach you how to keep your partner in the dog house." She laughed, climbing to her feet. "What are you gonna do when he spends your daughter's college fund on a new car during his mid life crisis?"

"Nick's usually really sensible with money though." He chuckled as he climbed to his feet. "I know how to keep him in the dog house; I just don't like being apart from him. That's why I'm marrying him because I want to be with him forever."

"Oh, that's why people get married." She remarked sarcastically. "See I had no idea before you said that."

"Shut up. This teasing me isn't very nice. I've got some tricks up my sleeve too yah know."

"Give me yah best shot." She smirked, leading him off towards the guest bedroom upstairs.

"How's fatty work for yah?" He deviously grinned round at her.

"I'm not fat!" She protested. "My doctor tells me I'm not putting on enough weight for your information."

"See, not very nice is it?"

"Just go to bed." She playfully shoved him back into the bedroom. "I'll send Nick up when he gets here. After I have words with him that is."

"Don't be mean to him. And thanks Jade." He smiled as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Jade was about to leave, but she fell for the irresistible puppy dog expression once again. "Greg, what did Nick actually say to you that made you leave?"

Greg shrugged up at her, but she wasn't buying it. "He asked me if there's something more important than him keeping me here."

"And... is there?" She pried.

"No." Greg shook his head, leaning back on the bed on his elbows. "There's only him."

"You two better get married. I'll tie you up and force the 'I do's' from your mouths if I have to." She warned him.

"I promise . . . thanks Jade."

"Don't mention it." She smiled at him as she closed the door then walked off down the stairs.

Greg pulled his coat and shoes off, climbing onto the guest bedroom bed which was nowhere near as comfortable as his and Nick's bed, but he was really tired so it would have to do for now. He closed his eyes trying to sleep, but the room smelled too girly and there was no Nick to hug him tightly while he slept.

He got a glimpse of his life without Nick, and he hated it already.

A few hours later Jade head off to work, being caught by Nick in her driveway. "He still at yours?" Jade shrugged as she threw her bag into the back of her car. "Jade please, I have to talk to him. Is he leavin' me?" He immediately started to panic.

"No . . . but you've got some explaining to do mister. Is Greg not gay enough for you or something?" She asked, poking him hard in the chest as she walked closer to him. She may have been small, but she was very intimidating.

"What? No, I love him the way he is..."

"Then why do you keep acting like a jealous moron and making Greg feel bad when he hasn't done anything wrong? He was almost in tears when he came over here!" She angrily shouted at him.

"Is he in there or not?"

"Yes, he's in there. But he's sleeping." Jade unlocked her front door, pushing it open for him. "Guest bedroom at the top of the stairs." She pointed. "That boy would do anything for you Nick . . . I hope you're willing to do the same."

"I am." He assured her. "He's my world."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows at him as he was just stood there. "Go!"

"Thank you Jade." Nick smiled at her, running off up the stairs towards the guest bedroom. He carefully opened the door, looking at his slumbering lover inside. Quietly making his way around the room, he gently eased himself to sit down on the mattress beside Greg. Nick gently lifted Greg's hand from his chest, holding it between his own. "Hi baby." He whispered softly as he began to stir, gently brushing his fingertips across his soft forehead.

"Nicky." Greg murmured, rubbing his eyes open as he looked up into Nick's.

"Greg . . . does this mean you're . . . does it mean you're leavin' me?"

"No." Greg shook his head, reaching for Nick's other hand with his own, weaving their fingers together. "I'd die if I ever left you. Nicky if you're really not happy here . . . I'll move anywhere you want."

Nick smiled softly. "You always do that Greg."

"Do what?"

"Apologise when I'm the one in the wrong." Nick kicked his shoes off, laying right beside Greg as he pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I love you Greg. I should have listened to you . . . and I'm really sorry for what I said..."

"But Nicky..."

"No, lemme speak." Nick leant on his elbow beside Greg, looking into his eyes. "I didn't mean to say what I said. I know you'd never leave me for Sara or Jade. That was a stupid thing to say. Don't ever think that you're not gay enough for me. You're perfect . . . it's me that's all screwed up..."

"Don't kill me for saying this again . . . but did you reconsider therapy? If you're not going back to work, then you might as well get your head sorted out." Greg told him as he gently brushed his fingertips through his hair. "You're my world Nicky, and if you're not happy . . . I'm not happy."

Nick sighed in defeat. "I'll go."

"Be straight with me Nicky." He warned him.

"I promise. I'll go tell some nosy weirdo everythin' that's goin' on inside my head for you. Okay?"

"They're not nosy weirdo's Nicky." He chuckled softly. "They're professionals."

"Nosy weirdo's to me." Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's cheek, gently running his fingers through his soft hair. "I promise I'll go though."

"Thank you . . . so where did you go?"

"I talked to a lawyer, she told me a lot of the same stuff you did. Ecklie's offered me my job back, and the apology . . . so I should just take it. The incidents gone on file though, he's not just gettin' away with a slap on the wrist."

"I'm sorry I didn't support you."

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you." Nick slid his hand down Greg's stomach as their lips gently touched. As he pulled back he saw a wide smile on Greg's face. "What?"

"You'll think I'm stupid . . . but I missed you. You always make my heart skip a beat when you kiss me. Like I'm kissing you for the first time."

"It feels the same for me." Nick admitted, snuggling closer. "I won't do this thing if you don't want me to."

"Nicky, you can do whatever you want. Of course I support you. I just want to know why you're so eager to leave? I thought you liked out new house?"

"I do."

"Remember our honesty pact. You have to stick to it."

"I'm about to tell you." Nick held Greg's hand tightly, looking into his eyes before he started to speak. "When Sara was lost... and I was in that girls apartment. It all started to come back." Nick finally confessed as Greg's soft fingertips circled his bicep. "I was rescued . . . just. But I thought we were goin' to lose her. After that . . . it pretty much all started to come back. The dreams... more like nightmares. I start shakin' like crazy if I see a bug or feel somethin' crawlin' on my skin, you should have noticed that." Greg nodded. "Then the other day when the elevator doors closed on me, I started freakin' out. I've been takin' the stairs since then. I know what you're gonna say . . . I just feel more comfortable talkin' to you, rather than some stranger."

"At least you'll shed a few pounds." Greg teased him, patting his stomach.

"I'm not fat."

"Didn't say you were." Greg cheekily smiled up at him. "Therapy can help you with that though. You don't wonna feel like this forever do you?" Nick shook his head, smiling softly as Greg's soft fingertips feathered down the side of his face. "I love you Nicky . . . I worry about you."

"You don't need to."

"Doesn't mean I won't," Greg moved closer, pressing his lips to the side of Nick's face. "You're my world Nicky. I want you to be happy. You should feel comfortable talking to me . . . but I'm not a professional. I can't help you to get better. You don't want it to get worse do you?" Nick shook his head. "Then please promise me you'll start going to therapy again. We are getting married pretty soon, and I want you sane. I don't fancy marrying you through the bars of a mental institute with you in one of those body wrap things so you can't move your arms."

"I'm not crazy." He laughed, poking his younger lover in the stomach.

"The ant in the wedding dress says different." Greg teased then smoothed his hand across his partner's stomach. "Seriously though . . . we can move anywhere you want . . . but just so you know, a new place in a new city won't help you forget . . . only you can do that. It's all in your head babe, see that's what therapists are for. It's why they have jobs. But I'll still go with you anywhere . . . I just really want you to be happy."

"I am . . . with you. You have no idea how happy you make me. Or how much I love you."

"About half as much as I love you." Greg teased, bringing their mouths together for a passionate kiss. Nick moved his body closer, cupping Greg's cheek in his palm as their moist warm tongues gently touched. Greg wrapped his arms around Nick, staring lovingly into his eyes as they pulled apart before he whispered, "If you really don't want your job back then I understand. I hope you understand that I'm keeping my job though. While we're still living here that is."

Nick smiled softly, gently trailing his fingertips down the side of Greg's face. "But what am I gonna do instead? I've been a CSI for so long . . . I don't know how to be anythin' else."

"You'll figure it out." Greg slid closer, bringing their warm lips together again. Sliding their hands down one another's backs, they brought each other even closer together as they kissed each other softly and passionately. "I have a special present for you on Friday." Greg whispered as they pulled back.

"Friday? Friday's Halloween." Nick remembered. "What is it?"

"You'll have to wait and see. Now we have to go to sleep . . . we're meeting wedding planners in less than three hours." Greg reminded him.

Nick gave out a soft groan as he lay his head back on the pillow beneath him. "Why do we need a weddin' planner? They're too expensive . . . and I don't like the thought of someone who doesn't know us to be plannin' our big special day."

"Do you wonna do it?" Greg asked him, resting his head on the same pillow.

"Do you recon I could?"

Greg bit his lip as he thought about it. "It would save us money. But do you think you can do it?"

"Do you believe I can?"

"I believe you can do anything. Besides, you're a control freak. You'll arrange this wedding like Monica Gellar from friends." He cheekily giggled.

"I think that was a compliment."

"It was." Greg pressed a kiss to Nick's forehead, snuggling up in his arms as he tried to fall asleep again now that he was in the safety of his Texan's strong arms. "Good Night Nicky."

"So no weddin' planner?" He asked before he fell asleep. Greg nodded with his eyes firmly closed. "G'night G." Nick kissed Greg on the lips, nose and forehead, bringing the younger man's head to rest on his shoulder. "I'll have to learn how to cook and clean better too."

"Why?" Greg softly murmured.

"Looks like I'm the house wife, while you're the workin' man." Nick chuckled softly, watching a wide smile spreading across Greg's lips.

"Don't worry; I'll let you keep your control in the bedroom honey." Greg teased him.

"Thanks Stud." Nick smirked, tightening his grip around Greg's body as they fell asleep together.

* * *

**Thanks for all your reviews on the last chapter. I'm really glad you enjoyed it. I hope you liked this one too. More on the way shortly :D ****Thanks to animelvr23 for the inspiration for Jade's line about the two of them from her review, "You two better get married. I'll tie you up and force the 'I do's' from your mouths if I have to." When I read your review I just had to make somebody from my story say that to them. Thanks a lot :D**

**Please Review**


	54. Chapter 54: Halloween Surprise

**Chapter Fifty Four: Halloween Surprise**

"C'mon, you can do one more. Keep your palms flat on the floor, and don't thrust down too hard." Nick instructed him like a pro. "Just take it slow."

"I can't." The younger man moaned, feeling the tight straining pain in his back, forearms and thighs. He just wasn't cut out for this.

"C'mon, one more. You can do it Greg." Nick cheered him on, watching as his younger lover slowly bent his arms, achieving one more push up before he collapsed flat on the floor. "Good, now sit ups."

"No." Greg groaned, being rolled over to his back by Nick. "I can't do anymore." He panted heavily.

"You're the one who wanted to shape up." Nick reminded him. "Twenty sit ups then you have to go jog round the block."

Greg groaned again, staying on his back on the floor as he continued to pant heavily. "We've been at this for ages."

"Well it takes a while to do this Greg." He smirked at him, straddling his thighs. "Have you noticed how long I work out for?" Greg nodded up at him as he took slow deep breaths, feeling the sweat pouring off his head. "Well you haven't even done half of that and you're exhausted already." Nick pointed out to him. "You still have weight liftin' and the dumbbell workout."

"I quit."

"Hey, you can't quit this soon." Nick slid his hands across Greg's taut stomach, actually glad he was giving up. "The hard work really pays off."

"I still quit . . . and don't pretend you're not glad." Greg smiled up at him.

"Are you kiddin'? Watchin' you tryin' to do twenty push ups is hot as hell."

"You like to watch geeks failing?" He smirked at him. "And beside's you'd say that about watching me drinking a glass of water." He teased him, pulling him towards him for a soft tender kiss. "What time is it?" He suddenly asked as he pulled back from him.

Nick lifted his wrist to look at his watch. "You've got an hour and a half yet."

"I promised Grissom I'd go in early though." Greg leant up on his elbows to snatch another kiss. "I love you." He whispered before he rolled their bodies so he could climb out from under him. Nick watched him go, actually feeling a little jealous that Greg was going to work while he had nothing to do but housework and sleep.

"Do you at least want dinner?" Nick shouted after him as he climbed to his feet.

"We don't have anything in the house." Greg reminded him. "Because _you_ forgot to shop." He cheekily grinned as Nick caught up to him, folding his arms across his chest. "Seriously, what were you doing that made _you_ forget to do something?"

"Hey, I'm only human. I forget things just like everyone else." Nick dropped onto the edge of the bed, watching Greg rushing off into the bathroom to get ready. "What time will you be home?"

"The usual. Why, you gonna miss me?" Greg smiled from his position at the bathroom door.

"Yes, but I couldn't help but notice it's Friday and you have the weekend off." He smiled as he climbed to his feet, following Greg into the bathroom.

"We're going over Otis and Dave's tomorrow." Greg reminded him, watching Nick grumpily folding his arms across his chest. He leant against the doorframe as he watched the younger man shaving, licking his lips as he watched his adams apple bobbing up and down as he talked to him, but Nick couldn't hear him as he was too engrossed in the cuteness of his boyfriend.

"Nick!" He shouted, turning round to face him. "Are you even listening to me?" Nick raised his eyebrows then nodded slightly. "Really? What did I say then?" He tested him.

"Um... we're goin' over to Otis and Dave's tomorrow," Nick bit his lip as he tried to think, but the more he thought the harder he bit, causing slight tears to form in his eyes. "I don't know, I was listenin' . . . I was just . . . watchin'." Greg gave out a soft giggle, turning back to face the mirror to continue shaving the other half of his face. "What did you say then?"

"I said Otis and Dave are really excited to meet you officially, since they've only seen you over the fence in the garden while you're mowing the lawn."

"They watch me?"

"No, they saw you." Greg giggled again. "Apparently their daughter Jody will be there too. We won't be there for long, maybe we should have a signal if one of us wants to leave?" He suggested.

"Okay," Nick walked towards him, leaning against the sink beside him. "If you see me pickin' my nose, I wonna leave."

Greg burst out laughing, almost cutting himself with the sharp razor. "I'm never letting you talk to my Papa Olaf again."

"The mans a genius." Nick smiled at him. "My granddad died when I was still really young, so I never knew him, but yours . . . absolute genius."

Greg smiled up at him, wiping the shaving cream form his face before he pressed a kiss to his lips. "I'm glad you like him. Most people can't tolerate my family."

"I love your family. They're not afraid of anythin'."

"That's not always a good thing." Greg dropped his razor into the sink, dropping the towel from his hips to the floor. "You'll understand when you're walking around Wal-mart with my mother and she suddenly turns to you and says, 'I need to go potty'." Greg grinned round at him. "Let's just say that's the politest way she says it. The worst thing is when you're in really long lines with her and she says 'I really have to cut cheese'."

"Your mom's hilarious." Nick laughed again, watching Greg fiddling with the shower temperatures.

"I'm glad you think so, because she's also trying to slip a little something extra into our vows that's makes us promise to visit her every holiday, birthday and Christmas." Nick raised his eyebrows as he said that, hoping he wasn't serious. "Yes I'm serious." Greg confirmed for him, stepping under the warm spray of the shower. "Are you coming in here or what?" He asked before he closed the sliding glass door.

"You want me to join you?" Nick asked, placing his hand on his heart as he used all his will power just to stay against the sink.

"Yes." Greg nodded over to him, running his hands back through his wet hair. "Get in here dummy." He insisted.

"I'm not dumb." Nick lifted his shirt off his head tossing it the ground then fiddled with his sweat pants before he stepped under the spray of the shower and into Greg's inviting arms.

"Usually I can't keep you off me, now you don't even follow me into the shower anymore?" Greg asked as he wrapped his arms around him. "What's going on?"

"I didn't wonna make you late." Nick slid his hands down Greg's wet slippery back, pulling him closer so their chests were right against each other. "We don't wonna give Ecklie another excuse to get rid of us."

"Who cares about Ecklie?" Greg hissed. "That man has three ex-wives on his belt and a string of affairs. We're in love and getting married. So when your man gets in the shower, you follow him in." Greg ordered with a wide grin, making Nick laugh again.

"I love you Greg." He said through a wide smile before he joined their lips together for a passionate kiss under the spray of the warm water pouring down around them. Gasping occasionally for breaths, they kissed and caressed one another hungrily before Greg reached for the shampoo, rinsing Nick's hair through with it before Nick did the same to him. He had finally got Nick using the same Shampoo and Conditioner as him to make their hair just as soft, now he wanted to add a few highlights to Nick's hair, giving his eyes more definition ready for their wedding, but Nick wasn't having any of it.

Nick collapsed onto their bed after their shower together, panting heavily. He could finally feel life returning to his lower limbs under the warm towel as he watched Greg rushing around the room to get changed and style his hair ready for work.

"Do we have to go over to Otis and Dave's?" Nick queried, wanting the whole weekend to be alone with Greg.

"Yep, it's already planned." Greg called back from the closet. "But I do have a very special present for you when you wake up." Greg cheekily smiled as he walked back into the room, straddling Nick's thighs over the towel around Nick's waist as he gave him a goodbye kiss, feeling his lover's lower region coming to life once again. "Don't forget your therapy session." He reminded him again as he pulled back.

"I won't. But I'm not goin' back if he puts me in group therapy." He warned him.

"Yes you are Nicky." Greg ran his fingertips through Nick's wet hair as he pressed a series of soft tender kisses to his partner's manly jaw. "We've talked about this Nicky. Whatever he or she recommends for you . . . you're going to do it." Nick pouted up at him, but Greg gave him a soft smile in return. "You're going, don't make me call Grissom to cover me while I drag you there myself."

"I'll go . . . just not group therapy. I don't do that."

"Funny you wanted me to do it." Greg pointed out to him.

"Speakin' of, if I have to go to group therapy . . . then you have to go back to AA meetin's."

"I'm not drinking anymore; you're still having nightmares though. C'mon Nicky, you can't go back on your promise."

"You'll be the best father ever Greg." He suddenly said.

Greg looked at him confused. "Why?"

"You don't give into compromises."

Greg gave him another wide smile. "Don't forget to call me and tell me how your first therapy session went and they probably won't put you in group therapy, that's just something my therapist recommended for you." Greg tried to assure him, snatching another kiss.

"Okay, I won't forget."

"Don't stay up too late. And I'll miss you."

"I'm missin' you already."

"I can tell." Cheekily smiling, Greg slid his palm across Nick's hardened shaft, joining their lips for a passionate kiss. "I gotta go." He moaned, struggling with his own will power to climb off the bed before he was late for work. "I love you Nicky." Greg grabbed his sneakers, trying to hustle off down the stairs before Nick looked too advertising to him again.

"Tease!" Nick shouted after him.

Greg gave out another loud giggle from the bottom of the stairs as he grabbed his kit from by the door. "Love you Nicky!"

"I love you too!" Nick shouted, listening to the front door clicking shut. He waited on the bed for the car to drive away before he climbed to his feet, allowing his towel to drop to the floor on his way to the closet to get dressed.

Once he was dressed, Nick cleaned up the bathroom, shaving and brushing his teeth for himself before he head off to Wal-mart for their weekly shop that he was supposed to do the other day, but he got distracted with the wedding preparations and trying to plan his vows.

Once the shopping was done it was off to his first therapy session, which he really wasn't happy about, but he did promise Greg.

Nick actually got there a lot earlier than he intended, making him have to wait just over half an hour, reading out of date magazines on fashion and latest celebrity pregnancies, which was really of no interest to him. He did however find out that the new film 'American Gangster' starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe was out in theatres soon, and Greg really wanted to see it, so he tried to remember the date to take him out to see it for a movie date.

As he thought about it, he realised that they hadn't actually had a movie date outside of their own living room yet, making him feel like a bad boyfriend for not taking his other half out more often.

"Mr Stokes?" The therapist's assistant finally called his name. Nick glanced up at her from the film review, giving her a slight smile. "Doctor Bernard will see you now."

"Okay." Nick sighed heavily, dropping the magazine to the coffee table as he climbed to his feet, proving to the assistant just how unhappy he was about being here as he made his way off towards the therapists door, surprised to see a woman sat behind the desk, when he thought Doctor Bernard was a man.

"Nick Stokes?" She asked him. Nick nodded, checking the name plaque on the desk to make sure he walked into the right office.

He was in the right doctor's office alright.

"Take a seat." She smiled warmly at him. "I'm Doctor Maria Bernard. How can I help you today Mr Stokes?"

"Um..." Nick dropped into a chair in front of her desk, taking his time to look around the room at the books, ceiling fan, large sofa in the corner along with more chairs than the office could handle. It looked a little over crowded with the amount of furniture, and it was only a small office giving him that trapped feeling.

Nothing like his last therapist.

His last therapist had a large office with large windows and barely any furniture at all, giving it an openly warm feeling. But he couldn't judge the therapist by her office, according to Greg, that's as bad as judging a book by its cover.

* * *

Catherine walked off down the lab halls, catching Greg scratching himself in the layout room. She smiled to herself as she head inside, catching him off guard. "What's the matter Greg, you got crabs?"

"Shout that as loud as you possibly can!" Greg scowled up at Catherine as he blushed bright red. "And No, I don't!" He protested.

"Stop scratching then." She smirked, leaning against the table beside him in the layout room. "What's up with you?"

Greg sighed softly, resting his elbow on the table as he told her the truth. "Have you ever had a full body wax?"

Catherine smiled as she leant further against the table, watching Greg blushing even brighter red as she continued to stare at him. "This a special project . . . or something special for Nicky?"

"Mind your own business."

"Hey, you're the one who told me." She giggled softly.

"It's better than you thinking I have crabs. I've never had crabs in my life." He defended himself. "It really itches."

"It does for a while; especially if you scratch... you make it worse." She chuckled, heading off towards the door as she saw Sara walk past and she really wanted to talk to her before she head home. "Aloe Vera." She told him before she disappeared off out the door.

"Huh?"

"Getcha self some Aloe Vera Greggy. Don't scrub or use deodorant or anything else like that for at least twenty four hours. Oh and no hot showers either." She advised him before she head out the door.

"Thanks." He called after her, getting a smile in return. He wrote Aloe Vera down on the palm of his hand, to remind himself to buy some before he left work, trying to resist the temptation to scratch his freshly waxed skin as he tried to finish filling out his report before Grissom let him get back in the field again.

Greg looked across the table as he saw his phone starting to vibrate. He quickly dropped his pen, reaching across for it. "Sanders?"

"_It's me." _Nick answered, sounding a little out of breath.

"Hi, what's up? You're calling early aren't you?" Greg looked round at the clock behind him as he had forgotten his own watch. "You've got thirty five minutes left."

"_I know. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm not goin' back to her."_

"Her?" Greg questioned.

"_Yeah, the nosy weirdo. She's a she."_

"I kinda gathered that from the _her_ part. Why aren't you going back, what happened?"

"_Can you just come down and meet me? I'm by your car." _Before Greg could say anything else, Nick snapped his phone shut, leaning against his boyfriend's car as he took slow deep breaths.

Greg stuffed his phone into his pocket, feeling his irritated skin itching as his phone brushed against it. He winced as he climbed to his feet, struggling off towards the elevator as quick as he could to go see what was wrong with Nick.

Greg walked round to his car, finding Nick sat against the wall with his knees pulled close to his chest and Sara sat beside him. "Nicky, what's wrong?" Greg immediately panicked, dropping to his knees beside him.

"He's having a panic attack. I found him as I was heading out. He's okay now, just keep breathing deep Nicky." She advised him as she climbed to her feet.

Nick nodded up at her, giving her a slight smile before he turned towards Greg. "What happened?" Greg asked, holding Nick's hand tightly in his own.

"I feel like such an idiot." Nick shook his head at himself, pulling a card from his pocket. Greg looked at it, seeing it had the time and address for a PTSD group therapy session.

"This? She put you in group therapy?"

Nick nodded up at him through deep breaths. "See how pathetic I am?"

"You're not pathetic Nicky." Greg moved closer, cradling Nick's head against his chest as he softly soothed him, circling his palm around on his back "What did you tell her?"

"I told her all about it . . . and that's the first thing she suggested. She said I needed to talk to other people who are goin' through the same thing as me before I can even start to get over it."

"What did you do after she told you that?"

"I kinda walked out." Nick sheepishly admitted. "I'm sorry I bothered you here."

"You could never bother me anywhere." Greg pressed his lips to Nick's forehead, wrapping his arms tightly around his body. "I could go with you . . . to this group therapy thing if you're this scared."

"I don't understand what's wrong with me though. I was startin' to get better then it all comes back on me like this."

"You won't believe me . . . but my therapist said this is a good thing. Your mind is going over it all again because it's trying to come to terms with what happened to you."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, you were never this bad after what happened because your mind didn't want to deal with it. So you filed it away somewhere in your beautiful head, hoping it would be forgotten. Now it's coming back on you. That's how my therapist explained it to me."

"You talk about me in your therapy sessions?"

"Yeah, I talk about a lot of things in my therapy session." Greg nodded down at him. "She also said that bottling it up and not talking about it, will only make it worse because you're still not dealing with it."

"Can I see your therapist?"

"I suggested that before but you didn't want to." Greg chuckled softly, wiping a tear from under Nick's eye before it left a trail down his cheek. "Do you want me to ask for the rest of the day off?"

"No, I'm okay now."

"What are you gonna do?" Greg asked, still worried about him, especially when he put on his brave front like always.

"I'm gonna drive home before the Dracula's and werewolves get me." He smirked as the streets were lined with trick or treaters and the Halloween party bunch.

"No scary movies." Greg warned him. "I don't want you scaring yourself even more."

"I promise. I love you." Nick cupped Greg's cheeks in his hands, giving him a tender kiss goodbye before he climbed to his feet, pulling Greg up with him.

"Call me if you need me." Greg told him. Nick nodded to him, making his way towards his truck in the parking lot. "Nicky!" Greg shouted after him. "Call me anyway."

"I will." Nick promised, climbing into his truck to head home.

Greg waved him off then turned back towards the elevators, heading back to work, worrying even more about Nick now. He had never seen him have a panic attack that bad before, especially not over a 'group' therapy session card.

* * *

Nick curled up on the sofa with an action movie once he got home, reading through all of the wedding planner magazines, making him feel very overwhelmed. He decided to ignore the trick or treaters, turning the volume of his movie right up to pretend he couldn't hear them.

After midnight he felt even more alone, realising he really was alone in a very large quiet house, with nothing but a sleeping puppy to keep him company. He was always up the wrong hours to play with him.

Nick grabbed his keys, deciding to head round the block to Jade's house as he knew she'd be awake. He knocked on the door, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets as he waited for it to open. Jade opened the door surprised to see him stood the other side. "You're a little old for trick or treating aren't you?" She teased.

"I'm not trick or treatin'." He protested, folding his arms across his chest. "Are you kiddin' me? You're still smokin'?" He immediately snapped at her as he spotted the cigarette in her mouth.

"Sorry Mom! I haven't lit it." She pointed out to him as she took it out of her mouth. "I don't even have a lighter in the house. I threw them all out, but I found this cigarette in the draw."

"And you just stuck it in your mouth?"

"C'mon, I quit cold turkey for this kid. I'm not taking the patches or the gum and I'm shaking like crazy. And why do you care anyway? What do you want?" She snapped, getting agitated from the lack of nicotine in her system. "For all you know this could be my costume."

"Angry, smokin' pregnant lady?" He smirked.

"It's better than... lumberjack Nick." She teased him back.

"I'm not dressed up, this is my usual outfit. And I'm not a lumberjack."

"Okay." She muttered under her breath. "So, if you're not trick or treating, what are you doing?"

"I'm bored. Are you doin' anythin'?"

"I'm alone in the house, single and very pregnant. What do you think?"

"I'll take that as a no. Do you fancy doin' some weddin' plannin'?" Jade reached for her keys off the side table, stepping out the door to go with Nick back to his. "How pregnant are you?"

"Four months or so."

"And you're already complainin'?" He smirked, leading her off towards his house. At the foot of his drive he pulled the cigarette from her mouth, tossing it in the trash can.

"Hey, asshole, I wanted that and I've been skinny my whole life, never been self conscious about my weight, now I have this huge stomach."

"You said you weren't gonna smoke it, and there's absolutely no cigarettes allowed in my house. Wipe your feet." He warned her as he unlocked the front door. "Oh, and I've seen bigger." He commented as he looked at her stomach.

"Big ol' Texas babies huh? Well I'm a complainer, get over it!" Nick smiled round at her as he took her coat for her, hanging it up on one of the spare pegs. "I'd call you a gentleman if you didn't just throw my last cigarette away."

"I'd call you some names if you weren't pregnant too. Did you ever think the reason you're alone is because you're a little hostile?"

"Don't psycho analyze me." She warned him, heading off towards the front room. "And you clearly don't know me well enough if you think I'm a _little_ hostile." She smirked as she dropped onto his sofa while he locked the door. "So, what are you working on?"

"Guest list." Nick grabbed his notepad from the coffee table, sitting down beside her.

"Okay, so far . . . you've got your parents and that's it?" She asked surprised, raising her eyebrows as she looked up at him.

"That's all I wrote before I got bored."

Jade grabbed the pen and notepad from his hands, flipping over to a clean sheet of paper. She wrote Greg's name at the top of one side of the page, along with Nick's name at the other side before she drew a line down the middle. "Is it a big wedding or small?" She asked him.

"Well, we haven't really decided that yet. Why?"

"Big wedding's have more guests. Plus large weddings include extended family and the ol' plus one ticket to all your single friends." She explained to him.

"Oh," Nick leant back against the sofa cushions, wondering why he didn't know that when he had been reading magazines and books about marriage and weddings all week. He watched as Jade filled Greg's half of the page with his closest family and friends before she handed it over to him. "What?" He asked, looking at her confused.

"Well I can't remember all of your brothers and sisters names for the life of me. So you can write them. You'll probably want to include their husbands, wives, kids and all sorts too."

"Oh." Nick clicked the pen on, writing down all his siblings, sister and brother in laws, along with his nieces and nephews.

"Holy cow. No wonder Jean's so anxious for Greg to marry you." Jade smirked as she looked at his really long list of family.

"Is that the only reason?"

"No, that's just the _biggest_ reason." She smiled at him, grabbing the note pad and pen from his hands once he was done. "Have you set your budget yet?" Nick shook his head. "Who's paying for it all?" Nick shrugged. "What _have_ you done?"

"Flowers . . . almost." He corrected. "I've looked at them."

Jade sighed heavily, rolling her eyes at him. "This is why people hire Wedding Planners. It's almost November. You've got less than five months to get everything together, and you're already behind."

"Okay, but a lots been goin' on."

"No excuse." Jade reached for the big wedding planner book on the coffee table, noticing it was completely empty.

"I haven't gotten around to filling it yet." He explained as she looked up at him wide eyed.

"Guys are useless." She muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes at him. "Now I don't know a whole lot about weddings, but I planned my brothers to his ex-fiancé Monica."

"You did? And how long did that last?"

"They didn't even get down the aisle before Sebastian was dragged away by the cops for a B&E or something." She very openly told him. "But everyone complimented me on how great the flowers and things looked."

"That's gotta be the first girly thing I've heard about you." He smirked, getting an evil glare in return. "Not many girls I know can hold their own like you. Don't get me wrong, the girls I grew up with back home could hold their own, but you... I mean," Nick gulped hard as he watched her expression only getting angrier. "Nothin' . . . so what do we do next?" He tried to change the subject before she hit him.

"I _can _be a girl Nick. I just love cars. Just because I'm a mechanic, doesn't mean I'm not girly." He nodded to her, not wanting to argue with her on that fact. Jade put her feet up on his coffee table, opening the wedding planning book on her lap. "You having a wedding theme?"

"No. Just goin' for the traditional route. Those shoes better be clean." He warned her.

"Yeah, they're brand new. What about your colours?" She queried, tapping the pen against the side of the book. The confused look on Nick's face said it all though. "You picked out your tux? Do you know what colour you're going for?"

"Black I guess. They don't look new."

"They are. Is Greg wearing black too?" Nick shrugged, realising how behind they really were. "We'll break it down into steps for yah there Nick. First of all let's start on the caterers, musicians and florists."

"Oh we planned the cake." He remembered, reaching for the details in his stack's of magazines. "See." He proudly smiled as he showed her the details.

"Congratulations." She smiled at him sarcastically, shoving the piece of paper into the wedding planner book in front of her. "Now you need to plan the other meals, ranging from the buffet to the three course meal."

"Three course meal?"

"Jean wants the after party." She pointed out to him, reaching for the phone book. "This is the most expensive part."

"What are you doin'?"

"Letting my fingers do the walking." She smiled up at him as she searched for wedding caterers. "You want me to help or not?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Cool, lemme use your phone." Nick grabbed it off the side, handing it over to her. "And how about a sandwich?" She cheekily added as she started dialling.

"Fine." He sighed in defeat as he climbed to his feet. "What do you want?"

"You got PB and J?"

"I live with Greg, what do you think?" He asked her with a smirk.

"Cool, PB and J with sliced ban..."

"Sliced banana and plain chips?" He finished for her before she finished talking.

Jade frowned up at him. "How did you know that?"

"Because that's Greg's favourite." He looked at her curiously then pointed to her shoes. "What the hell have you been doin' if those are new? They're covered in dirt."

"Since when do men care so much about women's shoes?"

"I'm gay." He pointed out to her. "And I don't care; I just don't want them on my coffee table." Jade lifted her feet up, placing them down on the floor beneath her. "Thank you, one sandwich comin' up."

"Thanks Mom!" She remarked sarcastically after him. Nick rolled his eyes at her as he head off towards the kitchen to make it for her, knowing exactly how to make it as Greg schooled him how to do it perfectly.

* * *

"Seriously, have you ever played basketball before Greggo?" Warrick asked him, bouncing the ball around his feet.

Greg folded his arms across his chest, giving him a shrug. "I've watched a few games." He confessed when really he had only made out with Nick on the sofa, with the game on in the background. He had never actually watched the game though, he was always too busy.

"Okay, now I don't wonna get in trouble with your wife, so you'll be on my team."

"Why?"

"Coz all the assholes are on my team that are most likely to get rough with you." He informed him with him smile. "Each basket is worth two points; unless it's scored from outside the three point line then it's worth three points. Obviously the team with the most baskets wins, and the losers buy the beers." He smirked.

"Sounds easy enough."

"It is." Warrick agreed. "If you hold the ball for more than five seconds after a dribble, then you incur a penalty and lose possession of the ball. Physical contact is automatically a foul. You're allowed five fouls per game." Greg nodded, looking around at the other players, some were looking at him in a way that made him uncomfortable, but he wasn't about to back down now.

"Okay, I think I got it."

"Good, and don't tell your mother anything." He smirked having met her once before, hearing how much she hated her baby boy playing any kind of sport at all.

Warrick threw the ball over to Vartann as he pulled his sweatshirt off, dropping onto the bench at the side lines. "Greg's on our team." He informed the rest of his team. Greg watched Vega snickering to himself as he made his way over to the court, wishing he had declined the offer from Warrick and just went home to Nick early instead, but Nick had informed him he was fine and there was no need to rush.

* * *

Nick handed Jade a second cup of coffee, sitting back in his chair the other side of the table in the garden where they were now sat, just as the early morning sun started to rise. "How come you aren't tired?" He suddenly asked her.

"I'm a night person." She told him. "So we got the catering all sorted, don't forget you're going to the tasting..."

"I know." He interrupted her, nodding to her. "I've got it written down."

"We've got the DJ hired; you just have to give him the date and time..."

"Is he..."

"Gay friendly? I think so, considering he's gay." She smirked at him. "I took that into consideration with everything I planned. Don't worry. Your caterer is actually a transsexual female."

"Huh." He sighed softly, checking his watch as he was really starting to miss Greg. "Thanks for this Jade. This is the most plannin' I've done since I've been off."

"You're welcome. And Rascal's just done his business." She pointed off towards the dead flower bed.

"I told him not to do it in that part of the garden." Nick groaned, grabbing his bag and scrapper, having to fight his way through the dead flowers to pick it up. "This is the one part I hate about dogs."

"I'm sure the little Rascal hates you for that too." Jade smirked, rolling her eyes at him as he knew nothing about how to pick it up without getting crap all over your hands. "Can you do anything right?" Jade grabbed a fresh bag, heading over to Nick. "Look, you wear it like a glove." She positioned the bag around her hand, picking up the dogs mess then turning the bag inside out without getting any on her hands. "See, easy as that. Now go wash your hands." She handed the bag over to him, watching a smile spreading across his lips. "What?"

"Nothin'. Just me and you always bond over the weirdest things." He laughed as he rushed through the house to dump the bag in the trash outside before he washed his hands.

"We weren't bonding." Jade informed him as she dropped back into her seat.

"Your secrets safe with me." He smirked, dropping into his chair again.

"And it's you and I, not me and you." She corrected his grammar.

"Sorry mom." He teased her right back. "So how much more have we gotta do?"

"Lots. You busy tomorrow?" She asked him. Nick shook his head as he tried to think. "Cool, we can go over the flowers..."

"Oh but we are goin' over to Otis and Dave's for lunch or somethin'." He suddenly remembered, groaning at the thought of having to go over and make nice with his neighbours.

"Stop by when you're done . . . then we can plan your wedding photographer and plan your bridesmaids, best man... or men even, along with the ushers and everything."

"Okay. Do you want me to walk you home?"

Jade shook her head as she climbed to her feet. "It's right across the block. I'll see you later Tex. Tell Greg I said hey."

"I just meant because it's Halloween. A lot of weirdo's come out at night around here."

"Nick you're very sweet, but I'll be fine." She smiled at him. "Bye."

"Okay, bye." Nick pulled his phone from his pocket as she walked away, checking his messages to see if he got anything from Greg yet.

* * *

Greg changed his shoes, noticing someone stood the locker room doorway. He turned to look at them, clenching his teeth together as he saw Metcalf and Vartann staring at him with their arms folded across his chest.

Greg gulped hard as he climbed to his feet, looking for the nearest exit.

"Greg, we wanted to talk to you," Vartann started to speak.

"Um... sure," Greg gulped hard again, closing his locker as he grabbed his bag off the bench. "I really have to go though..." He nervously stammered, feeling his body shaking already.

"Greg," Vartann took a step closer towards him as Greg gulped hard again, feeling as though he was about to be the victim of a gay bashing.

Then the most surprising thing happened.

Metcalf stepped up beside Vartann, taking his hand in his own. Greg watched wide eyed as they entwined their fingers together, holding one another's hands tightly and lovingly. "You're not alone Greg." Vartann told him.

"Oh." Greg nodded, realising what was going on, finally relaxing. "You mean . . . you two are . . . together?" He gulped as he said it, hoping he wouldn't offend them.

Vartann turned to look Metcalf in the eye then nodded to Greg. "Yeah, just over two years now. We're on the down low to everyone."

"Aren't you married?" Greg asked him. Vartann bit his lip as he nodded. Greg noticed some uncomfortableness on Metcalf's part too. "Well, congratulations." He gulped nervously as he didn't know quite what to say to them or why they were talking to him. "So, why are you telling me?"

"Because, we thought we should stick together." Metcalf explained. "We had no idea you and Nick were together."

Greg awkwardly smiled. "You either."

"We should get together sometime." Vartann suggested, checking no one had come into the locker room yet.

"Like double dating?" Greg asked with a slight frown. "Um, okay . . . I'll talk to Nicky." He suggested with a gulp as he knew Nick wouldn't go for it. He didn't even want to meet his neighbours; he wouldn't want to double date with some guys from work.

"Hey Greg," Warrick's voice suddenly shouted. Vartann and Metcalf immediately separated as he walked in, giving him awkward smiles. Warrick looked between them curiously. Glancing at Greg backed up against the wall, he immediately jumped to conclusions. "What's going on here?" He cast accusing glares towards Metcalf and Vartann.

"Nothing." Greg shook his head.

"Really?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest as he looked at Vartann and Metcalf still.

"Yeah, they just wanted to... offer me a ride." Greg quickly thought on his feet. "You know to go out for drinks, lotta weirdo's out on Halloween." Warrick nodded in agreement, watching the nervousness in Greg's eyes.

"Okay." Warrick leant against the locker room door, watching Metcalf and Vartann slowly walking out of the locker room past him before he turned towards Greg. "What were they saying to you?"

"Nothing." He gulped hard, grabbing his jacket as he made his way towards the door.

"Greg, don't protect them."

"I'm not . . . they weren't doing anything. Can we hurry up? I wonna go home." He pleaded, unable to wait any longer to see Nick.

Warrick laughed softly, shaking his head at him. "Sure, no drinking though. Your wife would kill me."

"He's not my wife... I mean husband _yet_." Greg quickly corrected him.

"But he'd still kill me." Warrick looked up at Greg, noticing one of his sports injuries were starting to bruise. "Speaking of, he's seriously gonna kill me for that. We should get you some ice."

* * *

"Nicky." Catherine smiled as he walked into the break room. She flipped her magazine shut as she looked up at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Lookin' for Greg." Nick dropped into an empty seat, placing his visitors pass down on the table.

"Oh, rough day?" She asked as she saw the glum look on his face. "Missing the job already?"

"No, I'm missin' Greg already." He sheepishly admitted. "Now I'm not workin', he suddenly has this wide open social life."

"Aww," She smiled softly, patting him on the shoulder. "Somebody bored playing house wife already? Now you're getting lonely?"

"Shut up." He rolled his eyes up at her. "I'm not playin' house wife." He protested, folding his arms across his chest.

"Really? What have you been doing while your future husbands away working?"

Nick sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth before he looked up at her. "Plannin' our weddin'." Catherine tried not to smile too widely, but the temptation was too overwhelming. "Shut up, it's not funny."

"You need a job Nicky."

"I don't wonna work here."

"You do, you shoulda seen the look on your face when you set down the 'visitors' pass." She said with quotey fingers.

"That's not important." He pushed the pass away, leaning on his elbow on the table. "I'm better off without the job."

"What are you going to do instead?"

"I don't know yet." He shrugged. "Greg thinks I should go for a job in law enforcement, otherwise I wouldn't be happy."

"I don't think you'll be happy anywhere else but here." She informed him as she finished off her coffee sat down in front of her. "I know you Nicky; you love the adventure and the thrill of solving these puzzles that the bad guys leave behind for us to solve."

"I also like bein' above ground, and knowing the one's I love are safe and the only thing I have to worry about is traffic if they're home late." He admitted to her. "I'm worryin' even more now that Greg's out workin' and I'm not there to protect him."

"Greg can take care of himself Nicky. Besides he's got all of us here to look out for him. If you really were that worried you'd take your job back," Catherine checked her watch then climbed to her feet, setting her empty coffee cup down in the sink. "I gotta get going; you go and talk to Grissom."

"He's still here?"

"What do you think?" She smirked, heading off out the door.

Nick grabbed his visitors pass off the table, heading off down the hall towards Grissom's office. He knocked on the door before he walked in, looking at the surprised look on his ex-supervisors face. "Nick, hi. What are you doing here?"

"I came by to see how things were." Nick stuffed his hands on his hips as he looked around the office that hadn't changed a bit. But then again, why would it in less than a week?

"I'd hoped you would have come to get your job back." Grissom took his glasses off, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he looked up at him.

Nick looked around at the bugs in glass cases as he took a few steps closer towards Grissom's desk. "I'm doin' okay. I don't need it back."

"What if we need you Nick? You're one of my best CSI's. Were one of my best." He corrected. "What are you doing now that you're off?"

"I'm sorta... between projects." He awkwardly answered.

"Well it's always open to you Nick. Ecklie wants me to hire someone new, but the spot will always be open to you."

"Thanks." Nick smiled awkwardly, being saved as Sara walked in.

"Hi Nick, what are you doing here?"

"No one ever minded me bein' here before." He grumpily folded his arms across his chest as he looked between Sara and Grissom.

"Sorry, I just meant it's strange that's you're here . . . you have no reason to be here anymore." She smiled softly. "So, how are you doing now?" She asked, not about to tell Grissom about Nick's panic attack.

Nick gave her a warm smile. "I'm fine . . . thanks Sara."

"He still doesn't have a job." Grissom added, wondering why Nick winked at Sara.

"Oh, well you could always come back and work with us... or the rest of the team even." She remembered as she wasn't on night shift anymore. "You know swing shift isn't so bad. I could really use you on the team." She insisted, patting him on the shoulder as the new girl Ronnie was really starting to get on her nerves. "Are you busy?"

"Not really?" He shook his head.

"Do you wonna go out for a drink?" She turned to look at her boyfriend sat behind his desk.

Grissom looked up at her, realising she was talking to him too. "Oh me? I'm busy."

"I'm sure." She smirked, looking at the very little paper work sat on his desk. "C'mon then Nick, we'll go by ourselves." She grabbed Nick by the forearm, waving off her significant other as she led Nick down to the parking garage to take him out for a drink.

* * *

Nick dropped his keys on the side table, smiling as he saw Greg's shoes and coat dropped at the door on the floor. He locked the door behind him, hanging Greg's coat up and stacking his trainers neatly with the others. He looked for him in the front room, his office and the kitchen, but he was nowhere to be found. Nick checked on Rascal, softly ruffling his fur as he said 'hello' to him then head off up the stairs to find Greg up there.

Nick quietly pushed the bedroom door open, looking at the bed open mouthed at the beautiful sight of his younger lover. He quietly took a few more steps towards the bed, still looking at Greg in awe. He picked a white rose petal off his lover's bare chest, flicking it aside as he leant over the bed, pressing his lips to his soft forehead.

Greg softly stirred awake, smiling up at Nick as he opened his eyes. "Hey gorgeous." Nick whispered, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Whatcha doin' G?"

"It's Halloween." Greg rubbed his eyes, flicking away a petal that was stuck to his arm. "I couldn't think of anything to wear."

"So you decided to dress up as an angel?" He smiled down at him, admiring the white feathered angel wings strapped to his back and the tight underwear he was wearing that made him look hot as hell.

"You said I was your angel. So, here I am." Greg struggled to a sitting position, pressing a kiss to Nick's lips. "I missed you. Where did you go?" He sleepily asked him.

"I went out with Sara. I woulda come back sooner if I knew you were here." Nick picked a rose petal from Greg's hair then pulled him closer to press a moist soft kiss to his lips. He gently tugged him closer so he was sitting on his lap, caressing his creamy smooth body. "Does God know you escaped from heaven baby?" He teasingly whispered against his lips, erupting a sweet smile from his partner's mouth.

"Do you like it?"

"Are you kiddin'? I love it. Do you have any idea how hot you look?" Nick held his lover's hands, admiring his gorgeous body in the angel outfit he was wearing. If you call it an outfit. He was wearing a pair of very tight fitting tighty whiteys, with some white angel feathered wings strapped to his bare shoulders, stretching from his lower back to just above his shoulders. The bed sheets had also been changed to silk and it was scattered with white rose flower petals.

Greg really went all out to surprise him.

Greg pressed a gentle kiss to Nick's lips, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. "I'm glad you like it. It was either this or a latex devil outfit."

"I think I prefer this." He smiled softly as he smoothed his hands down his angelic bare sides towards his hips. "Not that I wouldn't love to see you in latex." He cheekily rasped against his lips.

"I got you something too." Greg pulled back from his lips, reaching for the bedside drawer. Nick bit his lower lip as he wondered what Greg was going to come up with. He hadn't dressed up for Halloween since he was a child, and he had no idea what Greg would have in mind for him.

Greg sat back on Nick's thighs, straddling his legs as he wrote on something in his hands. Nick looked at him curiously then leant back as Greg stuck it to his shirt, tossing the pen over his shoulder. Nick looked at the name tag Greg had stuck to his shirt, reading it out, "Hello, my name is... God?"

"Unless you don't wonna be God?" Greg cheekily smiled at him.

"I'll be anythin' you want me to be." Nick collapsed back on the bed, pulling Greg down on top of him as they engaged in a passionate kiss. Greg fiddled with Nick's jeans belt, popping open the buttons to his shirt. "Did you stuff these?" Nick chuckled softly as he slid his palm across the front of Greg's tight underwear. "Or are you just happy to see me?"

"I'm very, very happy to see you." Greg smiled against his lips as he pressed his bare chest against Nick's, feeling their heart beats pounding together. Nick rolled their bodies so Greg was underneath him, removing his shirt and jeans so he could feel the younger mans smooth naked body against his own.

Greg removed the sticker from Nick's shirt, sticking it to Nick's chest before he pulled Nick closer towards him for another passionate kiss.

Nick took his time to feather his fingertips across Greg's smooth skin, re-exploring every scar, mole and mark on his body as if it was their first time together.

Nick kissed a warm trail of kisses from Greg's navel towards his neck, letting his eyes caress the smooth skin of his chest, allowing the younger mans soft hands to linger on his chest. Nick licked a hot line towards his lover's nipple, softly sucking it until it hardened under his tongue. Greg gasped under the touch, lifting his hips as Nick moved over to the other, gliding his warm moist tongue across his chest, eliciting a soft moan from his lover's lips.

"Why do you smell like Aloe Vera?" Nick suddenly asked curiously as he pulled back.

Greg giggled softly, brushing back the hair from his forehead. "See, you're still a CSI Nicky. It makes your skin nice and soft."

"You had really soft skin before though."

"Yeah, but now it's baby soft." He giggled, feeling Nick's hot mouth enveloping his sensitive nipple once again. Greg smoothed his hands round to Nick's back, dipping them beneath the waist band of his boxer shorts as he completely gave himself over to Nick's exploration of his body.

Nick removed a petal from Greg's smooth stomach, kissing and marking circles around his navel, holding his hips steady as the younger man tried to buck his hips towards him.

Nick's kisses were so sweet and gentle.

His fingertips were barely touching the tender piece of heaven beneath him, but it was driving him crazy, making him feel as though he was going to lose control at a moment's notice.

A sweet giggle escaped Greg's lips as Nick licked a hot trail from his navel to his neck again, before he joined their mouths for a hungry desperate kiss, grinding their equally aroused, hot erections together.

"I love you Nicky." He gasped, smoothing his hands across his taut stomach.

"I love you too my Angel." Nick caressed his chest with his hands, finally removing Greg's underwear to release his suffocating erection from its tight quarters. Greg did the same to Nick, bucking his hips up towards Nick so they could feel their heavenly naked bodies against one another.

Nick felt privileged to be touching such a beautiful angel, to hear his moans, to have his fingers entwined in his hair and to hear him crying out his name as he shuddered against him.

The soaring sensation of lust clouded Nick's thoughts, finally allowing him to forget about the wedding arrangements that still needed to be sorted, the lack of a job that had really been getting him down lately, the nightmares and every other thought that was clouding his mind.

He was completely at peace.

Just him and Greg, the way it should be...

Greg soon fell limp in his arms, panting heavily against his warm chest. His wings still attached, but slightly less together then they were before.

"I feel like the devil now." Nick giggled as he pressed a kiss to his lover's forehead.

"Why?" Greg queried, readjusting himself to a comfier position against Nick's chest.

"Because I just violated an Angel." He smirked, flicking a rose petal off his chest. "Did you seriously shave all your body hair just for this?" He asked, once again admiring his younger lover's gorgeous body.

"Uh huh, got the full wax," Greg nodded. "That's why I'm still a little red, you have no idea how much it hurts."

"Well I appreciate the effort. You look sexy as hell. And the boys look bigger too." Greg cheekily giggled, bringing their lips together for a soft tender kiss. "Are you wearin' makeup?" Nick suddenly asked, brushing his thumb across Greg's eyebrow to reveal a carefully covered bruise. "How did you get that?"

Greg bit his lip as he nervously looked up at Nick. "I-I... walked into a door." He stammered.

"Do you know how many times in my career I've heard that? If I wasn't your boyfriend I'd think your husband or wife did it to you. Now who did it to you?"

"Nobody did it _to_ me. It was an accident."

"If it was an accident then you can tell me what happened." Nick insisted, carefully studying Greg's face and body to find anymore that he had missed.

"I was playing basketball . . . with the guys after work." Nick raised his eyebrows to him. "What? I'm one of the guys. I _can_ play basketball Nicky."

"No, it's not that. Just... who did you play with?"

"Vartann, Warrick, Vega, Mitchell, Metcalf, Akers . . . you know... all the guys."

"They let you play?"

"Why is everyone so surprised that they actually let me play? I'm not a complete loser."

"I never said you were baby. I'm just surprised. They never let you play before." Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's cheek as he snuggled closer. "So did you win?"

"Yes. Vartann, Warrick, Metcalf and me went out for drinks after... I had water." He quickly confirmed for him. "Did you know Metcalf and Vartann are together?" Nick looked down at him even more surprised. "Uh huh," Greg nodded. "That was my reaction too."

"John Vartann and Jasper Metcalf are together?" Nick gasped surprised.

"That's what they asked me when they found out we were together... Oh, but no one else knows."

"I won't say a word." He promised. "So that's why they're bein' so nice to you?" Greg pouted up at him. "I mean, of course they'd be nice to you because you're the cutest, most gorgeous funny guy I know." He chuckled as he tickled his lover's body, making him squirm. "I just mean . . . they're not into threesomes or anythin' squicky like that are they?"

Greg giggled softly shaking his head at his lover's confused face. "No, just they've been alone on the down low for years. Once they found out we had come out at work, not by choice . . . they just thought, you know coz we're kinda in the same boat that we could hang out."

"Like all of us . . . together?" He asked turning up his nose.

"Yeah, you got a problem with hanging out with gay guys all of a sudden?"

"When they're not as cute or as adorable as you, yeah." He nodded. "The only gay guys I know are our neighbours, and I always feel exposed around Dave, he's always staring at my chest."

"Well the last time you saw him, you were mowing the lawn without a shirt on." Greg giggled, smoothing his fingertips down Nick's lightly tanned chest. "I don't blame him for looking; you do have a gorgeous body Nicky."

"I'm not too excited about this brunch thingy we're goin' to. I've seen the way Otis looks at you on the driveway."

Greg raised his eyebrows as he looked up at Nick. "How does he look at me?"

"He doesn't _look_ Greg . . . he stares. It makes me very uncomfortable. I don't like people lookin' at you like that." He possessively clutched him closer, pressing a kiss to his hairline.

"Like what?" Greg queried with a soft smile as Nick was finally acting jealous for the right reason.

"Like you're a piece of meat. You're my boyfriend; no one's allowed to look at you in that way but me."

"You're cute when jealous." Greg teased, initiating a soft kiss to his lips. "Otis and Dave are in a loyal relationship, they wouldn't try anything with either one of us. They know how much we love each other. They love each other too. Just like Vartann and Metcalf. No one's gonna take me away from you. I'm only gay to you; no other guy makes my heart speed up or these ecstasy warm swirls in my tummy."

"Damn." Nick smiled up at him. "You should totally write that in your weddin' vows." Greg giggled as they brought their hungry mouths together again; giving each other soft tender kisses as they smoothed their hands across one another's naked bodies. "Can you wear theses wings every time we have sex now?" He giggled softly.

"I didn't know you had a fetish for screwing Angels." Greg cheekily giggled, licking his lips.

"Neither did I... until just now." He smiled widely as he rolled Greg to sit on top of him. The sun was shining through the feathers of his angel wings, making him glow like a real angel as the sweat on his body sparkled like glitter. "I love you Greg."

Greg beamed a wide angelic smile down at him, collapsing into his arms for a warm hug. "I love you too."

* * *

**Thanks so much for all your lovely reviews so far. ****This is the longest chapter i've written so far. I wanted to give you a little extra before I head back to work next week, and can't update as often. I hope you enjoyed the little extra Angel treat :P And ****I know Vartann's not gay as he's with Catherine in the latest season, but I always preferred Catherine and Warrick together, even though we never really saw it on the show.**

**Please Review**


	55. Chapter 55: The Gay Cowboy

**Chapter Fifty Five: The Gay Cowboy**

Greg slowly began to stir awake, smelling the enthralling scents of waffles and bacon wafting through the house towards him. He reached out for Nick's side of the bed, but he was nowhere to be found. Greg struggled to sit up, but with the angel wings still on his back it was making it even more difficult. He rolled over to his stomach as he slid towards the edge of the bed, dropping his angel wings to the bed behind him as he wrapped one of the silk sheets around his body, making his way off down the stairs towards the kitchen where Nick was stood against the stove in a pair of sweat pants with messy pillow creased hair.

Greg slowly padded across the floor towards him, almost startling him as he didn't realise he was there until the last minute. "Hey sleepy head, what are you doin' up?"

"I missed you."

Nick turned off the stove as he turned to face him, pulling him into his arms for a warm hug. "Did you sleep well my angel?" He whispered against his neck.

"Perfectly." Greg purred softly, gently caressing Nick's chin, feeling the light morning stumble before he joined their lips for a delicate morning kiss. Nick wrapped his arms tightly around his body as he held him close he noticed a flower petal in his hair.

"Now how did you get flowers in your hair?" He chuckled as he picked it from his hair, dropping it to the floor beside them. Greg giggled softly giving him a shrug.

Greg wrapped his arms around Nick's shoulders, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you Nicky."

"I know baby. I love you too." Nick gently brushed his thumb across Greg's lips, staring deep into his soulful eyes. It was as though their love for one another had tripled over night. Just when they thought they couldn't fall any deeper in love, they could.

"What are you making there Nicky?" He asked curiously as he looked towards the stove.

"Attemptin'," He corrected him. "I'm tryin' to make us some waffles and bacon." He told him then turned back to the stove with an arm still wrapped around Greg. "Are you hungry G?" Greg nodded as he rested his head on Nick's shoulder, watching him cooking. "Oh your mom called while you were sleepin', her and my Mama have the church picked out. It's Saint Gregory's on Long Beach." He chuckled.

"Seriously?" Nick nodded giving him a wide smile. "Must have been my mother's influence."

"Possibly, and it's available for four days in March; Thursday the first, Monday the twelfth, Wednesday the twenty first and Friday the thirtieth." Nick told him as he referred back to his note left on the fridge.

Greg smiled up at him. "Well, which day do you prefer Nicky?"

"Well I recon the Friday would be pretty good. It's right near the end of the month, and it's closer to the weekend so more people would be able to get it off."

"Okay." Greg agreed, feeling goosebumps tingling up his arms. "Wow, I just got cold chills."

"Why?"

"Coz now we actually have a date, before it was just a month. Now it's an actual date." He excitedly announced. Nick smiled down at him, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead before he turned back to the stove.

"Where's Rascal?" Greg head off towards the utility room to look for his puppy.

"He's out in the garden." Nick pointed off out the window. "He's been diggin' holes in my lawn all mornin'." Greg giggled softly, grabbing some sweat pants from on top of the dryer. "It's not funny, every time I tell him to stop he just stares at me. Then as soon as my backs turned he's doin' it again." Greg giggled louder as he pulled the sweat pants up his legs, snapping them in place around his waist then rubbed the sleep from his eyes before he head off into the garden to stroke Rascal as he came running into his arms to greet him.

"Did you feed him?" Greg asked as he sat on the back door step, smiling as Rascal licked his hand and pushed his nose into his palm as his tail wagged excitedly.

"Yep, he ate it all up." Nick turned off the stove, dishing it out onto two plates. He dumped the frying pan into the sink then grabbed the piping hot waffles from the iron, dropping them onto the plates as he shook his burning hot fingers in the air to cool them down. "Where you sittin' G?"

"Garden?" Greg suggested, climbing to his feet to take one of the plates from Nick's hands. Nick handed him over a knife and fork then followed him out onto the patio, taking a seat the other side of the table. "What's this?" Greg asked, lifting a notepad off the table to read it.

"Oh . . . it's a rough draft of the Guest list." Nick threw one of Rascal's toys over his shoulder down the other end of the garden so he'd leave them alone instead of yapping at their feet while they ate their breakfast.

"You forgot syrup." Greg scrambled to his feet, rushing off into the kitchen to find it. "Do we have any syrup?"

"Fridge." Nick shouted after him.

Greg pulled open the fridge, finding a bottle in the door. He rushed off back into the garden, pecking a kiss to Nick's cheek before he sat down. "How did you know the names of all my aunts, uncles and cousins?"

"Maybe I just know you that well." Nick suggested with a wide smile, but he soon gave in as Greg looked up at him. "Jade helped me, but I'm tryin' to memorize it. If you can remember all of my sisters names and their children, I'm gonna try and memorize your families names too."

"You don't have to do that." Greg chuckled softly, taking a bite of his delicious waffles. "I don't talk to half of them and I haven't seen my cousins since we were kids. My dad's side don't all get along with my mom's that well."

"Hard to believe." Nick smirked. "But I doubt my dad's side would want to come either. They're like seriously religious."

"So you asked Jade to help you with the wedding planning?" Greg cheekily smiled at him. "Weren't you supposed to be doing that yourself?"

"I'm organised Greg . . . but I'm very indecisive. I was starin' at those flower arrangements for hours on end and couldn't decide which ones we should have. They all look the same to me."

"That's because you're a guy." Greg giggled softly through a wide grin. "You don't care about details or labels, just organisation. Oh, did you tell my mom that we never hired a wedding planner yet?" Nick shook his head. "Well I didn't tell her either, so one of us has to tell her." Nick immediately pointed at Greg. "Why me? She'll moan at me, but she loves you too much to moan. She'll just blame my influence on you."

"She loves you more though G. She keeps thinkin' I'm gonna break your heart and get back on the girls train."

"She was just teasing about that." Greg smiled softly.

"She sounded pretty serious. And she's your mother, so you have to tell her." Nick smiled at him as he climbed to his feet, pressing a kiss to Greg's forehead before he head off inside.

"I'll tell her if you do something for me." Greg grabbed his finished plate, following Nick off into the kitchen. Nick took his plate for him, loading it into the right compartments of the dishwasher before he looked up at him.

"What?" Nick asked him as he stood up straight.

"Metcalf and..."

"No." Nick immediately shook his head, interrupting Greg before he finished as he knew what was coming. "There is no way I'm goin' on a double date with those two Greg, there's just no way."

"They're just being nice Nicky. They don't have anybody else." Greg explained, pulling himself up onto the counter beside the sink as Nick started to wash up. "You never know, Vartann might finally come clean to his wife..."

"That's the other thing. He's cheatin' on somebody; you know how much I hate cheaters."

"But he's also gay. If he comes out like we have, we'll have more support . . . and it might encourage more homosexuals or bisexuals to come out, and the world will finally start accepting us. They'll have to because there will be more of us. Just think in five years or so, we could have more rights and actually be able to be just a normal couple like we are."

"Do you always have to save the world G?" He smiled up at him.

"Don't you want equal rights?" Greg retorted.

"Of course I do, I want us to be treated just like any other couple. I just don't want to double date Vartann and Metcalfe." He smirked.

"You won't be dating them. You'll be dating me." Greg pulled Nick closer towards him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. "You'll hardly notice they're there." He assured him.

"I will. It's bad enough we have to go next door this afternoon baby, I don't wonna double date with guys from work too."

"It's one lunch Nicky; you can make it through one lunch. We can leave anytime you want . . . and don't pick your nose." He warned him, pressing a kiss to his nose.

Nick chuckled softly as he flicked some bubbles at Greg. "I wouldn't in front of company. I don't even do it in front of you."

"You do other stuff in front of me." Greg giggled, flicking some bubbles right back at Nick.

"Hey, you almost got my eye."

"Sorry." Greg cheekily smiled, grabbing the washed saucepan as Nick handed it over to him. "We'll go see a movie, that way you won't have to talk to them."

"Oh, that reminds me. That movie you wanted to see is out, and I'm takin' you to see it coz we haven't had a movie date outside of our own livin' room."

"That's because we like to snuggle." Greg smiled widely at him. "And I'd love to go with you. But you're inviting Vartann and Metcalfe too."

Nick groaned but Greg poked him in the chest. "It was supposed to be for you."

"It can be, but you can invite them too." Greg gently ruffled Nick's hair as he continued to pout. "You can share one movie date with them Nicky, it's just one date."

"Wouldn't we have to invite them to the weddin' though if we start bein'..."

"Nope." Greg shook his head before he finished complaining. "Vartann's still married, he can't be seen out in public with Metcalfe. So they won't come to the wedding with all of our family and friends from the lab." Greg dumped the dried frying pan on the draining board, watching Nick washing the next one once more before he handed it over to Greg. "We'll sit as far away from them as you want, and we won't have to talk because it's a movie theatre, we're not allowed to."

"That didn't stop you from talkin' when we went out with Warrick and Sara when you graduated to a CSI." Nick smirked, poking Greg in the stomach.

"I talk when I'm excited . . . or nervous, or happy, or in extremely awkward uncomfortable situ..."

"I get it." Nick chuckled as he interrupted him, pressing a kiss to his lips. "You take after your mother."

"She _never_ stops talking though." Greg giggled. He dumped the frying pan on the draining board then flicked some more bubbles at Nick before he drained the sink.

"Hey." Nick wiped the bubbles off his chest then flicked some back at Greg as he slipped off the counter, struggling to get away. Nick caught him by his wrist, flicking some bubbles towards him as he sweetly giggled.

"Time out, time out, time out." He pleaded as he continued to giggle.

"Don't start what you can't finish G." Nick laughed, pulling the younger man into his arms. "So, do we have time out of our busy schedule to shower?"

Greg thought about it then nodded. "Yeah, we're not going next door until later, and we're not meeting Jade for another... five hours. So we got time."

"Good." He purred against his parted lips before he devoured them.

"You know I think we can schedule a little something extra before... or even during our shower." Greg cheekily smiled at him.

"Can we have one part of our lives that we don't schedule?" Nick backed Greg up towards the staircase, wrapping his arms around him as he pressed delicate kisses to his soft jaw line. "I miss the old spontaneous, full of surprises Greg."

"I still am, was last night not spontaneous enough for you?"

"Last night was perfect." Nick swept Greg up in his arms, carrying him off up the stairs towards the bathroom.

"Maybe you can do something for me . . . I'm thinking a sexy fireman." He cheekily grinned, swirling his fingertip across Nick's chest.

"And where would I get a fireman's outfit?"

"Use your imagination." He whispered against his lips as he was gently being lowered onto the bathroom floor.

Nick smiled against Greg's parted lips then gave him a tender passionate kiss. "Why would I need to use my imagination when I have you to do it for me?" Greg giggled softly then removed the rest of their clothing as they backed up into the shower.

They held hands and kissed under the warm spray of the shower before they started to wash one another's hair and bodies.

Greg finished up conditioning his hair in the shower while Nick stood over the sink shaving and brushing his teeth. "Do we seriously have to go next door today?"

"Yes." Greg giggled as he climbed out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. "We do." Greg pulled himself up onto the counter beside Nick, grabbing his toothbrush from the holster beside Nick's. "The quicker we get through it the better."

"I used to think that about sex." Greg looked at Nick surprised. "Not with you." He quickly corrected as he felt his eyes burning into him. "I meant before you Greg. I love you."

"Relax cowboy," He giggled softly, squeezing a small amount of toothpaste onto his toothbrush. "I know you love me, I just like to hear it every once in a while."

"Well you can hear it every day for the rest of your life." He assured him with a wide smile before he pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I love you baby."

Greg licked his lips from the toothpaste he spilled, giving Nick a wide smiled as he attempted to say, "I love you too." Nick smiled, pressing a soft kiss to Greg's minty lips before he made his way back into the bedroom to get dressed.

"When are you next going grocery shopping?" He queried.

"I don't know." Nick shrugged as he pulled his jeans on. "What do you need?"

"Toner." Nick looked at him confused. "For the printer."

"Oh, just write down the type you need and I'll get it for yah." Nick smiled at him from the bathroom door. "I'm gonna miss you when you go on your book tour."

"It's not for a while yet." Greg washed his toothbrush dropping it in the cup beside Nick's then jumped off the counter, walking towards Nick. "I'll call you lots, and we get to spend Christmas together."

"Did your publicist give you a date yet?" Nick queried. Greg gritted his teeth as he stepped past him, heading over to the closet to grab some clothes. "Greg, when? I won't be mad, just tell me."

Greg whirled around to look at him. "A little after thanksgiving."

Nick looked at him a moment, taking a few steps closer to him. "But that's just a couple of weeks away."

"I know, which is why I said there was no way I was spending Christmas alone." Greg pulled a t-shirt down over his head, running his fingers through his wet hair. "I promise I'll be home for Christmas. It's just two weeks in December."

"Okay." Nick sighed softly, dropping to the edge of their bed.

"What's up?"

"I've never spent a night without you . . . since we got together I mean."

Greg smiled softly, straddling Nick's thighs as he pressed a delicate kiss to his lips. "You'll be okay Nicky. I'll be just a phone call away. If you need me I'll be on the first flight back home." He assured him.

"Okay." Nick sighed softly again, looking up into Greg's eyes. "Who ever thought I'd be completely dependent on you?"

"You're allowed to be Nicky, I'm your boyfriend." Greg smoothed his hands through Nick's hair, pressing a moist kiss to his lips. "You're allowed to be completely dependent on me."

Nick smiled up at him, placing his hands on his sides. "Okay . . . and I am completely dependent on you, but I love it."

"Good, now come on. We've got caterers to meet."

"That's today?" Nick frowned as Greg scurried over to the closet to grab his sneakers. "I thought that was tomorrow."

"Nope, today. C'mon, we're already late." Greg threw Nick a t-shirt then pulled him to his feet. "C'mon Nicky, we're gonna be seriously late."

"I'm comin'." Nick pulled his t-shirt down over his head as they reached the front door. "It's just the food G."

"No its not, everyone will always remember the food from our wedding. Hot wings and deep fried chips just aren't what they used to be Nicky."

Nick chuckled softly, grabbing his keys from the side table. "See, you get that obsessive streak from your mother."

"I'm not obsessive." Greg scowled round at him, quickly rushing around to the other side of Nick's truck to climb in. "Nicky, c'mon!"

"I'm lockin' the door sweetheart!" He shouted after him. Nick checked the door was locked before he hurried down the drive to climb into his truck before Greg hotwired his car to drive himself. "See, I'm here." Nick started his truck, giving Greg a wide smile. "Relax; the food will be fine G." He assured him before he pulled away.

* * *

"Jean, what are you doing?" Daniel looked over his wife's shoulder at the long list in front of her. "What's all this?"

"Possible grandchildren's names. I've got the boys list narrowed down to twenty names, but the girls I've still got over fifty."

"Oh, how many grandchildren are you planning on having?" He smirked, taking a seat beside her.

"I would like at least three, maybe four. I'm not picky. I'll be happy with one."

Daniel took the list from her to read through some of the names she had written down. "Emily, Madison, Grace, Taylor, Gwen, Sally, Isabelle, Jessica... honey, we haven't even gotten through the wedding yet. Don't you think it's a little soon to pick out baby names? I don't know if you noticed but they both happen to be guys, so there's no chance of having a child there."

"Not only them." Jean smiled up at him. "Jade asked me a very important question this morning." Daniel raised his eyebrows at her as he waited to hear it. "She wants me to be a part of her child's life. I think I actually heard her cry, but if I'm going to be a part of his or her life. I want to be the best grandma in the world."

"That's all very good honey, but Jade's not gonna let you pick her babies name." Daniel cautioned her.

"Says who?"

"Did she actually ask you for help in naming her baby?" Daniel asked her. Jean shook her head about to protest, but Daniel cut her off. "No Jean, don't interfere. If she wants your help she'll ask for it. She's not like your Greg, she's very independent from the way she was raised."

"You mean wasn't. You know I wish I'd reached out to her more when she was a child. I can never get that image out of my head of walking into her house, finding her drunken ass mother on the floor and she acted as if it was completely naturally." Jean sighed softly. "I'm a terrible person. I turned her down the moment I found out what her family was like."

"No, you were... okay you were a little awful to her, but your father made up for it." Daniel tried to assure her. "There's no use dwelling on the past Jean, you've got to make the best of the future. Like your son's wedding, you should really be getting back to that."

"Oh, yes. Apparently for some obscene reason, Nicky ended up in charge of the wedding planning. They never hired the wedding planner like I asked and Jade's booking the flower arrangements. Jillian and I are going to discuss the rest on thanksgiving. You still want to go over there don't you?"

"Meet the whole Stokes family? Of course." He nodded uneasily, worrying about his wife's behaviour when they got there. "After all we are going to be in laws."

"Exactly, I still get the feeling that Billy doesn't like me. I can't wait to meet all of Jilly's grandchildren and children. We'll finally have a huge family to celebrate with."

"Just remember, no embarrassing Greg." He warned her as he climbed to his feet. "And no over talking, because you really start to babble and get off point."

"I know, I know. You keep telling me, but you know you love it really." She giggled as she climbed to her feet, wandering off to the kitchen to open another bottle of wine. "You know what would be a perfect name for her child."

"What?"

"Dean. It's a combination of both of our names. The ean from me and the D an from you."

"No honey." Daniel shook his head. "She's not going to name her baby after us. Just let it go. You've still got Greg to give you grandchildren."

"But like you said, they're both men... Oh, oh I just a brilliant idea!" She declared as she rushed off towards his study, leaving Daniel stood in the kitchen completely clueless.

* * *

Nick pulled back up in the drive way of their house, watching Greg licking his finger and scrubbing at a steak sauce stain on his t-shirt. "It'll wash out G. C'mon; we still got like an hour before we have to go next door."

"But this is my favourite t-shirt." He moaned as he climbed out of his truck. "It would have to be the one steak that I hated that I get all down me. You didn't like that one did you?"

"No, I think the other one with the mushroom sauce that we picked would work perfectly."

"You did order the tofu steak too right?" Greg checked as Nick unlocked the front door.

"Yes I did, and I ordered the chicken for your mother, the one in the weird creamy sauce. That way we'll have the veggie option, red meat eater and the chicken option, so everybody's happy." He assured him.

Greg smiled up at him, continuing to scrub at the stain on his shirt. He head off towards the back door where Rascal was sat looking out the window. He softly ruffled the pup's fur then pushed open the back door to let him out into the garden while he went to check his water and things were still topped up.

Nick stepped up behind Greg in the utility room, lifting his t-shirt up over his head and tossing it into a pile with the rest of the laundry. "There, I'll wash it when I do the rest." He smiled, pecking him on the cheek. "Are you sure you're gonna be hungry enough to go over for brunch next door?"

"Are you kidding, I'm starving. Those steak portions were tiny." Greg smiled round at him then joined their lips together, pulling Nick off towards the front room. He collapsed back onto the sofa with Nick on top of him, smoothing his hands beneath his t-shirt. "And there's no way you're getting out of it Nicky, it'll be over before you know it."

"If you say so." Nick grumpily looked up as he heard the phone ringing. He reached over Greg to the side table, answering the professional way, "Stokes."

"_Nicky,"_ Jean let out a delighted squeal.

Once the feeling returned to his ear, Nick handed the phone over to Greg. "It's your mother." He informed him, heading off to the kitchen to get a drink.

"Hi Mom."

"_Hello sweetheart, where have you been? I called six times in the last two hours. What's going on?"_

"We were with the caterers." Greg lifted his hips to pull his cell phone out, seeing it was on mute and he had a few missed calls from his mother. "We picked out the best steak, the tofu meal for Sara and any other vegetarians and Nicky selected one of the chicken meals off the menu for you."

"_Oh, that's good." _Jean grabbed her list to cross that one off. "_Did you pick a date yet so we can start booking things?"_

"Yes, Friday 30th." He informed her, feeling butterflies in his tummy as he said it out loud. "We told the caterers, they just need a rough number of guests which we're gonna do this afternoon with Jade. Don't worry mom, we're on top of everything."

"_Okay, I trust you sweetheart. Jilly and I have selected you china, wine glasses and the table decorations and things. I sent you some emails with the pictures. Daniel's already called for transport, now we can give them the day. Oh and your ice sculpture looks amazing, I'll send you a picture of that too."_

"Whoa, we're having an ice sculpture? Whoever agreed to that?" He asked her surprised as he sat up straight on the sofa.

"_Oh but it looks beautiful honey. I'll send you a picture of the design. Now we have the date selected I can start renting the furniture and things we'll need too. You two need to pick out your wedding rings, we can do that together when I come over next weekend." _She suggested, ignoring the sigh she heard coming from her son. "_Then we need to dress your bridesmaids, grooms men or ushers, best man or men then you two and then we're very almost done."_

"Seriously?" He asked surprised.

"_Yep, Jilly and I will be going over the final touches on thanksgiving. If there's anything we missed its better to know now, rather than later."_

"Wow, that's great mom." Greg looked up as Nick walked back into the room. "Is that the only reason you called?"

"_No, I wanted to ask how you felt about surrogacy?"_

"Surrogacy?" Greg smiled at Nick as he sat down beside him. "As in someone else housing a baby for us?"

"_Yes, that's exactly what I mean sweetheart. I've been doing some researching online, you can pick from any number of beautiful looking surrogates. All you have to do is donate your sperm; they house the baby for you then hand it over once it's born."_

"Jeez, you make it sound like a home shopping channel." Greg giggled softly. "We haven't really discussed this mom, and we're not ready for a baby yet."

"_Maybe not now, but after your wedding you might want to start having kids right away. We knock this young woman up and in nine months you can have your beautiful girl or boy." _Greg cringed at the thought of having his mother involved in his sperm donation. "_It's time to start planning these things sweetheart. You have the one advantage over the heterosexual world..."_

"We don't have to try and lose our baby fat?" He joked.

"_No, you can actually plan for a baby. Most couples it's a complete surprise and it runs their life's into chaos. But you two can actually plan every detail."_

"Well, can we at least..." Greg tried not to moan into the phone as Nick softly sucked on his neck. "Get through the wedding first? The planning for all of this is . . . c-c-crazy." He stuttered a moan as Nick's mouth enveloped his sensitive nipple. "It's crazy enough; we don't need more planning added to that."

"_I'm just saying you have to be prepared. You do want children one day doncha?"_

"Yes!" Greg gasped as Nick's hand slid down his bare chest. "Of course we do, just not right away. Mom, can I call you back later?" Before Jean had a chance to protest, Greg hung up on her then giggled as Nick's wet fingertips dipped beneath his boxer's waist band. "Oh Nicky!" He moaned, arching his chest up towards his tongue.

"Why is your mother plannin' a surrogate?" Nick asked as he came up for air.

"No idea." Greg shook his head, feeling Nick's hot breath on the wet trail on his chest, making him shiver. "You know we only have an hour before we have to go next door."

"I know." Nick licked his index finger, gently sliding it down Greg's silky smooth chest. "That's plenty of time." He seductively smiled.

"Plenty of time to do what?" Greg excitedly asked.

"This." Nick scrambled off the sofa, heading over to the CD player in the corner. He removed the CD that was in there, putting something on then grabbed the remote as he returned back to the couch with Greg. He kicked his shoes off then gently pushed Greg down onto the sofa, straddling his hips as he climbed on top of him. "Close your eyes." He whispered.

As the music started up, Greg felt Nick's warm mouth on his neck and chest. Greg arched his chest up towards Nick's as he weaved his fingers through his soft hair, tightly clamping his eyes shut in the process as it was too tempting to open them right now.

Nick soon after joined his lips to Greg's, delicately sliding his fingertips up and down the subtle ridges of his chest. Pulling apart occasionally for air between romantic smooches and soft caresses, they made out like teenagers until they collapsed against each other, panting breathlessly.

Greg wrapped his arms around Nick's body, clutching him tightly as he listened to his heavy breathing and pounding heart beat against his own that was almost in time with the music that was still playing in the background. "I can't believe we actually have a date now. It makes it even more exciting." Greg smiled widely, pressing his lips to Nick's hairline. "I love you Nicky." He whispered against his ear.

"I love you too baby." Nick leant on his elbow beside Greg's head, staring lovingly down into his partner's eyes. "Now we seriously have to get plannin' this weddin' and get my head sorted out."

"Oh that reminds me, I got you something." Greg remembered, scrambling to his feet off the sofa. He made his way over to his coat in the hallway, pulling a small paper bag from the pocket. Nick looked up at him curiously as Greg dropped onto the sofa with him again. "It's a little something I got you to help you relax." Nick frowned slightly as Greg handed over the bag to him.

Nick pulled out a small naked troll with long green hair on a key chain, looking up at Greg surprised. "A naked troll? That's supposed to help me relax?" He queried.

"My Nana Olaf told me that Troll's are lykke sjarm . . . which means they're like a Good Luck Charm. She told me they're very lucky to Norwegian people. I want you to have one, to keep you safe. You deserve some luck." He smiled sweetly at him. "I know it's just something silly, but I..."

"Thank you, I love it." Nick interrupted him, looking at its crazy spiked hair then smiled down at Greg. "I'll always keep it with me." He pulled Greg closer, cupping his cheeks in his hands as he initiated a passionate kiss to his lips. "This is the nicest thing anyone's ever bought me."

"A green haired troll?" Greg smirked.

"No . . . a good luck charm." Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's forehead, nose and lips, giving him a wide smile. "Thank you Greg, you're the best boyfriend anyone could ever have, and you're all mine." Nick lay back against the sofa, pulling Greg down on top of him to hug him tightly. "You're a genius Greg." He whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead as he held the little troll in his hands.

"I know." Greg giggled as Nick looked down at him. "C'mon, we have to get up."

"Where are we goin'?"

"We've been on the sofa nearly an hour. We have to go next door." Greg reminded him, pulling him to his feet. Greg stole a kiss before he ran off up the stairs with Nick in tow, pulling him off towards their bedroom to change their crumpled clothing.

"Remember when we didn't schedule our weekends? We just lay in bed all day or somethin'?" Nick asked as he changed his jeans.

Greg smiled round at him. "We got things to do today though. And we've gotta prepare you for group therapy on Monday. It'll be your first session with them . . . and I can come with you if you like."

"No, that's okay. One of us has to be workin' to support the other one dribbling in a cup."

"You're not crazy." Greg giggled, crashing onto the bed as he pulled his jeans off. "You just have a lot on your mind. You'll be fine though, group therapy is supposed to be the best treatment."

"I'll go, I'm not gonna skip out on it. Don't worry." He assured him, tossing him a clean t-shirt. He then turned back to the closet, pulling on a t-shirt of his own.

"Nicky, are you really planning on wearing that?"

Nick looked down at his jeans and the long sleeved navy blue t-shirt he was wearing. "Umm, yeah. What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing, just it covers up all the goodies." Greg cheekily grinned. "I want them both to be completely jealous of my beautiful boyfriends figure and that top is completely unflattering to your beautiful body."

"Your mother bought me this top." Nick reminded him.

"All the more reason not to wear it." Greg lifted the shirt up over Nick's head, tossing it to the ground behind him. "Much better, you can totally go like that. I won't mind at all."

"I'm not goin' naked G." Nick rushed over to the closet to find another shirt. "Why do you care about makin' them jealous?"

"Because I have the sexier boyfriend and they know it. I want them to feel jealous." Greg dropped onto the edge of the bed to tie his shoes.

"So you're showin' me off like a dog?"

"No." Greg giggled, shaking his head at him. "I just think you should show off your beautiful assets." He smiled up at him. "No not that one." He shook his head as Nick selected out another terrible fashion disaster. He jumped to his feet to pick one he really liked on him. "Try this one."

"That one's too tight." Nick moaned.

"Exactly." Greg cheekily grinned, handing over the tight fitting black shirt with white buttons down the front and on the pockets. Nick sighed softly as he took the shirt from Greg's hands. "What?"

"Nothin', just you're obsessed with impressin' these people. They're only our neighbours."

Greg decided to ignore his last comment, heading off to the bathroom to re-gel his hair. "Did you brush your teeth yet?"

"Yes mother, I did them this mornin'."

"You've had smelly steak stuff since then." Greg grabbed Nick's toothbrush, handing it over to him as he entered the bathroom. "What?" He smiled as he stuck up his last bleached spike.

"I can't breathe in this shirt G."

"Then un-tuck it." Greg tugged it out from Nick's jeans, resting the hem over the top of his jeans. "You don't always have to tuck it in." Greg pressed a kiss to his cheek then grabbed his own toothbrush to re-brush his teeth. "A little pain is part of the process of looking good." He smiled up at him. "Why do you think women wear really uncomfortable high heels?" Nick rolled his eyes at him, quickly rinsing his mouth out with mouth wash before he put a comb through his tousled hair. "Do you want some hair gel?"

"We're not goin' out to a night club G; I don't feel the need to impress these people. And we already look gay enough. Honestly could your jeans be any tighter?"

"Oh you like em do yah?" Greg cheekily smiled as he gave him a twirl. "They're new, I bought em for you."

"Did you say you bought em for you? Or for the view?" Nick licked his lips as he ran his eyes across Greg's back side.

Greg laughed as he head back into the bedroom to grab his watch. "Are you ready Nicky?"

"Are you sure this shirt looks okay?" Nick self consciously asked, adjusting the shirt collar around his neck as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now can we go? Neither one of us are women so we have no excuse for being late." Greg giggled.

"Are you sure though? Be honest with me, I feel fat in this shirt."

"No, you don't look fat. You look hot, now can we go?" Greg pleaded, tugging on Nick's arm to hurry him along.

"Are you sure I don't look too gay?" Greg burst into giggles. "I'm serious Greg; do I look too gay in this?"

"I don't know how anyone can look _too_ gay. But no you don't Nicky. Can we go?"

"Do we really wonna come off as a seriously gay couple who wears seriously tight clothin' though."

"Would you stop worrying!" Greg laughed. "A highly doubt a gay couple is going to be judgemental towards us. Now c'mon princess, we're already ten minutes late."

"Okay, don't ever call me princess again." Nick warned him before he checked his flies were zipped, finally following Greg off down the stairs. Nick grabbed his keys while Greg set Rascal's water bowl outside for him as he didn't want to come in. He softly ruffled his pups head then locked the back door, meeting Nick at the door, still obsessing over his tight shirt.

"Why are you so worried about looking too gay around two gay men?" Greg queried, weaving their hands together as they made their way out of the door.

"I have a certain image to uphold Greg." Greg couldn't help but laugh as Nick locked the front door behind them. "I do, in all my years of bein' gay, I've never looked gay. And I'm not gonna around two gay guys." Greg put his finger to his lips as he knocked on the neighbour's door. "Remember." Nick looked at him sticking his finger up his nose.

"No, you can't do that." Greg frowned at him, quickly pulling Nick's hand away from his nose as the front door opened, hoping whoever was behind the door didn't see his boyfriend picking his nose. "Hi Otis."

"Greg, Nick." He smiled warmly at them both. Nick's eyes immediately cast towards what Otis was wearing. He was wearing form fitted jeans and a baggy blue jersey. The only thing gay about him was the apron tied around his waist reading, 'Properly trained Man cooking.' Even that wasn't gay enough. "C'mon in, Dave's attempting to make Mexican style burritos." Otis closed the door behind them, leading them through to the front room while he rushed off to get Dave.

"I knew I shoulda worn the blue shirt." Nick whispered to Greg once he was gone.

"Would you stop? You look fine." Greg smiled round at him, turning his head towards the door as Dave walked in wearing an apron of a man with his hand down his pants. Greg had to double check to make sure it wasn't Dave's hand, but it really was a picture on the apron.

"Yeah I know." Dave chuckled as he caught them both staring at it. "Christmas present from my daughter. She's a little comedian. Nice to meet you Nick." He immediately went in for a friendly handshake. Nick looked at the older man's, stronger bicep, trying to give a very manly handshake, making him squeeze Dave's hand almost too tightly. "Hi Greg." Dave shook his hand then turned to pull his husband into his arms. "Honey you talk, I'll make drinks. You both like Budweiser?"

"Oh, I'll have water please." Greg politely requested.

"Okay, how about you Nick?"

Nick looked at Greg then nodded, "I'll have water too please."

Dave nodded pecking a kiss to his husband's cheek before he head out the room. "Well, how about a tour?" Otis suggested. "Jody will be around shortly. We told her three o'clock sharp, but as always she's gonna test her luck." He smirked, leading them off towards the staircase. "Dave actually decorated this hall by himself." He pointed out to them both as they made their way up the stairs.

Nick nodded as he noticed the brush strokes going in all directions, whereas he knew you're supposed to go vertically to avoid the horrible dripping lines. He also noticed they had used a paint brush, whereas he knew you should use a roller so it's nice and smooth instead of the brush strokes everywhere.

A little something Greg's father taught him while they were decorating his house.

Greg looked round at Nick, catching onto the perfectionist's look of disgust at the poor decorating. Greg had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing as he reached for Nick's hand to hold, shaking his head at him as he smiled widely.

Otis led them into the master bedroom which wasn't at all what they were expecting from gay men. Really they were very stereotypical to their own kind. They were expecting this married gay couple to have all sorts of gay things, when really their house was just as masculine and as normal theirs. If not more...

Otis showed them the furniture that came flat packed that they argued about while they were putting it together, making Nick and Greg smile to each other as they did the exact same thing with their flat packed bed. Otis showed them the mess of their teenage daughter's room then led them back down the stairs to show them the kitchen and dining area.

Dave handed them their drinks of ice cold water as they got back to the kitchen, watching him attempting to piece together the burritos with all the fillings and toppings while Otis laughed at him.

"Ah, that'll be Jody." Dave announced as he heard the door opening. "I'll be right back, you can finish them off." He pointed to his husband, playfully smacking him on the backside before he rushed off to talk to his daughter.

Greg looked at Nick who had the same smile as him, and he wasn't picking his nose yet, which was a good sign for many reasons.

"So, Otis, what do you and Dave do... for a livin' I mean." Nick nervously corrected.

Otis chuckled softly as he saw Nick blushing, giving out that weird lop sided grin that Greg was talking about as he handed them each a plate with two burritos on it. "Dave's a retired Paramedic and I'm in construction."

Nick and Greg both frowned curiously as they didn't go together at all.

"Jody, behave." Dave scowled his daughter in the background as he led her through to the kitchen. "Jody this is Nick and Greg, our neighbours I was telling you about." He pointed over to them.

"Hey." She half smiled. "Dad I can't stay long..."

"I know, I know, you can stay for lunch though." Dave grabbed one of the extra burritos, putting it on an empty plate for her. "There. No complaining. Oh and this is Jody's affable boyfriend... Nathan." He tried to remember as she had been through so many in the past month.

"Jason Dad, I told you his names Jason." She corrected him, reaching past Otis for a plate for her boyfriend.

"What happened to Nathan?" Her father asked curiously.

"He didn't make the team."

"He didn't make the team so you cut him from yours?" Jody nodded up at him as she frowned. "Okay, doesn't matter. We're eating in the garden. Sorry about this." He apologised to Nick and Greg as he led them out into the garden. He plumped up the cushions on two of the chairs for them both before he rushed inside to continue helping his husband with their lunches.

Nick and Greg took their seats as Otis and Dave walked out, insisting that Jody and her boyfriend to come and sit with them for the meal.

"Which ones Nick and which ones Greg?" Jody asked as if they weren't even there.

"I'm Nick." Nick raised his hand slightly, worried that his shirt might rip if he raised it any higher. "And this is Greg."

"Hi." She smiled awkwardly as she sat down. "Who made these?" She asked pointing to her burrito.

"I did." Dave told her, kicking her lightly under the table to make her stop moaning before she started. Jody responded by kicking him back, giving him a cheeky smile as she zipped her lips shut. "So Nick, Greg, how did you two meet?"

"At work." Nick spoke up before Greg did as he had food in his mouth. "We've worked together for eight years."

"Wow," Otis gasped. "Eight years is a long time."

Nick nodded in agreement, giving Greg a wide smile. "So how did you two meet?" He asked them back.

"Oh, Otis here was replacing his guttering around his house. He fell off the ladder and broke his leg in three places," Both Nick and Greg cringed at the thought of it. "I just happened to be the first paramedic on scene. I held his hand the whole drive over..."

"While you were still married to mom." Jody interrupted him.

Dave gave her an evil scowl before he continued. "Then even though he was in so much pain, he asked 'did I die?'." Dave smiled as he gazed lovingly into his partner's eyes. "I told him no then asked him why. And he said..."

"I said 'because you're so beautiful I felt like I was in heaven." Otis finished for him before they shared a passionate kiss. Nick thought back to this morning when he woke up next to a real angel. He cast his eyes towards Greg, smiling to himself as he still was an angel; his wings were just hidden away.

"Who was that woman I saw you with yesterday?" Jody suddenly asked Nick. Otis, Dave and Greg looked at her curiously, wondering if she was lying or not. "I saw Nick with a woman yesterday. He took her into your house and she didn't come out until the morning."

"Oh, that's Jade." Nick explained, watching Greg sighing in relief. "She's Greg's childhood best friend. She lives just around the block."

"Jody!" Dave scolded her. "Don't stir up trouble."

"I wasn't." She protested, scowling at her father. "Can I go now? Jason and I have plans."

"You're being rude." Otis pointed out to her, indicating towards their uncomfortable guests.

"Like I care. We're going." Jody reached for her boyfriend's hand, pulling him to his feet. "Later dad."

"Jody, just wait a minute!" Dave scrambled to his feet, rushing off after her through the house.

Otis nervously cleared his throat, looking down the end of the table at Nick and Greg. "Sorry." He whispered softly. "She's not usually like this."

"No it's okay." Nick assured him. "These burritos are amazin'."

"Um hmm." Greg agreed, handing Nick a napkin as he had some sauce on his chin.

"Excuse me one second." Otis climbed to his feet as he heard shouting coming from inside the house. He rushed off to see if he could help out, feeling even more embarrassed for his guests.

"Maybe we should go?" Nick whispered.

"After one more." Greg insisted, grabbing another burrito.

Nick laughed softly, shaking his head at him. "Don't eat too much, your jeans will pop."

"Mean." Greg giggled, poking Nick in the thigh. "They're not that tight. And these are delicious. I have to find his recipe."

"You also have to find your mouth." Nick chuckled as he brushed his thumb across Greg's chin. "I told you this was a bad idea."

"You did, but it makes me appreciate you like a thousand times more." He smiled softly.

"You didn't before?"

"I did, just even more now." Greg licked his lips then wiped his fingers on his napkin. "Yum, are you gonna finish that?"

"Help yourself." Nick watched his burrito disappear into Greg's mouth within seconds. "Wasn't somebody on a diet?"

"I'm not on a diet, I'm bulking up, but I still give up." Greg relicked his lips as Dave and Otis walked back into the garden.

"Very sorry about that." Dave apologised, dropping down into his seat once again. "She's only been acting this way since she started dating, which I completely don't approve of, but my therapist says if I tell her not to, she'll only enforce it more."

"That's okay." Nick smiled at them both. "So, where did you go on your honeymoon?" He queried as he was looking for places for him and Greg to go.

"Oh we went to England for two weeks where Dave is from." Otis spoke up first. "It's a pretty funny story actually. When we arrived at Heathrow airport, Dave head off for the British passport entry queue while I waited in the foreigners queue. When my turn came up, the immigration officer asked me the purpose of my visit, to which I replied 'I'm on my honeymoon.' The officer looked either side of me then smiled at me saying, 'that's very interesting sir, most men bring their wives with them,' he laughed as he stamped my passport."

Nick and Greg both laughed together.

"He tells that story to everyone." Dave shook his head as he laughed. "He still thinks it's funny."

"It is. They laughed." Otis pointed out to him. "What are your plans for your honeymoon?"

"We... haven't decided yet." Nick reached for Greg's hand under the table, giving him a soft smile. "We've never exactly been on a vacation together yet."

Dave and Otis looked at them both surprised. "Why not? Are you like serious workaholic's?" Dave asked them.

"Nope," Greg shook his head. "We've known each other for years, but we only just started dating about a year ago."

"And you're getting married already?" Otis asked surprised.

"Honey, can't you see they're in love." Dave smiled softly, patting his husband on the knee. "I wish I had married you sooner."

"I bet you do." Otis smiled at him then turned back to Nick and Greg. "So what do you do for a living?"

"We're CSI's." Nick spoke up first.

"Crime Scene Investigators. Nick's a level three, one of the best CSI's around and I'm a level two. I used to work in the Crime lab as a DNA specialist, but it wasn't enough of an adventure for me." Greg explained as Nick's comment wasn't enough of an explanation to shock and awe their neighbours.

"Wow, I have never met a Crime Scene Investigator." Dave smiled at them both. "My ex-partner at work used to date one though."

"Was her name Sara Sidle?" Greg queried.

Dave frowned at him a moment then nodded. "Yeah, she dated my partner Hank for a while. How did you know?"

"Because Sara works with us and she's the only CSI to date a paramedic." Greg smiled at them both. "So what do you do for a living Otis?"

"I'm in construction." Otis licked his fingers as he finished his second burrito. "That's how I met Dave. I'm planning on building a summer house down the end of the garden; I just haven't gotten around to it yet..."

"Yeah, he's too busy saving all his money to buy a boat." Dave smirked.

"You married me knowing I wanted to buy a boat for our retirement." Otis pointed out to him.

"We could be spending the money on essentials like groceries and clothing." Otis gave his husband an angry look as he didn't want to discuss this in front of their guests. "What? You've got loads of money in your savings; we could be spending it on essentials instead of just spending my money all the time."

"We do spend my money. Yours is always off limits because you're saving it for Jody."

"It is not!" Dave protested.

"Is so, I give her more of my money then you anyway. She's always mooching off me."

"Well why don't you tell me about it then?"

"Can we not discuss this right now!" Otis snapped at him, gathering up the plates off the table to take into the kitchen. Dave gave Nick and Greg an apologetic look then scrambled to his feet, rushing off after his husband.

"We should really go." Nick whispered to Greg.

"Wait, this is just getting interesting." He smiled back at him.

Nick shook his head at him, giving him a wide smile. "You wonna watch drama in relationships watch TV Greg, we should really go."

"Shh," Greg hushed him as he tried to listen in.

"What is your problem?" Otis's muffled voice sounded through the house. "We just discussed this the other night. Why do you have to do it now in front of our new neighbours?"

"Because, you've got a ton of money in your savings, we're supposed to be married and sharing that money to fix this place up."

"Like what?" Otis squealed.

"The taps upstairs only pump out hot water for starters. You know I hate brushing my teeth with hot water. We need to fix up Jody's room; she's a little old for Barbie dolls and princesses now. The heater in the hot tub is broken; the tiling in the kitchen is cracked..."

"Those aren't essentials!" Otis snapped at him. "Those are things _you_ want. You haven't discussed any of this with me."

"We need this stuff and I have discussed it with you!"

Otis threw the drying towel down on the side, angrily folding his arms across his chest. "Have not! I've been saving for my boat for years; you're not taking that away from me!"

"Taking it away from you? We're supposed to be a couple you selfish prick!"

Greg looked towards Nick then gave him a nod as he whispered, "Okay, we can go now."

"Thank you." Nick climbed to his feet, tugging Greg along by his hand towards the back door. He cleared his throat as he entered, watching Dave slowly turning around. Otis was nowhere to be seen though. "Hi, thanks for lunch. We really have to get goin' now." Nick nervously spoke.

"Shit, we made you uncomfortable didn't we?" Dave asked them, running a hand through his hair.

"No, no... it's fine." Greg smiled softly. "We just have to go over to my friend's house to go over the wedding planning. Don't worry about it."

"Okay, sorry." Dave apologised again, leading them off towards the front door. "We've only been stressing with each other since Jody's behaviour got worse. We're in couple's therapy. Our therapist told us to stop bottling it up and just shout at each other. The best therapy apparently."

"And I hate this stupid wallpaper!" Otis's voice suddenly screamed out from upstairs.

Dave blinked his eyes a few times as he looked towards his uncomfortable neighbours, not knowing what to say.

"Don't worry about it." Nick smiled as he tugged Greg quickly off towards the door. "Thanks for lunch."

"Yeah we'll have to do it again sometime."

_God I hope not. _Nick inwardly thought, spotting a smile spreading across Greg's face as he knew exactly what he was thinking. "See yah Dave." Nick shook his hand then gave him a warm smile before he quickly head off down the path, tugging Greg along behind him.

"Slow down Nicky." Greg rushed to his side as they crossed the street, heading off towards Jade's house. "Come on, it wasn't that bad."

"You are kiddin' right? That was awful." Nick extended his hand, knocking on the door in front of him. "Let's hope Jade has a stash of beers somewhere."

"For you maybe, what am I supposed to do?"

Nick shrugged to him then smiled as Jade opened the door. "Hey, are we early?"

Jade reached out for his arm to check his watch. "Nope, you're okay. Where have you two been?" She queried as she looked at their clothing. Greg seemed okay with his outfit, but Nick just looked completely out of place.

"Don't wonna talk about it." They both chimed in together, laughing as they turned to face each other.

Jade stepped aside so they could come in, leading them straight off towards the kitchen. "Do you want a...?"

"Yes please." Nick grabbed the beer she was offering him, immediately flipping the lid off to take a soothing sip.

"Do you have anything to eat?" Greg asked curiously.

"G you just had four burritos and all those steaks from the caterers, you can't be that hungry."

"I am." Greg pouted at him.

"Help yourself." Jade took a seat at the counter. "So are you getting excited yet?"

"Way past excited." Greg smiled, grabbing a bag of chips from one of her cupboards. "Now I'm really nervous."

"Nervous?" Nick queried. "What have you got to be nervous about?"

"Everything." Greg pulled himself up onto the counter, shoving a handful of chips into his mouth. "I'm worried I'm gonna completely screw it up... or that one day I'll save my money for something and you'll get that pissed at me."

"We'll never be like them." Nick assured him, leaning against the counter beside him. "You can save your money for anythin' you want. I'll still support you. As long as it's not plastic surgery because you're already beautiful enough."

"Like who?" Jade queried with a confused frown on her face.

"Our neighbours, one of them is saving up for a boat and the other one doesn't like it." Greg pressed a kiss to the side of Nick's head, putting his arm around his shoulder. "It made me realise even more how lucky I am to have you Nicky."

Nick smiled up at him then looked over at Jade. "So, where are we on the weddin' plannin'?"

"I've got it set up in the front room." Jade smiled as she climbed off the stool.

"Oh and just a word of warning Jade. Your waters better not break during our ceremony; I don't want anything to ruin our day." Greg warned her with a cheeky smirk.

"I'll try and hold it. Now c'mon, let's plan this wedding."

Greg giggled excitedly as he jumped off the counter, tugging Nick along by his hand into the front room.

"Nick, why are you dressed like a gay cowboy?" Jade queried as she entered the front room first. "I mean could your shirt _be_ any tighter dude? Halloween was yesterday."

Greg gave out a righteous giggle as he collapsed onto the sofa. Nick rolled his eyes as Greg continued to laugh, beginning to feel his sides aching as he was laughing so much.

"I'm burnin' this shirt when we get home." Nick warned him as he took a seat beside him.

* * *

**Sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and liked the new characters Dave, Otis and Jody. :D I'll try and get the next chapter finished by the weekend so you won't have to wait too long.**

**Please review if you liked it.**

**~ Holly**


	56. Chapter 56: Support Group

**Chapter Fifty Six: Support Group**

"Okay, let's just go round the circle and share our experiences." Nick gulped hard, feeling his palms starting to sweat as he looked round at the circle of people in the room. He immediately reached into his pocket for the lucky troll that Greg had bought him, feeling it's crazy hair running against his fingertips, making him relax a little, but he still wasn't ready to share with a bunch of strangers.

"Who wants to go first?" Albert the group leader asked, but Nick was in no rush to raise his hand.

"I'll go." A man three seats away from Nick raised his hand. "Hi, my names Alex Brennan," He nervously spoke to the group. "It happened about fourteen years ago when I was a police officer." This immediately perked Nick's ears up. "A suspect held my partner and I at gun point while I was handcuffed to the door handle of my car." Alex rubbed his wrist, feeling as though he could still feel the handcuffs there. "My partner was on the floor, I remember looking into his eyes as the suspect shot him. I had early responses to the panic attacks . . . I was diagnosed by my work councillor and my therapist with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She prescribed me with medication to help calm me down and I thought it was all over and gone . . . but now they're coming back . . . with a vengeance." He added.

"Thank you for sharing Alex." Albert smiled warmly at him for having the courage to open up. "How many others of you have had the symptoms come back with a vengeance because you tried to ignore it when it first happened?" He asked the group. Seven brave souls raised their hands, not including Nick, even though he wanted to. "Okay, let's hear from someone else. Paula, how about you?" He suggested to one of the newest members as this was now her third meeting.

Paula nodded slightly, releasing her grip on her friends hand beside her, making Nick start to wish that he had brought Greg along with him after all so he wouldn't have to do this alone. "Um... hi everybody. My names Paula Williams." She nervously cleared her throat as she looked up at them all. "I-I... I er . . . I was raped by my father's best friend when I was seventeen years old." She nervously stammered, fidgeting on the chair she was sat on. Her friend beside her gently put her hand on her shoulder so she knew she was there if she needed her. "After it happened . . . I had panic attacks and things, but I never went to a doctor or specialist about it. Years later I became severely agoraphobic, getting to the point where I couldn't even leave my house anymore." She confessed, looking down at her hands in her lap. Nick's heart broke for her as he saw her eyes glazing over as the tears threatened to spill. "I... I..." She suddenly broke down into tears, immediately receiving a hug from her friend sat beside her.

"Okay, thank you for sharing Paula." Albert congratulated her with another one of his warm smiles. "Well done Paula, that was very brave. Who wants to go next?"

Nick sunk lower in his chair; he wasn't brave enough to go just yet.

"I'll go." A nervous woman raised her hand. "Hi everyone . . . my names Carla. When I was... I was around eighteen." She stammered, rubbing her hands together on her lap. "I met this guy . . . he seemed really nice. He was so kind to me a first. We spent every day together." Carla inhaled a deep breath as a tear gently rolled down her cheek. "Then I got pregnant . . . he didn't want it, but I wanted to keep it. I never knew my mother and my father was always in and out of rehab so I didn't have anybody. I really wanted to have a baby, but he got so angry with me." She paused to sniff back her tears. Gently wiping her hand across her face so she didn't smudge her makeup, she took a moment's breather before she started to speak again. "It was the first time he ever got mad with me . . . and he beat me to the ground. I lost my baby." Carla placed her hands on her stomach. "Now I can't have children because he beat me so hard." She shook her head as he looked up at the circle of people.

Albert grabbed the Kleenex box making his way over to her. "It's okay Carla. He's gone now." He whispered softly as she dried her eyes on the tissue. "Thank you for sharing Carla. Everyone give it up for Carla. Five months of group therapy and she finally shared."

Everyone started applauding her immediately stopping her tears, replacing them with a smile.

"Okay, who wants to go next?" Albert asked, looking around the circle again. Nick looked at Carla, not feeling as brave as her just yet, so he chose to remain silent again.

* * *

"So, how'd I do?" Greg anxiously asked Grissom as he read through his report. Grissom held his finger up to silence him as he read through the last half of Greg's report. "I can do it again if I got it wrong."

"No, no... this sounds really good. Except this last part." Grissom pulled his glasses off as he climbed to his feet. "You found blood on the glass on the kitchen floor?" Greg nodded to him. "Did you happen to notice this glass was broken from the outside?"

"Yeah, I wrote that."

"But you didn't say where it came from. You confirmed that the blood on the glass was your victims and she got it when she fell. But why was the glass broken from the outside?"

Greg nervously bit his lip as he tried to think. "So he could break into the house."

"If it was the victim's husband like you said Greg, then why would he need to smash the back door window open to let himself in?"

"Oh. Did I completely screw it up then?"

"Not completely, just go back to your evidence." Grissom handed his report back over to him then took a seat behind his desk. "You still need to take your firearms test before I can promote you Greg."

"I know, I'm getting there."

"Really? Because according to the schedule you missed all three classes."

"I've been busy." Grissom frowned up at him. "I'll sign up for the next classes and I'll go to them, I swear."

"You better. Tell Nick I said hi." He shouted after him as he head off out his office. Greg nodded back at him going through the pictures of the broken glass in his evidence file as he head off towards the DNA lab.

"Sanders," Vartann shouted as he caught up to him in the hall. "I ran those plates you gave me; the car belongs to the husband's brother. We're bringing him in for questioning now, and we're having his car towed here."

"Okay thanks."

"And our double date," Vartann nervously looked around to make sure no one was listening. "We're on." He added before he head off.

"Okay." Greg smiled after him then pushed the door open to the DNA lab. "Hey Wendy," He smiled at her as he made his way into her lab. "Did you take multiple samples of DNA from the glass I gave you?"

"Yeah, it all came back to your vic." Greg nodded as he looked back at the results in his hands. "Something wrong? I can do it again if you want?" Wendy suggested to him.

"No, I'm just questioning my evidence. The husband had keys to the house so he wouldn't need to smash the back door window open to get in." Greg half smiled at her then made his way off towards the print lab. "Hi Mandy."

"I'm sorry, I can't take anymore prints right now Greg, I'm completely swamped. Catherine and Warrick are doing a motel room suite, and the place is covered in prints." She informed him without looking up as she made her way through the pile of fingerprints collected on her desk.

"Really, coz I was just gonna compliment you on how lovely your hair looks today, and is that a new shade of lipstick?"

Mandy smiled up at him, realising exactly what he was doing. "Yes it is actually, it's called Strawberry Seduction and my hair I just had a few inches cut off to neaten it up. Thanks for noticing, now what do you want?"

"You assume I want something?" Greg cheekily giggled.

"Yeah, because I know for a fact you're gay, so what do you want me to do?"

"Did you fingerprint both sides of every piece of glass I gave you?"

"No, I only took the ones that you gave me. I can go over them again if you want; since you were nice enough to notice I'll put it to the top of the pile."

"Thank you." Greg smiled sweetly at her then made his way out of her lab to the empty layout room across the hall.

"Hey Greg," Catherine called after him, joining him in the layout room. "I have a question."

"Okay," He looked up at her curiously then leant on his elbow. "Ask away."

Catherine inhaled a deep breath before she spoke. "Are you a top, bottom or versatile?"

"Why do you need to know that?"

"For our case." She defended herself even though she was curious herself. "Our young gay male was wearing a condom when we found him, but the DNA on the outside of the condom, doesn't match the semen we found inside of our young man."

"Maybe he was in some kinda funky threesome?" Greg suggested.

"Have you ever been in a threesome, with Nicky I mean?"

Greg shook his head, watching Catherine frowning slightly. "Not everybody enjoys threesomes Catherine. It sounds like your guy was both a giver and a receiver."

"Do you like to..."

"I'm not answering that." He interrupted her before she finished. "My sex life has nothing to do with your case, so go get your rocks off somewhere else." He smiled up at her as she pouted at him.

"You're no fun; I bet Nicky would tell me." Greg shook his head up at her. "I bet you're the bottom Dom aren't you?"

"Go away." He laughed. "I'm not telling you anything." He playfully zipped his lips shut then tried to get back to work on finishing his case. He put his pen down as he felt his phone vibrate against his hip. Greg immediately smiled as he saw the caller ID. "Hey gorgeous, so how'd it go?"

"_Horrible." _Nick muttered as he made his way through the grocery store to grab a few things before he head home. "_There's so many different things that can cause post traumatic stress its amazin', not wow amazin', just... weird amazin'. I'm not goin' to another meetin'."_

"Yes you are Nicky." Greg protested. "You promised me. I'm sure those people that shared feel a little better today."

"_They all left in tears, I don't like cryin' in front of you. I'm not gonna cry in a room full of judgemental strangers."_

"Why would they be judgemental babe? It's a support group; key ingredient is that they support each other, otherwise it would just be a group." He pointed out to him, glancing up at the door as Ecklie walked by. "Hey Nicky I need your brain."

"_Okay, what are you workin' on?"_

"Well we've got our victim a Mrs Louise Wight. All the evidence pointed to her husband, but now I have glass from the back door that was smashed in from the outside to get in the back door, but the husband has keys. The glass was there before she died though because her bloods on top of it and its splatter, not from a cut. I also have a security camera on the street that has a car speeding away after the murder, but the car belongs to the husband's brother."

"_What's the husband's statement?"_

"He told me he would never kill his wife because he loves her. He even cried, right before he lawyer-d up."

"_Have you checked out the husband's bank records, phone and all that?" _Greg looked over his evidence, shaking his head to himself. "_G? Are yah shakin' your head?"_

"Yes." He giggled. "I also got his clothes from when he was arrested, his wife's bloods all over them..." Greg paused as he looked at the photograph of the shirt sleeve. "Nicky, you are a genius."

"_Nope, that's all you baby. Sometimes talkin' about it helps you realise somethin' you may have missed."_

"Thanks, what are doing?"

"_Shoppin'. I got your printer toner. What time will you be home?"_

"Um... around seven, maybe eight. Don't wait up."

"_I'll always wait up for you." _Greg smiled to himself. "_Love you baby, be careful."_

"Yes, if I'm not careful the shirt sleeve might try and strangle me." He giggled softly, feeling Nick rolling his eyes at him through the phone. "I gotta go, I love you too. Be careful of those grannies around there. There's this one that always runs over my foot with her trolley."

Nick laughed shaking his head at the phone as he looked around for any of the elderly around him. "_I will G. Later."_

Greg snapped his phone shut, quickly rushing off to evidence lock up to retrieve the shirt to take another look.

* * *

"Honey I'm home." Greg dropped onto the bed beside Nick; lifting the book he had fallen asleep reading from his chest. "Light reading there babe?"

Nick smiled up at him then glanced round at the time. "You're early." Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Nick sucked in a deep breath as he woke himself up. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Greg smiled widely, climbing on top of Nick to blanket his body as he gave him a soft passionate kiss. Nick slid his hands across Greg's back as he pulled him closer, happy to have Greg back in his arms after the day he just had.

Greg quickly removed his jeans and t-shirt, sliding under the covers with Nick to give him a warm hug. Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's forehead as he clutched him tightly, never wanting to let him go again. "So?" Greg whispered softly a few minutes of snuggling later. "How did it go?"

"Like I told you, horrible." Nick muttered.

"Did you share?" He queried as he raised his head to look up into his eyes. Nick bit his lip as he shook his head. "Why not?"

"You don't have to share your first time G. Albert suggested I just listened in my first day."

"Albert?" Greg questioned.

"Yeah, the group leader. There was this one guy who was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder fourteen years ago, and his symptoms suddenly got worse now."

"See, my therapist was right. It's different with different people."

"Speakin' of, don't you think you should come along too?" He suggested, looking down into his younger lover's eyes. "It could strike you any time too." Greg nervously bit his lip. "What? It's good enough for me but you're too good for it?"

"I've got a lot to do at the moment. I'm trying to finish my book and get it published. I'm gonna have interviews and all sorts coming up soon, along with the wedding planning and works completely swamped. And I'm almost a CSI level three. I don't have time to open up about my feelings."

Nick smiled up at him. "Almost? How near?"

"Well I solved my solo case today. The husband broke the back door window in after he killed his wife. I went back to the house and found a bloody fingerprint on the frame that I couldn't see before because it was so dark. He found out his wife was sleeping with his brother, so he killed her then tried to frame his brother. Only problem was that his brother was on a flight back from New York during the murder, the perfect alibi. I had the right suspect all along, I just needed more evidence."

"I'm so proud of you baby." Nick pressed a soft kiss to his temple as he hugged him tighter. "What did Grissom say?"

"Now I've solved my hundredth solo case, I just have to take the firearms test and this assault course thing." Nick looked down at Greg surprised. "Ecklie's questioning my athleticism since I was beaten to a bloody pulp. I also have to pass a psyche eval coz he thinks I might be crazy."

Nick clenched his teeth together in anger. "That bastard! He thinks he's better than everyone. You're one of the best damn CSI's the LVPD has ever had and he's just singlin' you out coz your with me. None of the other CSI's had to take one of these stupid psyche evaluations. That's total BS!"

"That's what I told Grissom, but it's no use fighting the system." Greg smiled softly, trying to calm the angry Texan down by gently smoothing his hand up and down his chest. "If it's what I have to do to become a CSI level three then I'll do it."

"That's BS Greg! If that asshole told you to jump off a fuckin' buildin' to become one, would you do it?"

"No, of course not." Leaning up on his elbow beside Nick's head, he gave him a soft smile. "It's just a little physical and mental test though Nicky. I can do it; it's the firearms one I'm worried about."

"I can teach you that." He suggested. "I might as well do somethin' useful."

"Okay, the classes aren't for a while yet, so we got time." Greg rested his head back on Nick's shoulder, feeling Nick's heart beat gently beginning to slow down after his rush of anger.

"Are you sure you won't come to these group meetin's for yourself? I don't want you to have to go through this Greg." Nick whispered to him a few minutes later.

Greg smiled as he inhaled a deep breath, lifting his head to press a kiss to Nick's lips. "You're adorable when you're so protective over me Nicky."

Nick smiled widely as he clutched him closer. "Oh and my Mom called while you were workin'. Her and Jean have made plans without us. We're all goin' over to the ranch for thanksgivin'." Greg looked up at him surprised. "She said attendance is mandatory."

"My parents too?" Nick nodded. "That's gonna be a disaster, especially with your father and my mother. They can't stand one another." Nick chuckled softly, pressing his lips to Greg's head. "At least I get to be with you . . . oh but what are we gonna do about Rascal?"

"Well Jade's not doin' anythin' . . . and she's a dog person. Either her or Dave and Otis."

"How do you know Jade's not doing anything?" Greg asked him curiously.

"Because, she's plannin' her pregnancy and things. She's been readin' up on loads of books and things, she's like a walkin' baby book herself. She's taken up a few more hours at work too so she can get enough money together."

"How do you know all this?" Greg pouted as she was his best friend.

"Because," Nick shrugged. "I talk to her. She's my friend too Greg."

Greg smiled as he rested his head on Nick's shoulder. "I don't mind you talking to her Nicky."

"Good, coz you talk to Warrick more than me, and you don't see me gettin' jealous." He smirked.

"We work together." Greg defended himself, swirling his fingers around on Nick's chest. "And we mostly talk about you anyway. He's always asking how you are, and telling me to say hey to the wife."

"He calls me your wife?"

"Yep, since you've been gone everyone refers to you as the wife now." Greg smiled softly as he looked up into Nick's eyes. "Relax babe, they're just teasing. We both know who the real man of the house is." He giggled softly as he slid his hand down Nick's chest towards his waist.

"You want it now? Aren't you tired?" Greg shook his head as he reached for the lube in the bedside drawer. He slid Nick's pyjama bottoms down to his knees, pushing them the rest of the way with his foot. "Someone's eager." He laughed, rolling their bodies so Greg was underneath him. "You want me to top?" He rasped against his neck as he placed soft kisses along the younger mans jaw line.

"You know it. I always prefer it that way... I mean not that I don't like to top you, but I prefer to be the bottom."

"Okay." Nick smiled softly; removing Greg's shorts as he trailed soft kisses towards one of his lover's sensitive nipples.

"Do you . . . prefer to top I mean?" Greg asked him, beginning to feel paranoid after what Catherine had said to him today at work.

"I do like it better." Nick nodded, not wanting to hurt his lover's feelings. "But anythin' with you feels better."

Greg smiled widely, arching his chest up as Nick's tongue scored down the centre of his chest towards his navel. "You can tell me if you don't like it Nicky, we're supposed to be honest with each other."

"I like it when you top Greg; I just _prefer_ to be the top." Nick looked down into Greg's eyes, giving him a soft smile. "I love the feelin' of you inside of me, I've never trusted anyone that much before. I just like the feelin' of bein' inside of you better." He explained to him.

"Okay. I didn't mean anything by it . . . I just wanted to know the truth. I love you being the top too; it means I have less work to do for pleasure." He cheekily grinned up at him.

"I'm happy to do all the work so you feel pleasure baby." Nick chuckled softly, removing the lid off the lubricant as he started up his tender soft kisses to his lover's chest again.

"Do you think I'm a Dom?" Greg suddenly asked him.

"Okay, who said what to you this time?" Greg looked up at Nick confused. "You think I don't know my boyfriend? Was it Warrick again, or Brass... it was him wasn't it?" Nick accusingly asked him.

"No . . . Catherine asked me some questions and she assumed that I was a bottom, but then she called me a bottom Dom."

"So, what's wrong with that?" Nick asked him.

Greg shrugged then rested his head back against the pillow beneath him. "Maybe I am crazy. As soon as anyone says anything about us I start acting all paranoid and completely ruin sex." He whimpered as he covered his hands over his eyes.

"You're not crazy Greg." Nick assured him, pulling his hands away from his eyes. "Hey, I'm more crazy than you, and you didn't ruin sex. We haven't even gotten started." He smiled seductively as Greg opened his eyes to look up at him.

"Well in that case, what are waiting for cowboy?" Greg asked as he rolled over onto his side.

* * *

John Vartann stepped through his front door as quietly as possible, carefully clicking it in place behind him so he wouldn't wake his wife. He jumped as the shrill ring of the telephone erupted through the silence. After two rings he heard his wife's voice answer from the kitchen, realising that she was already awake so there was no need to be silent.

Slowly making his way off into the kitchen, he gave her a smile as she turned to look at him. She signalled to someone out in the garden as she stepped past him to go and find her address book. Cautiously making his way to the back door, John rolled his eyes as he saw his mother in law sat in the garden with the children.

"John," She cooed towards him as she spotted him. "You sleeping the morning away again?" His mother in law chided him with her cackling laughter. "Your wife's been up since five o'clock this morning with the children."

"I've been working." He defended himself, lifting his youngest Casey into his arms as she ran towards him. "I just finished my shift a few minutes ago."

"Hey honey," Leslie Vartann greeted him as she stepped out the back door, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "How was work?"

Vartann looked towards his mother in law with a smirk as in to say 'ha, told you so.'

"It was okay, I gotta go shower."

"Don't be too long, we're all going out to lunch." Leslie warned him. He nodded then pecked a kiss to his wife's cheek, handing over the squirming tot to her before he head off inside to grab a quick shower after a long shift at the station.

* * *

Greg awoke a few hours later feeling completely relaxed. He scrambled off the bed as he found himself alone; pulling some sweatpants on before he made his way off down the stairs, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he entered the kitchen. "Hey you, you made me wake up alone again." Greg poked Nick in the side as he leant against the breakfast bar beside where he was sitting.

"Sorry, I thought you were gonna sleep a few more hours. You were out like a light after you... came." Nick smiled softly, pressing a warm kiss to his forehead.

"Sorry." Greg lifted Nick's coffee mug in front of him, taking a soothing sip of his blue Hawaiian mix. "I was exhausted."

"I know." Nick gently brushed his fingers through Greg's tousled hair, giving him a wide smile. "Are you hungry yet?"

"Yes, did you feed..."

"Rascal, yes I did." Nick interrupted him before he finished. "He's almost got the fetch thing down too. He runs after it, he just doesn't bring it back." Greg giggled softly, following Nick over to the fridge. "I can make you pancakes or anythin' with eggs." He suggested.

"Scrambled eggs please." Greg set the coffee mug down on the side, pressing a kiss to Nick's cheek before he head off towards the back door to greet his excitable puppy.

"He doesn't like that new biscuits mix we bought either." Nick told him as he grabbed a frying pan and a bowl to crack the eggs over. "I put a bowl out for him last night and he didn't eat any of it."

"He wouldn't, it's the cheaper stuff. He's gonna be a fussy dog." Greg giggled as his hyper puppy tried to lick his face. "Are you still on for tonight?"

"I'm not excited about it, but yes." Nick reluctantly answered. "I'm not wearin' anythin' gay this time."

"You don't have to." Greg giggled, climbing to his feet again. He leant against the counter beside Nick, watching him expertly scrambling his eggs for him. "Are you ready to go shopping with my mother at the end of the week too?"

"That's this week?" Nick asked, watching Greg nodding to him. "I guess so. I'm sure I can tolerate her for one shoppin' trip."

"Oh and my publicist called. It's going to be three weeks, but I'll be here for thanksgiving and Christmas." Greg told him before he forgot himself.

"Okay, that's not so long. I'm sure our mothers will help me with the weddin' plannin' while you're away."

"And if you need me just call." Greg told him again as he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge door. "You're way more important to me then this book I've been working on."

"But you've been workin' so hard on it. I don't wonna ruin that for you."

"You could never ruin anything for me." Greg sweetly smiled up at him, licking his lips as he could smell the fresh eggs already.

"You want ketchup?" Nick asked as he dished it out onto a plate for him.

"Yes please." Greg grabbed Nick's coffee mug, heading off into the garden.

Nick squeezed some ketchup out onto the plate then grabbed a knife and fork, following Greg out to the sun beds by the pool where Greg had already set his coffee and bottle of water on the table beside him. He handed Greg over his breakfast then took a seat first as he knew Greg would want to sit on top of him.

Greg immediately took a seat between Nick's legs, leaning back against his chest as he set the plate down on his lap ready to eat. "You comfy there G?"

"Very." He nodded up at him with a wide smile. "You know your eggs are so much better than when we first started going out."

"I learn from the best." He chuckled, wrapping his arms around as Greg's waist. "What else did you wonna do today G?"

"I just wonna spend it with you."

Nick smiled as he rested his chin on his shoulder. "You know I can't remember what I used to do with my days before I had you."

"I never did anything; I read a lot of books, surfed the web." Greg swallowed back his last bite of eggs. "And I drank."

"Sounds more thrillin' than me. I seem to recall watchin' a lot of TV." They both laughed together, looking deep into one another's eyes. "I never want to go back to that."

"You won't have to. I never want to either." Greg assured him, setting his plate down on the grass beside them. "I'm actually really excited about our date tonight." Greg confessed. "Not because Vartann and Metcalf will be there, because we haven't had a date in a while."

"Sorry baby, we've both been really busy. We'll go on lots more dates when we have more time." He assured him, pressing his warm lips to his neck.

"Like where?" Greg asked curiously.

"Well we can have a date night indoors or out on the strip." Nick suggested. "There's a hot tub over there that's never been used. I have tons of ideas up my sleeve." He smiled as he smoothed his hands up and down Greg's smooth chest. "What's your ultimate fantasy G?"

"My ultimate fantasy?" Greg deviously giggled as he rubbed his hands together. "Something you couldn't do."

"Why's that?"

"Because," Greg turned his head to look up into Nick's eyes. "It's very extreme. It's this dream I had once. I was lying completely naked on this rotating bed with silk white sheets underneath me." Nick shivered as he thought about it. "Then there was you." He pointed up at him. "But there was more than one of you."

"More than one of me? So there were lots of guys?"

"Yeah, but they were all you. All of them looked exactly like you. You were kissing my neck, chest, my face... everything." He giggled as he remembered the dream. "It was hot as hell and when I woke up I was sweating all over."

"I'm sweatin; all over right now." Nick chuckled, smoothing his hands towards Greg's stomach. "You don't want a threesome or anythin' like that do you G?" He started to worry.

Greg shook his head as he grabbed for his water bottle. "No, no way. What gave you that idea?" Nick shrugged slightly as Greg looked up at him. "I only want you. I don't want anybody else to touch me the way you do. I've _never_ let anyone touch me the way you do." He confessed to him. "I love you more than anything in the world. I'll never want to have a threesome to spice up our love life, because our love life is exactly the way I want it. Just you and me."

"Damn, you should totally write that in your vows." Nick chuckled.

"Nope, I'm working on a little something extra for them. It's gonna be an even bigger masterpiece than my book that'll probably never sell any copies."

"Hey, of course it well G. You're gonna be a big famous writer someday. Our grandchildren are gonna be boasting about their Papa Greg who wrote the best books on Old Las Vegas." He comforted him.

"Wow, I didn't even know we had kids, but now I'm Papa Greg? That makes me feel old." He moaned, immediately perking up as Nick started to tickle him.

"You're not old." He rasped against his neck, kissing a warm trail across his bare shoulder. "You'll be young and beautiful forever."

Greg smiled up at him before he relaxed back against his chest, closing his eyes as the sun beamed down across his face. "You know," Greg whispered a few minutes later. "If we stay out here any longer, we're gonna start to tan."

"Yeah, I'll have a Greg shaped tan on my chest." He smirked.

Nick pressed a warm kiss to the soft skin behind his ear, resting his head against his boyfriend's soft head of hair. "Do we have any chocolate sauce or syrup left?" Greg suddenly asked him.

"Maybe, why?"

"Because I'm thinking of a fantasy you can fulfil." Greg slid out of Nick's arms, climbing to his feet. He tugged Nick to his feet, leading him off into the house.

"I'm thinkin' it's somethin' pretty hot since you want chocolate syrup and me." Nick chuckled, following Greg off towards the fridge.

"Oh it's very hot." Greg assured him, grabbing the bottle of chocolate sauce from the fridge before he led Nick off up the stairs to their bedroom. Greg threw back the covers of the bed, crashing down onto his back. Nick removed his sweatpants then straddled Greg's hips, slipping his sweatpants off before he took the chocolate sauce bottle from Greg's hands.

"Now in your fantasy . . . is the chocolate sauce on you . . . or me?" He rasped against his bare neck.

Greg arched up into his touch then gave him a wide smile. "On you . . . then on me."

Nick smiled widely at him then rolled their bodies so their positions were reversed. "Go on then baby." He sexily rasped, giving him wink.

* * *

"Here we are." Leslie Vartann announced, pulling the car up to the curb of her parents house. She parked the car then climbed out to help the kids and her mother out. "C'mon John!" She shouted as he was still sat in the passenger seat, exhausted from the long shift he just made it through at work. He didn't really want to spend the afternoon with his wife and her family, but he tried to focus on the good. The only good thing he could think of was that he would be seeing Metcalf later.

The three excitable children bounded off towards the front room as soon as the front door was open, immediately turning on the television as their Nana had all the best channels in high definition. Leslie head off into the kitchen with her mother as she started handing out assignments for her three daughters to help prepare lunch.

Meanwhile John Vartann watched his children fighting over the remote from the doorway. Paige was the oldest; looked just like her mother with her long blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. She soon lost control of the remote to her younger brother Robbie. Five years younger than his sister but almost as tall as her and twice as strong.

He was growing like a weed.

As the pair continued to squabble and fight over the remote, it dropped to the carpeted floor beneath them, allowing two year old Casey to pick it up. John smiled at his youngest as she surfed through the channels herself; bouncing up and down as she hit one of the music channels making her brunette pig tails bob up and down with each bounce.

Leslie's big sister Abigail hustled off through the hallway, grabbing the good china from the cabinet in the den. "Hello John." She cheerily greeted him, carrying the plates off towards the dining table. John gave her a warm smile then head off into the kitchen, almost tripping over his eight month old niece Kara who was crawling across the floor in her baby blue dungarees.

He stood in the doorway watching Leslie and her younger sister Carol, who looked just like her even though she was eight years younger than her. They both had the same long flowing hair style and their facial features were almost exactly alike. The only difference was that Leslie; John's wife had a small cluster of moles on her right cheek beneath her eye.

For that he was thankful, otherwise he wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

The two women were dishing out napkins and cutlery before they started to pour everyone drinks, dropping a few cubes of ice into each glass. "Don't just stand there John! Help out!" His wife insisted, handing him a bread knife then pointing over to the chopping board where some fresh loafs of bread were sat.

John reluctantly walked over to the chopping board, cutting doorstep pieces of bread and dumping them in the basket sat beside it as he didn't really care about presentation like the other girls. He just wanted to sit down and eat.

"John." A stern voice suddenly came from behind him.

Whirling around to see who it was John immediately forced a smile as he looked into the eyes of his father in law. "Mr Beckett, nice to see you again." He reached out his hand to shake former Police Chief Beckett's hand, the man who absolutely despised him from the moment he found out he was dating his daughter.

"Yes." His father in law gave him a funny look before he head off into the dining room, taking a seat at the head of the table while the girls rushed around to set everything up.

"John! Are you done with that bread yet?" Leslie hissed as she made her way into the kitchen. She looked at the basket in his hands, stacked with thick pieces of bread. "Well you better get some more butter out. There's no way we'll be able to swallow down that heap!" She scolded him, snatching the basket from his hands to carry it to the table.

It was times like this that he really wished his life was with Jasper Metcalf, rather than Leslie Beckett-Vartann, daughter of a retired police chief and the golden child of the family as she had it all.

House, Husband, Children, Family pet and a good job.

John used to think that was enough to satisfy him, but now more than ever he wanted his uncomplicated life with Metcalf.

* * *

"He's still not answering!" Jean complained, slamming her phone down onto the table in front of her. "That's the second day this month he forgot to call me. Before Nicky came along he called me every day without fail."

"Now you know that's a lie sweetheart." Daniel giggled, gently massaging her shoulders as he stepped up behind her. "I think someone's getting anxious because their little boys growing up." He informed her.

"Am not!" She protested, but he wasn't believing a word of it.

"Are too." Her father giggled as he entered the room. "Ever since the dates been set, you haven't stopped looking through his baby pictures, drinking your wine and getting angry with him when he misses your phone calls."

"Oh shut up dad." She hissed at him. "I have not!"

"Yes you have." Daniel agreed. "I put five empty bottles of wine out this morning. You never usually drink that much in a month. Greg's found someone to love him and you're worried that you're going to lose him."

"Would everybody stop doing that!" She yelled as she climbed to her feet. "I'm not doing anything I wouldn't normally do." She looked round at her husband and father then burst into tears. "He doesn't need me anymore. It's so unfair! What did I ever do to deserve this?" She wailed, immediately being pulled into her husband's arms. She sobbed into his shoulder for a few minutes as he tried to softly sooth her.

"Of course he still needs you honey. Just not as much. This is what we always wanted. Our little boy to find the one he loved and to be happy like us. You're not letting go of him completely, just a little bit more than you already have." Daniel tried to sooth her. "Remember the morning he left for college?"

"Yes, I couldn't stop crying." She chortled as she sniffed back her tears.

"Exactly, I told you letting go is part of his growth. Well it's the same now. He's still your son. He's always going to be your little boy. Letting go doesn't mean you have to give up on being his mother, he'll always be around. He'll just have a life of his own."

"I know! I know!" She sobbed, clutching him tightly. "But I don't want to! I always knew he would get married, I just never thought it would be this soon."

"May I remind you that you did this to me when you were still in your teens?" Papa Olaf reminded her, getting an evil scowl in his direction. "Well look at me now, I live in the same house as you and get on your nerves every day. One day you'll be doing this with Greg. Children never really leave; they stick to you your whole life no matter where they are Jeany."

"Yeah thanks dad." She remarked, burying her face into her husband's shoulder. "Don't put me in therapy again." She warned her husband.

"But it really helped you the first time sweetheart. You learned to relinquish your hold on him."

"I don't wonna go in therapy again. Those little know it alls get younger and younger every year. I'm not going; I'll be the sad old sixty year old who can't let go of her baby boy. They'll laugh about me at the water cooler and publish a book on me."

Daniel couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head at her. "You do have a wild imagination honey. We'll call Greg later when he's _not_ sleeping. He does work nights remember, he probably can't hear his phone because he's fast asleep." Daniel tried to calm her down. "C'mon, let's go watch the television or go for a long walk." He suggested, leading her off out the room.

* * *

Greg pulled his hooded sweatshirt down over his head as he made his way off down the stairs. He yawned widely as he head off into the kitchen, catching Nick smiling at him. "I'm not tired." He warned him as he head over to the freshly brewed coffee pot.

"I think you are G." He chuckled softly.

"No power on this earth will cancel this date Nicky." Greg smiled round at him, taking a sip of the refreshing coffee in his hands. "Besides I really wonna see the movie."

"I know you do." Nick pressed a kiss to his forehead then his lips. "But we can make it another day if you're too tired. You do have to work tonight." He reminded him. "I'm sure Vartann and Metcalf won't mind."

Greg shook his head, leaning against Nick's chest. "I'll be fine. I just need coffee and sugar."

"Not too much." Nick warned him, gently brushing his fingers through his soft hair. "Oh and there's three messages for you." He said, pressing a kiss to his hairline.

"All for me?" Greg queried.

Nick nodded as he head over to the machine to hit play. "Sounds like you missed your curfew."

"_Message One. Tuesday the sixth of November. Eleven fifty two am."_

"_Only me sweetheart." _Greg's mother's voice slurred through the answering machine. "_You didn't call me all day yesterday, and I'm still waiting for a call today. Don't forget I'm coming over for the weekend for our little shopping trip. I can make you some more meals while I'm there too and I don't mind giving the house a quick once over if you like. Any groceries you need let me know before I get there so I can bring them over for you. I have some presents for all three of my boys too. Anyway must go... lots of important things to do."_

"_Message Two. Tuesday the sixth of November. Twelve twenty eight am."_

"_Still no call. If you don't call me back in half an hour... I'm gonna call you again. I tried your mobile and Nicky's number, but you're not answering on either. Just starting to get a little worried sweetheart. So I'll call back in half an hour, unless you get this message then you call me."_

Greg looked up at Nick with a wide smile on his face as he shook his head to himself. He forgot how desperate his mother could get when she hadn't heard from him in a while.

"_Message Three. Tuesday the sixth of November. Twelve thirty eight am."_

"_So not quite half an hour I know. I just thought maybe you would be in or awake by now. I also remembered that I sent you an email and I never got a reply, I hope everything's okay. Jillian told me to tell you that she's booked you both flights for thanksgiving, and you'll need to book a four day weekend off with your boss Gregory. We can go over the wedding arrangements then too, now that we have a date it should be easier. Oh and I checked your schedule Gregory and you haven't been tested yet, just a precaution but I really think that you should..."_

Greg quickly made his way over to the machine, stopping the message before it finished, embarrassing him even more in front of Nick. "Crap." He muttered under his breath. "A four day weekend with all of our family there!"

"Relax Greg, it'll be fine. We don't even have to spend all day with them. We can go off and do our own thing." Nick pressed a kiss to his forehead then head off towards the front door to grab his keys. "You ready to go."

Greg nodded to him then quickly turned for the back door. "Rascal!" He shouted out the back door. The excitable puppy charged towards him, jumping up at his legs for attention once he reached him. Greg locked up the back door once he was in, checking the windows and things before he joined Nick at the front door. "Ready." He nodded, shoving his hands into his hooded sweatshirt.

"Okay, be a good boy Rascal." Nick warned him as he head out the front door with Greg.

Greg sleepily rubbed his eyes as he made his way round to the passenger door of Nick's truck. Nick locked up the front door then clicked the truck open as he walked towards it. Greg immediately climbed in, giving out another yawn as he leant back in his seat to buckle his seatbelt.

"I saw that G, we can easily cancel and go another night." Nick suggested to him.

"I'll be fine once I get some sugar in me." He smiled round at him.

"I'm worried you'll get too _hyper_ then." Nick chuckled as he pulled the truck out of their driveway. Greg reached for the stereo as they head down their street, setting it onto a techno station with the volume on low. He soon dozed off to sleep in the car, listening to the soft beat of the music and the gentle hum of the engine.

Nick parked the car, leaving Greg alone a moment where he could see him to get him some sugary snacks. He knew he was playing with fire as he wanted just enough to wake Greg up to keep him active through the movie, but not too much to make him crazy hyper like a four year old child.

* * *

John Vartann rushed up the stairs of the apartment complex, finally reaching the floor he wanted. He made his way off down the hall, smiling to an old lady walking her poodle out in the hall in her nightgown in the middle of the afternoon before he turned the corner towards his destination.

Raising his fist to the right door, he gave it four subtle knocks then leant against the doorframe as he waited for them to answer. Several moments of anticipation later, Jasper Metcalf finally opened the door, giving his boyfriend a wide smile. "You're late." He pointed out to him, buttoning the last few buttons of his navy blue shirt.

"Sorry, I couldn't get away from the wife. She surprised me with a family get together at her mothers." Vartann groaned. Jasper nodded knowing how much his boyfriend hated his wife's family's gatherings as he always felt so out of place.

Grabbing his jacket and keys, Jasper pulled his apartment door shut, securely locking it in place before he followed Vartann off towards his car out front, being sure to stay at least four feet apart in case any of his neighbours were watching them.

"What movie are we seeing again?" Jasper asked before he climbed into the car.

"Nick and Sanders picked it. All I remember was that Denzel Washington was in it." Vartann climbed into his car, quickly buckling his seatbelt then started the car as the movie had already started and they wouldn't know where to find Nick and Greg in the dark movie theatre.

* * *

"You think Cuba Gooding's good lookin'?" Nick questioned Greg in a low whisper.

Greg gave him a sweet smile, reaching for his hand to hold. "I said he's okay." He corrected, leaning closer to Nick as he saw the dog running towards Denzel Washington's character on the movie. Nick smiled round at him as he realised what he was looking at. Lately he had a real weakness for dogs on movies.

"They never get the blood right on these films." Nick whispered a few minutes later. Greg giggled softly, hearing someone shushing them from behind. Greg reached for another handful of the pop corn sat on Nick's lap, stuffing a load into his mouth. "Oh, you should never do anythin' without a warrant." Nick warned the outcast cop Richie Roberts, Russell Crowe's character off the film.

"Shh." Greg poked him in the stomach with a wide smile on his face, watching as the two cops on the film searched the car without wearing gloves or the authorisation of a warrant. "It's a movie, designed to shock and awe."

Nick rolled his eyes down at him, relaxing back in comfy seat. They were both so enrolled in the movie that they hadn't even noticed the lack of the double couple with them on their double date.

"Why is it the good cops that always get all the shit?" Nick whispered to Greg, who responded with a shrug. "See, see what I mean." Nick pointed out a few minutes later after one of the other cops called Russell Crowe's character, Richie a 'fucking boy scout' for turning in the money instead of keeping it for himself.

"Shh," Greg hushed him, giving him a wide smile. "It's just a film."

"People never appreciate people who do the right thing though." He whispered, holding Greg's hand on his lap. Greg smiled at him, rolling his eyes as he hadn't stopped talking yet and they still had over two and a half hours of the film left to go.

Nick leant further back in his seat as he checked the time on his watch. "I told you it was a bad idea to invite Metcalfe and Vartann . . . they haven't even shown up yet." Nick turned in his seat, looking around at the overly crowded theatre to see if he could see them, but they were nowhere to be seen.

"I'd love to go to the jungle." Greg whispered as it came up on the movie screen.

"You wouldn't last five minutes in the jungle." Nick teased him, placing his hand on his leg. "Did you even listen to what I said?"

"Yeah I listened, I just didn't care." Greg grinned round at him, popping some more popcorn into his mouth.

"Shh." A woman behind them glared at Greg for talking again.

Greg gave her an evil glare of his own before he turned back to the front, stuffing some more pop corn into his mouth and chewing it as loudly as he could to piss her off. Nick snickered softly, poking Greg in the side to make him behave.

They both sat as quietly as they could for the next half of the film, exchanging the occasional look as their hands brushed against one another in the pop corn bucket.

Nick watched intensely as Frank shot one of the other guys on the film. He immediately turned to Greg who was thinking the same thing. "I know, they never make the blood part real enough." Greg giggled softly. Nick nodded in agreement then watched as Greg reached into the empty bucket of popcorn. Greg immediately looked up at him with a pouting lip.

"I'll go get some more."

"Thank you, and something to drink." Greg added with a wide smile. Nick smiled widely back at him then pecked a kiss to his cheek before he climbed to his feet, ducking out into the aisle to go and get a refill of popcorn.

Nick quickly returned with a drink for Greg and a fresh bucket of popcorn under his arm. He ducked down as he took a seat beside Greg again, holding the bucket steady as Greg reached in for a handful.

"You took your time." Greg cheekily remarked. Nick tickled his stomach handing him over his drink before he leant back in his seat to get comfortable again.

"What did I miss?"

"Not a lot." Greg shook his head, getting hushed by the woman behind him again. Greg angrily rolled his eyes round at her then leant against Nick's side, taking another handful of popcorn.

Towards the end of the film, Greg grimaced as the dirty cops shot the dog. He clutched Nick's hand tightly as he heard the dog yelp in pain, unable to believe that they would shoot the dog just to all of that money.

He desperately wanted to go home and see his puppy after that. Lucky for him the movie was almost over so he would see him sooner than he thought.

As soon as the credits started rolling, everyone started climbing to their feet. Greg stuffed the last handful of pop corn in the mouth then climbed to his feet, adjusting the hood around his neck as he watched Nick pulling his coat on. "I can see Vartann." Greg pointed off through the crowd.

Nick looked in the direction he was pointing, spotting Vartann and Metcalf shoving their hands deep into their pockets as they walked out of the theatre. Nick openly pressed a kiss to the side of Greg's forehead, lacing their hands together as he led him off out the double doors behind the other people.

Nick held Greg closer as he followed Vartann and Metcalf out the doors leading to the outside of the theatre.

Just to prove how open he was with Greg and the fact that Vartann and Metcalf couldn't be together because they were cheaters as far as he was concerned; Nick joined his lips with Greg's right in front of them, giving his boyfriend a sweet passionate kiss before he head over to greet them.

Meanwhile Metcalf and Vartann looked on in pure jealously.

"Hi Nick . . . Sanders." Vartann nodded to them both, folding his arms across his chest. "Sorry, we were a little late. We couldn't find you so we sat in the back."

"That's okay." Nick smiled at them as he put his arm around Greg's shoulder, pulling him closer.

"So, anybody up for dinner? My treat." Vartann suggested, laughing as he watched Greg licking his lips.

"Yeah okay." Nick nodded as he caught Greg licking his lips too.

Vartann smiled at them both. "Okay, you follow us. There's a great place just around the corner."

Nick nodded, taking Greg's hand in his own as he led him off towards where they parked the car. Metcalfe and Vartann looked on enviously at the romantic gesture in full view of the public. They desperately wished that they could be brave enough to even hold one another's hand in public, but fear of being seen kept them more than a few feet apart.

Greg snatched a kiss from Nick as they reached his truck, giving him a wide smile. "What?" Nick asked him.

"I know why you did that." Greg smiled widely at him. "And you were getting mad at me the other day when I wanted to show off in front of Dave and Otis."

"Was not!" Nick protested, unlocking his truck.

Greg gave him a suspicious look before he climbed into his truck. "Maybe I shoulda worn my extra tight jeans and a see through t-shirt instead of this big hoody." Greg suggested, wiggling his eyebrows in Nick's direction.

"You look gorgeous whatever you wear. Although that's not a bad idea." He grinned round at him. "Did you like the movie G?"

Greg nodded as he pulled his seatbelt on. "Loved it. Thank you for taking me."

"You're welcome." Nick leant across the middle of the car, initiating a soft tender kiss to his lips. "I'm so glad we live in the twenty first century." He smiled against his boyfriends parted lips as he studied the glow in his eyes.

"Why? Because you're allowed to kiss me . . . or because crime scene investigating is so much easier now then it was in 1970?" Greg queried, referring to the film they had just watched.

Nick smiled wider; looking at Greg's moist enticing lips in front of him. "Pretty much both those reasons . . . along with the fashion," He smirked. "You know what that film kinda made me miss."

"Work?" Greg hoped then smiled wider as Nick nodded. "Does that mean..."

Nick shook his head before Greg finished speaking, pressing a soft kiss to his lips before he pulled back to finally start the car. "I don't wonna go back in the lab G . . . I wonna become a cop."

Greg looked at him curiously, not knowing what to say. "You know Nicky; it's not as fancy as they made it look on the film." He pointed out to him.

"I know. I've been a cop before Greg." He reminded him as they pulled out of the car park, slowly catching up to Metcalf and Vartann in front.

"As a rookie."

"Yeah, maybe I could take my detectives exam, work with Cavaliere and Vartann and all that lot. I'll still get to see you, work the same hours as you too..."

"You still have to see Ecklie and the Undersheriff too though." Greg pointed out to him.

"Yeah, but cops always get more respect. And I wonna do real police work. We don't save people as CSI's . . . we clear up their dead bodies. I wonna be able to save them _before_ it happens to them."

"Okay. I fully support your decision as long as you assign yourself to all of my cases." Greg smiled softly, placing his hand on top of Nick's. "I just want you to be careful. Cop's get shot at more than CSI's."

"I will be careful. I promise." Nick assured him, joining their lips for a soft kiss as they stopped at the next junction. "You have to pass this firearms test too, so I can teach you how to shoot."

"I don't want to." Greg moaned, leaning back in his seat.

"Greg, you're nearly there. You're gonna get more respect once you're a CSI level three. You can easily pass; you just have to take your firearms test, that stupid psyche eval which I'm sure you'll pass with flyin' colours. And that stupid assault course is a complete joke, but I know you can do it. You'll even get better cases once you pass. You'll probably never have to use your gun though. I've never shot at anyone in my seven years as a CSI level three."

"That's because you can run fast." Greg pointed out to him. "And you forgot to mention the part where you've had a gun pulled on you twice." He pouted at him. "Cops use their guns a lot more than CSI's and they also get shot at more."

"You just said you support my decision."

"I do. But I'm still worried." Greg looked round at him, flashing his puppy dog expression. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you Nicky."

"Nothin' will." Nick parked the car outside the diner, pulling Greg towards him to hug him once they were parked. "I'll never leave you G. I'll be really careful . . . but it's what I wonna do." He told him, pressing a kiss to his lover's soft head of hair. "Now c'mon, cheer up baby. Not that I don't adore the puppy dog routine, but you look so much cuter with a smile." He whispered to him, smiling widely as a slight smile spread across Greg's lips. "Good, now you ready to show Vartann and Metcalf what they're missin' out on?"

"If they hadn't picked a cop bar, yeah." Greg nodded to him before he climbed out the truck. "You'll have to be on your best behaviour since half the cops don't know about us."

"Ooh." Nick pouted, locking up his truck then walking alongside Greg towards the diner.

Greg looked on ahead, watching Metcalfe and Vartann getting out of their car, staying at least four feet apart. "Remember when we did that?"

"I never remember bein' _that_ far apart from you." Nick smiled over at him, having to restrain himself from touching him.

Vartann and Metcalf selected one of the corner booths in the diner, far away from all the off duty cops sat on around the breakfast bar and at the smaller tables.

Greg slid into the booth first, leaning back against the seat as he started to feel tired again with the lack of sugar inside of him. Nick pulled his jacket off then slid in right beside him, gently resting his hand on Greg's thigh before he called over the waitress to order some coffee and food before he took Greg off home to sleep for a few hours before he head into work.

Their meal however was silent, painfully silent. The conversation was light, limited to work or the movie they just watched, realising they had nothing in common, other than the fact they were in a gay relationship. So Nick decided to question Vartann further, just so he knew how much he was hurting his wife and children by keeping this a secret.

"So John, how's the wife?" Nick casually queried. "You just had your third child right?"

"Our little Casey, yeah she was born two years ago. Leslie's back at work now. Paige is twelve now and Robbie's just turned seven." He proudly announced, showing them a picture from his wallet that he kept with him at all times.

"And you have another son doncha? From a previous marriage?" Nick tried to remember, watching the uncomfortableness in Metcalf's eyes as they were talking about Vartann's other life.

"Yeah, his names Zack. He's eighteen now, just about to leave Highschool and he wants to do an art internship. He loves to draw, paint and photograph things. My wife, ex-wife Cynthia that is wants him to become a lawyer or something like her, but he's a really good artist." Vartann proudly told them, showing them a picture of his oldest son. "Some of his photographs he's taken are going up in an art gallery auction in a few weeks, you guys should come along." He pulled the extra invite from his wallet, handing it over to Nick.

"Cool, thanks." Nick nodded, glancing at the date and address before he stuffed it into his pocket, noticing Metcalf was uncomfortably staring out of the window at this point, meaning he probably wasn't invited.

"So Metcalf... I mean Jasper." Greg smiled, trying to get used to calling him by his first name now. "Do you have any family in town?"

"No," Jasper shook his head. "I'm an only child. My mom died when I was a kid and my dad lives in LA, so no family around."

Greg looked at the sadness in his eyes, feeling bad for him as he was with someone who was taken, making him realise just how lucky he was again to have Nick.

"Nicky, we should go home." Greg yawned to show him how tired he was.

"Right, we'll catch you guys later." Nick pulled some money from his pocket, but Vartann shook his head.

"No, let me." Vartann insisted, pushing his hand away. "Keep your money Nick, you need it." He pulled cash from his own wallet, giving Nick and Greg a warm smile.

Nick slid out of the booth first, pulling his coat over his shoulders then waited for Greg before they head out of the diner together towards his truck.

"Nicky your mean." Greg poked Nick in the side as they reached his truck.

"I'm not mean. He's cheatin' on his wife and kids G." Nick pulled open the passenger side door for Greg, waiting for him to get in.

"I'm not talking about Vartann, I'm talking about Metcalf. Did you see how hurt he looked? It's not so black and white Nicky. What if I was married with kids when you realised you loved me?"

Nick bit his lip as he thought about it a moment. "Kids come first Greg."

"So you wouldn't have told me?" He asked surprised.

"Probably not, I'll never know." Nick shrugged then signalled for Greg to get in the car again, but Greg stubbornly shook his head. "The point is we were both single when we got together Greg. Vartann is cheatin' on his wife and three kids. I'm not goin' out double datin' with a cheater. His wife is goin' to be torn enough when she finds out about him. The longer it goes on the worse it'll be."

Greg gave him a slight smile, completely understanding what he was saying. "In that case, don't make Metcalf feel bad about it, make Vartann feel bad. He's the one who's keeping their relationship on the down low from everybody. He thinks his life is more important than his invisible boyfriends."

"Okay, next time I'll do that. _If_ we ever go out with them again, and that's a big if." Nick smiled widely at him. "And I'm not sayin' you will, but if you ever do cheat on me. I want you to tell me right away. I don't wonna find out from someone else."

"Okay, but I never will." Greg assured him, stepping closer towards him to initiate a kiss. "I'll never ever cheat on you because you are the absolute best."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for your reviews on the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed the introduction of John Vartann's family: Police Chief Beckett, his mother in law. Wife Leslie and her sister's Abigail and Carol along with their children. I tried to make him out of place with his family; his life with them is chaos while he sees hope for his life with Jasper, Metcalf.**

**I hope you enjoyed the group therapy session too. I've been reading up a lot on PTSD and I found a few websites that have sufferers tales. I didn't use anyones names and I made up the stories they share though, so I hope they sounded realistic enough.**

**Thanks for sticking with me this long.**

**Please Review :D**

**~ Holly**


	57. Chapter 57: Jeopardy

**Chapter Fifty Seven: Jeopardy**

"Oh yes you will Gregory Hojem Sanders!" He heard his mother's voice shouting out to him. Greg slowly turned his head, looking around at his vivid surroundings before he spotted his mother stood behind him. "Put it on! Now Gregory!" She demanded.

An evil cackling laughter suddenly erupted from her throat as she threw her head back; sending cold shivers right to his bones.

Greg slowly turned again. His head felt heavy as though he had a hangover or something. He looked down at a shopping bag in his hands, not knowing what was inside it, but his mother was insisting he put it on.

Greg reached out a hand in front of him, slowly heading off towards one of the changing stalls. He removed all of his clothing inside, pulling out a package of...

"Oh my God!" Greg gasped as he was face to face with a package of lace panties and a matching bra.

Before he knew it he was wearing them, but he never remembered putting them on. The lace panties felt soft and silky against his skin. He was surprised at how unusually comfortable they felt on him.

Greg had a sudden dizzy spell again. He dropped his head into his hands as his surroundings started to spin, suddenly coming face to face with his mother holding another bag of clothing. Just like before he made his way into the changing room, this time it was a dress.

The silk clung to his skin tightly as he looked up in the mirror, making his figure look almost, feminine.

Greg held his head in agony as he dropped to the floor. What was Jean trying to do to him?

She soon appeared to him again holding several coat hangers of clothing, along with a pair of slick black high heels dangling from her fingers. First she dressed him in a sexy satin lingerie bra with matching panties as if he was a Malibu baby doll or something. If that wasn't bad enough, the bra just happened to be a push up, giving his chest a more feminine definition.

Greg suddenly looked up, spotting his parents, grandparents, work colleagues and... Nick. They were all stood around him, gawking at him.

Greg looked down at his outfit, letting out a shrill scream as he saw he was in pure white wedding dress. Looking up in the mirror again, he didn't look anything like a man. His chest had a very feminine definition. The bust of the dress stopped at his hips before it fanned out, giving out the impression that he had curvy hips. He could feel soft silk on his legs and a silk veil draped over his head as though he really was a bride.

"You're going to be the best looking bride in the world!" A muffled voice sounded so loud against his ears.

Greg violently shook himself awake, immediately pulling himself up into a sitting position. It took him a few moments to realise it was all just some _horrible _nightmare. The sudden shaking caused Nick to wake up beside him.

Quickly rubbing his eyes open, Nick sat up to check on Greg. "Hey, you okay baby? What's the matter?" He panicked, thinking he was having another one of his nightmares about the attack.

"It was all a dream!" He gasped in relief, pulling back the covers to see he was dressed in boxer shorts and one of Nick's oversized t-shirts. "Yes! It was all a dream!"

"What Greg? What was all a dream?" Nick asked confused.

"Um... nothing." Greg shook his head, not wanting his boyfriend to know what he dreamt about, it was too embarrassing to share. "I'll be right back."

Greg threw back the covers, quickly scrambling off the bed and heading off to the bathroom. He checked his face in the mirror before he lifted his t-shirt, relieved when he saw no bra. He then slowly moved his hand towards his boxer shorts, pulling them away from his hips to check everything was still there.

"That must of been some nightmare." Nick startled him from the doorway. Greg looked round at him, snapping his boxers back into place around his manly hips as he turned to face him. "I had a nightmare just like that in college. As soon as I woke up I had to check to see if it was all still there." Nick chuckled.

"Oh, no I didn't... it wasn't anything like that." Greg smiled up at him then rubbed his eyes open as he was starting to feel really ridiculous for ever dreaming that. "Please tell me my mother's not shopping for our wedding clothing?"

Nick shook his head, watching the look of relief washing over Greg's face. "We're pickin' that out ourselves. What did you dream, that she put you in some hideous suit?"

"No. Much worse." He shook his head, too embarrassed to tell him the truth. "I feel sick." Greg held his tummy as he leant back against the sink.

Nick slowly made his way into the room, gently rubbing his palm across Greg's tummy in a circular motion. Greg sleepily rested his head against Nick's shoulder, enjoying the soft caresses to upset stomach.

"Hey you don't have to get up for another few hours yet G, c'mon." Nick gently tugged him back towards the bedroom, lying down beside him on the bed, continuing to gently rub his tummy. "What did you dream about Greg?"

"No, I can't tell you." Greg shook his head at him. "It's too horrible to say out loud. And I hate lace; never ever buy me anything lace."

"Why would I...?"

"Just promise me that you won't ever buy a single thing that's lace." Greg interrupted him with a look of seriousness across his face. "Promise me Nicky!"

"Okay, I promise." Nick pressed his lips to the side of his head, tucking the warm covers around him. He smiled softly as Greg began to fall asleep already, having his suspicions of Greg might have dreamed about that made him act so crazy.

A few hours later, Greg awoke naturally in his favourite place in the world. He was lying on his side and he could feel Nick's warm strong arms securely wrapped around his stomach along with his hot breath on his neck.

Greg leant further back into his warm embrace, feeling a moist kiss against the back of his neck. "Baby, you have to get up for work in a minute." Nick whispered against his ear.

"No, I don't wonna." He protested, leaning back against Nick's warm chest. "I never wonna leave this spot."

Nick chuckled softly dropping a kiss to the soft spot behind his ear. "You can stay for ten more minutes then you really have to get up."

"Okay." Greg agreed, relaxing in Nick's arms again. "What are you gonna do today?" He asked curiously.

"I've got group therapy in the mornin'. Your mothers comin' over when you get in." He reminded him. "We're goin' shoppin'. Hey, we still have to book a hotel room for after our weddin'." He suddenly remembered.

"Oh yeah," Slowly fluttering his eyes open, Greg turned his head to face Nick. "Are we having a videographer?"

"I don't know." Nick shrugged, softly smoothing his hands up and down Greg's smooth chest. "Do you want one?"

"I prefer pictures. And they're kinda expensive."

"Just a photographer then." Nick smiled softly, pressing a warm morning kiss to Greg's lips. "And we need to pick out weddin' rings out with your mother." Nick lifted Greg's hand from his chest, entwining their fingers together. "I wonna do that with you so we both like em, but your mom insists that we do it with her."

"Are we getting matching rings?" Greg grinned through his excitement.

"We could do. Or we could get ones that fit together. One of my sisters has matchin' rings that fit together. Her husband's one is slightly thicker with the bottom of a heart in it and my sister's one has the top half of the heart. It looks really good."

"That's cool. Did you see my Nana Olaf's ring?" Nick shook his head. "It's a gold and silver weave, kinda like a Celtic knot. Papa Olaf's looks just the same. They didn't buy them for their wedding though. They never actually had wedding rings because they couldn't afford it. They got a quickie marriage when my mom was still just a baby. They bought them on their fortieth wedding anniversary."

Nick's jaw dropped. "Wow, that's a long time."

"Uh huh." Greg agreed. "Do you think we'll last that long?"

"Longer." Nick smiled against his lips. "My mom's weddin' ring has love hearts on the inside for every ten years they've been together. Every decade anniversary she gets a new one engraved inside."

"That's cool. Are we gonna get ours engraved?" He excitedly asked at all the future talk.

"You have to think of somethin' to engrave it with first G." He chuckled softly.

"It has to be something comfortable, coz I don't usually like wearing rings. The chess club back in Highschool had this big ol' thick one that was really uncomfortable on my hand."

"We don't have to have a weddin' ring if you don't want to G."

"I do." Greg giggled softly. "I want to be able to wear a wedding ring that means we're together forever. I already get to wear this key from you." He grinned up at him as he lifted it from his chest. "I want us to have wedding rings. So I know it's real."

"Of course it's real baby. You still think I wouldn't choose you?" He asked him surprised. Greg gave him a slight shrug. "Of course I choose you. This is all real." He assured him, pressing delicate kisses to the side of his face. "I love you more than anythin' in the whole wide world. Now you really have to get up or you're gonna be late." Nick smiled softly as he poked Greg in the stomach repeatedly to make him get up.

"Nooo!" Greg grumbled before he rolled in Nick's arms, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I don't wonna leave this warm spot."

"It'll be waitin' for you when you get back." Nick assured him, softly smoothing his fingertip across his lovers soft jaw line. "I love you G."

"I love you too." Greg joined their lips for a tender kiss before he reluctantly climbed off the bed, heading for the bathroom to take a shower.

Nick remained on the bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. As he listened to the shower water trickling down over Greg's body in the next room, he couldn't help but climb out of bed to join him. Greg had left the door open and Nick could see the steam beginning to fill the air.

It was an open invitation to enter that he couldn't refuse.

* * *

Ecklie leant back against the reception desk behind him, checking his watch as Greg stumbled out of the elevator, quickly tying his shoe lace before he signed in then rushed off down the hall towards the locker room, not even noticing Ecklie watching him like a hawk.

Ecklie wandered off down the hall towards the locker room, leaning against the doorway as he watched the former lab tech changing his shoes. "Sanders!" He suddenly shouted, startling him from his position on the bench.

"What?" Greg asked as he climbed to his feet.

"You're forty five minutes late."

"Thirty two." Greg corrected him as he looked at his own watch. "And I already called Grissom to tell him I was stuck in traffic."

"This is the third time you've been late this month. And it's not even half way through the month." Ecklie informed him. One more time Sanders, one more time and you're out of here just like your incompetent boyfriend."

"That's _fiancé_, for you information. And I assure you . . . he's very skilled. He deserves a medal for some of the things he's done." Greg snidely corrected him. "And the first time I was late because I stopped to pick up something for an experiment me and Sara were conducting, so it doesn't count."

"Don't test me Sanders!" Ecklie warned him with a stern finger. Greg just folded his arms across his chest, staring at Ecklie with a don't care attitude. Ecklie sighed in frustration then stormed off down the hall, almost knocking the coffee from Warrick's hand as he exited the break room.

"Whoa, watch where you're going there Ecklie." Warrick licked the hot coffee from his wrist before it burnt the skin. The grouch just continued walking; leaving Warrick behind to clear up the coffee he spilt down his shirt. "Yeah I'm fine, thanks. Asshole." He muttered under his breath before he head down the hall, almost bumping into Greg as he left the locker room. "Hey Greggo, how's the wedding planning coming along?"

Greg gave him a slight shrug as he sighed heavily. "I don't know. It's pretty much chaos though."

Warrick laughed softly. "Okay. C'mon, we don't have any open cases today so Catherine and I are opening one of the old kidnap and rape cases; we think we have a new lead." Warrick led the way off towards the break room where Catherine was sat alone with stacks of files sat in front of her. "Look who I found to help us out."

"Greggy, you look sleepy boy." She teased him. "Nicky been keeping you up all night again."

"No. I've been keeping him up all night." Greg giggled, shaking his head at her as he dropped into an empty seat. "So what are we working on?"

"We've got six teenagers who were kidnapped and raped over a four year span before they were returned to their homes." Catherine explained. "They each had different descriptions of their kidnapper, so no one ever linked it together until Wendy double checked the semen evidence. Not all from the same donor, but..."

Handing the results over to Greg, she watched his eyes scanning across the details. "Father and son?"

"Yeah." Warrick nodded. "We're going through the old records, see if we can find any more like it... as we had one two months ago on day shift, but they didn't find the link."

"Doesn't surprise me." Greg muttered under his breath. "So they're all girls between the ages of twelve and sixteen?"

"Yep," Catherine handed him over a box of files. "Get started."

* * *

Leslie Vartann sat up all night once again, waiting for her husband to get home which was becoming a regular habit of hers. But he never showed, as usual. Early in the morning, the children awoke their usual time, bounding down the stairs to grab their breakfasts.

"Daddy!" She heard them squeal as the front door opened.

Leslie quickly climbed out of bed, pulling her robe on then made her way out of her bedroom door. Stumbling over a packet of crayons in the hall, she grabbed the banister to steady herself then limped her way down the stairs to greet her husband.

"Honey." She smiled warmly at him, happy to see him again.

John responded with an unenthusiastic nod before he lifted his youngest Casey into his arms, carrying her off towards the kitchen to make her breakfast as the older two didn't bother, neither did her mother.

"You're home late aren't you?" Leslie asked curiously as she followed him into the kitchen. "Was it a big case or something?"

"Yes, it was work. It's always work." He snapped at her as she was starting to argue already and all he wanted to do was crawl into bed to get some sleep before his next shift started up without all the constant questioning.

"Well the children will be off to school soon." Leslie leant against the counter beside him, smoothing her hand across his chest through his shirt. "And I have the day off. Maybe we should take advantage of..."

"No!" He snapped, pushing her hand away from him. "I'm not in the mood Leslie." Carrying Casey over to the table, he set her up in her highchair then set her food down in front of her. "Paige, don't throw food at your brother!" He shouted into the front room before he made his way back to the fridge to prepare the children their lunch for the day to take with them as Leslie never bothered.

Completely stunned at her husband's sudden outburst, Leslie leant back against the counter behind her, trying to think of something she could say or do to get on his good side again.

"We don't have to go to my parents again until thanksgiving." She tried to lighten the mood as she knew John wasn't very fond of her family. "So it's just going to be us lot for the rest of the week."

"Oh yeah, well I'm working." John packed up their lunch boxes then set them down on the side ready to take while he rushed off to get their clothing as Leslie's laid back attitude wasn't going to get them to school on time. "C'mon kids, hurry up!"

* * *

"Good morning everyone," Albert smiled round at the group. "Let's get started with a few of your stories again today. Would anyone new like to share?" He asked, looking towards Nick, who immediately looked down into his lap, holding the lucky troll tightly in his hand. Albert looked towards someone else, seeing a hand raised the other side of the circle. "Yes Jack, would you like to share?"

The man around the same age as Nick nodded to the group, clearing his throat before he started to speak. "Hi everyone, my names Jack McDonald and I'm a fire fighter." He gulped nervously, clenching both of his hands into fists on his lap. "I _was_ a fire fighter anyway. I lost my job because of my post traumatic stress. It started over two years ago . . . after... after _it_ happened to me."

Nick noticed that he was very nervous about telling the group about what had actually happened to him.

"I froze up at my last scene," He continued. "I just stood there while the building was burning down. I couldn't move. I felt paralyzed. I was so scared that I couldn't move my own body; I saw flashes of everything that had happened to me . . . that's when it all started coming back. My... partner suggested I go to therapy as I wasn't sleeping. But I couldn't tell some stranger all of my problems."

Nick looked up at him as it sounded just like him, he never thought anyone would be the same as him, but Jack seemed to be suffering the same sort of thing as him.

Jack cleared his throat again before he continued. "From then on I started to become distressed for no reason. I get easily frustrated; lose my temper for no reason . . . my therapist suggested drawing to help calm me down, but I'm still really short tempered. So I thought it was about time I started to sort myself out . . . before I lose my... partner and the rest of my life." Jack explained then inhaled a deep breath.

"Well done Jack." Albert applauded him. The rest of the group soon joined in, giving him wide smiles. "Four weeks of coming to these meetings and you finally opened up." Albert smiled warmly at him. "Well done." Jack smiled to himself, slightly proud that he actually managed to do it after all the convincing it took from his partner. "Okay, who wants to go next?"

Nick immediately sank lower in his chair, not wanting to be picked as Albert looked towards him. But the sudden movement made his chair squeak, causing the group to look round at him.

"Nick?" Albert spoke softly. "Do you want to perhaps share something?" Everyone looked towards Nick as his name was called out. He had never felt more nervous in his life. He clutched the troll that Greg had got him tightly in his hand, making his knuckles turn wide the harder he held it. "C'mon Nick, you've been here a few sessions now, don't you want to share anything? Anything at all? Even your favourite colour." He joked making a few people smile.

"Yeah, c'mon Nick." Susie encouraged him. "It feels better once you get it out, trust me." She smiled warmly at him.

Then before he knew it everyone was giving him encouraging smiles and reassuring looks, cheering him on. "C'mon Nick!"

"Don't feel any pressure Nick; just tell us as much or as little as you want." Albert reassured him as he could see how nervous he was.

Nick held his hands over his eyes a moment before he sat up straight, placing his hands in his lap as he sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth. "Hi everyone . . . my names Nick Stokes."

"Hi Nick." A few of them chimed in together, making him smile slightly and feel a little less nervous as they were all so encouraging.

"I'm a... or I was a crime scene investigator for the LVPD. Right now though . . . I'm not really doin' anythin'." He confessed to them all, keeping his eyes fixated on the tiled floor beneath him. "My life was just startin' to get better again. The . . . _incident_ happened just over three years ago. I was a little shaky and nervous a few months after... it happened. But I kept it to myself . . . and it eventually went away."

"How did your life start to get better?" Albert curiously queried.

"I," Nick inhaled a deep breath, raising his gaze from the floor slightly. "I fell in love . . . and I'm gettin' married next March." The women awed in his direction while the men remained silent.

"What's her name?" Paula asked curiously.

"Well," Nick looked towards her, deciding to confess the truth. As Greg had told him, if she or anyone else couldn't accept him, it was their own problem, not his. "She's a... she's a he actually and his names Greg." Jack immediately perked up, meeting Nick's gaze across the room. "We've been best friends for over eight years now and we've been through a lot together." Nick looked up again, surprised to see looks of happiness and awe, instead of looks of disgust and hate like he was expecting.

"Thank you for sharing Nick. Let's give him a round of applause." Albert encouraged the group. They gladly applauded the nervous Texan, giving him wide smiles, making Nick feel proud of himself.

* * *

After John Vartann dropped his children off at school and day care, he stumbled up the stairs towards his bedroom, immediately crashing on his side of the bed to catch some sleep before it was time to pick them up again.

But his wife had other ideas.

"No!" John moaned, pushing her away from him as she started to kiss his neck and smooth one hand across his chest. "Just leave me alone."

"This is the first day I've had off in ages and you want to spend it alone in bed?" Leslie snapped at him as he opened his eyes to look up at her.

"I'm not in the mood!" He angrily exclaimed to her. "I'm exhausted. I work all night then I come home to look after the kids and get hassled from you all the time. I need my fucking sleep. A day off for you isn't any different because that's all you do anyway. Now if you don't mind." John pushed her away from him again, pulling the covers up to his chin to try and catch some sleep.

"Fine, catch up on your damn sleep, you lazy arrogant asshole!" She hissed before she slammed the bedroom door shit, tripping on a toy tractor outside her door as she made her way to the staircase. "I do more for those children then you!" She shouted at him as she stormed down the staircase to get started on the ironing.

"I'm not getting into it with you." He muttered under his breath as he started to fall asleep again.

* * *

"What's this guy's name again?" Greg asked as he and Warrick made their way up the driveway towards the house.

"Kenneth Holmes." Warrick read the warrant in his hands, checking the officers over his shoulder. "He was questioned for two of our victims disappearances, but the detectives didn't have enough to charge him. It says here he has a son though, forty eight years old and Kenneth has a previous offence for rape in which he served his sentence, but it was way before DNA so we don't have it on record. All we got is his fingerprints." Warrick closed the file in his hands. "But Brass managed to get us a warrant for his DNA and to search the property."

Greg nodded then turned towards the door, giving it a forceful knock before they patiently waited for him to answer.

Seconds later the door slowly clicked open. Greg looked through the gap at the man stood in the dark and dank hallway. His features were harsh and uncompromising, with his pale face, dark deep set eyes and the long hooked nose.

"Yes?" He croaked, the stench of scotch wafting out of the doorway.

"Kenneth Holmes?" Warrick immediately asked.

"Yeah, whaddya want?" A hoarse cough suddenly erupted from his throat, making him cough and splutter blood all over himself.

"Are you alright there Mr Holmes?" Warrick asked as he saw the blood, wondering if he was sick or needed serious medical attention.

Mr Holmes slowly stumbled back into his house towards an open drawer halfway down the hall. The officers slowly stepped up behind Greg and Warrick in case he had a weapon in the draw, but he soon retrieved a bottle of pills, popping a few into his mouth before he turned to face Greg and Warrick who had taken a few steps into his house.

"What do you want?" He croaked in their direction.

"We have a warrant to search your house Mr Holmes." Warrick presented him with the document.

Mr Holmes reached out his bony hand, plucking the document from Warrick's hand to read through it.

"We also have a warrant for your DNA." Warrick added.

"Pa! Pa, who is it?" A voice suddenly came from the next room.

Greg took a step back as a larger man walked in through the kitchen door behind him, looking around at the room of intruders. "Excuse me sir, who are you?" Warrick asked him.

"Who am I? This is ma house!" He spoke in an uneducated hillbilly accent.

"We're CSI's; we're here to search the house." Warrick calmly told him, looking at Mr Holmes still reading through the document.

"You best show me some ID copper." The man demanded.

"Of course." Warrick slowly moved his hand towards his pocket, retrieving his badge to show him. "We need you two to wait outside with these officers while we search the premises."

"You ain't searchin' shit!" He spat at him, shoving his badge away. "Get the fuck outta ma house pig!" He angrily demanded.

The officers immediately moved into the room as they sensed danger, but their actions were too little too late.

Kenneth Holmes suddenly pulled a concealed weapon out from the back of his belt, grabbing Greg and positioning the sharp edge of the blade against the side of his throat. Greg tried to move or defend himself, but as he did the blade dug into his throat, causing him to gag.

Kenneth then dragged Greg back towards an open door. The other larger man shoved Warrick aside as he tried to intervene, pushing him back into the other two officers, knocking them down as if they were bowling pins.

Warrick struggled to his feet, rushing after them to save Greg, but the door they had disappeared into was now firmly locked.

"Call it in!" He shouted at the officers behind him as he started to fear for Greg's life. "Now! Call it in!" He demanded.

* * *

"C'mon Rascal, do your business so I can go home." Nick complained as it freezing cold and had just started pouring down with rain outside. Nick readjusted the cap over his head, watching Rascal sniffing all the bushes around him, tugging against the leech he was on. "C'mon!" Nick complained again, but the dog just gave him a funny look before he started sniffing around again.

Nick turned his head towards his pocket as he heard a high pitched ring. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he snapped it open trying to keep it out of the rain and hear what they were saying.

"Yeah?" He heard a faint muffled voice but he couldn't understand what they were saying. "What?" Nick pulled the phone away from his ear to look at the caller ID, but it just went blank. "Hello?" Nick looked at his phone realising he had lost the signal. "Rascal c'mon!" Nick gently tugged him to make him follow him. "You can go on the front doorstep like yesterday." He remarked to him.

Nick quickly rushed off home in the pouring rain, sticking a soaking wet Rascal in the laundry room while he rushed off to get them both a towel. Nick dropped the towels in the kitchen then hit redial on his phone.

"_Hello?"_ They answered.

"Jean," Nick recognised the voice right away. "Did you try and call me?"

"_Yes, this pouring rain is driving me crazy. I've been trying to call Greg for over an hour now, so I tried you. I won't be there until this afternoon. I hope that's alright and doesn't mess up your __plans too much."_

"No, that's fine. It'll give Greg some time to get some sleep after work before you arrive." Nick tried to hide his happiness at the late arrival of his mother in law. "Take all the time you need Jean, it's really not a problem."

* * *

Placing his hand on his throat as a trickle of blood ran down his chest, Greg looked up at the two men from his position on the floor, listening to the officers on the other side of the door at the same time. He thought if he ran fast enough he could make it out the door without being caught by the hillbilly and his sick father, but he didn't want to take his chances as he knew he wasn't the fastest of runners and the hillbilly was almost ten times larger than him so he could probably break him in two without even trying.

"Pa, what we gonna do 'bout him." He indicated towards Greg in the corner.

"Leave him." His father Kenneth instructed. "You can't kill him Billy, he's a cop." His father sternly told him, coughing on more blood in his throat. Kenneth handed his son a roll of thick duct tape, pointing over to Greg.

The son, now known as Billy made his way over to Greg, pulling his wrists together before he started to tape them up. It was times like this that Greg really regretted not taking the firearms test as it would really come in handy right now.

Billy then head back over to his father, pulling open a door in the floor which he assumed led to the basement. Billy dragged Greg down once his father was safe, shoving the young CSI into the corner of the dark room.

Greg looked around the dark musty old basement, spotting a young girl in the corner. Her eyes were blindfolded, hands were tied and the dark blankets covering her were soaked through with thick red blood.

At least they had got the right house.

* * *

"What can we do?" Sara and Catherine immediately asked Warrick as they stepped onto the crime scene outside. He looked round at them both, not knowing what to say as he didn't even know what to do.

"Is he alive?" Catherine demanded, almost choking up as she said it.

"Yeah, he's alive." Warrick nodded. "Sniper saw the Holmes boys taking Greg down into the basement with them. He's gonna be okay Sara." He assured her as he saw the look in her eyes.

"Did you call Nicky?" Catherine asked curiously.

Warrick shook his head. "There's no need. The SWAT team are about to go in, we're gonna have Greg out alive and well within a few minutes." He indicated towards Brass debriefing them.

"You're worried Nick's gonna rip you a new one huh?" Catherine whispered softly to him. When Warrick gave her a slight nod, she tapped him on the shoulder. "I would too."

* * *

Cautiously Greg crawled over to where the girl was laying while the father and son were distracted with their escape plan. He wanted to check if she was alive or not, hoping he could help her instead of seeing her picture in the lab just like the other girls he had been examining all morning.

Slowly Greg pulled back the cover so he could reach her wrist with his still bound wrists, trying to feel for a pulse. As his fingertips touched her cold skin, the young girl gave out a soft whimper. "Shh," Greg whispered quietly, keeping an eye on dumb and dumber in the corner as they started arguing about their escape plan. "I'm here to help." He whispered to her, carefully lifting her blindfold so she could see him.

Judging the appearance of the man in front of her, she could immediately tell he wasn't there to hurt her, but still she was scared as the men who had been hurting her were still in the room.

Greg jumped as he heard a loud crash upstairs. Billy immediately ran up the stairs, holding the doors securely shut when a bullet hissed its way through the window behind them, striking him in the shoulder.

Billy tumbled down the stairs head over heels, crashing into the various mops and buckets that stood at the end.

Kenneth Holmes started to panic as he watched his son go down. Grabbing the knife he had used to pull Greg away, he made his way over to Greg in the corner as some officers bound into the room.

Fearfully, Greg squeezed his eyes tightly shut as the man bounded towards him. He heard the faint sounds of bullets zipping through the air, along with the sound of the impact as they struck their target down.

Greg opened his eyes just in time to see Kenneth dropping to his knees in front of him, coughing blood up through his throat as it pooled into his lungs from the gunshot wounds.

Greg turned back to the girl, gently covering her eyes with his hand as she saw Kenneth laying a few feet from her, gagging on his own blood.

This was not something a girl of her age should be witnessed to.

Brass and Warrick quickly made their way down the stairs, disarming the suspect of his knife in case he tried to use it while the life drained out of him. "Call the paramedics!" Brass shouted as he saw the blood soaked sheets wrapped around the young girl's body.

Warrick quickly dropped to his knees in front of Greg, pulling the Mauser pen knife he always kept with him from his pocket to cut Greg's wrists free.

Once his wrists were free, Greg moved to check the young girl's injuries. Carefully pulling the sheets back from her body, he saw a black inch long slit in her stomach that was furiously pulsing blood. Warrick quickly rushed to find something to stop the bleeding to keep her alive long enough for the ambulance to get here.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, again! My mum's not been well for a while, but I'm sure you won't mind after this chapter. I think it's pretty good and I've been working on it so long so it should be :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I thought I should add some more of the CSI touch, since it is a CSI show.**

**I never used to write romance stories until I stumbled upon Nick/Greg, but I think I am better at romance then I am at action/tragedys since I'm completely stuck on my story 'It's not what you think.' But you're the better judges of that.**

**Two more chapters on the way soon, they're currently in the process of re-reading several times before I send them to my beta 'NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan'**

**It's not all bad that my mum's sick though, I get some more inspiration for some more outrageous scenes with Jean :D Don't worry, it's nothing really bad, she'll be fine in a couple of weeks.**

**Thanks so much for your support for this long and sticking with the story. When you start to get bored. Let me Know. I don't know how much longer it'll go on for, I'm not even sure how to finish it anymore, but I'll get there :D**

**Please Review**

**~ Holly**

***Hugs to all who review***


	58. Chapter 58: Circle of Life

**Chapter Fifty Eight: Circle of Life**

"Ouch." Greg winced as the needle slid into his arm.

"Don't move!" The doctor warned him, holding his arm steady as he drained some blood from him. "We go through this every couple of months Greg; you should know the procedure by now."

"If I stick you in the arm with a needle, let's see how you take it." Greg remarked, holding his arm as the doctor finally withdrew the needle. "Ow!"

"Hold it." He handed Greg a cotton wool bud while he labelled up the blood vial.

"You'd think after years of draining blood that doctors would have figured out a less painful way to do it by now."

The doctor smiled up at Greg. "Well when you invent something, let me know." He snickered. "And I highly doubt you contracted anything, but its better safe than sorry." He assured him, rechecking the wound on his neck.

"How's the girl?" Greg asked as the doctor carefully cleaned his wound again.

"I'm sorry Greg." He shook his head to him. "She's very badly injured; starved, dehydrated, lost a lot of blood... the doctor on call doesn't think she'll last the night."

"I could have taken my stupid firearms test weeks ago then I'd have shot the bastards before they had the chance to capture me, then she'd still be okay right now."

The doctor shook his head at him again. "Then I'd be in surgery with you under the table, heavily bleeding from either a single or multiple gunshot wounds, worrying that you weren't going to last the night." He bluntly told him. "There was nothing else you could have done Greg. We're hoping she survives the night, but even then the amount of blood loss . . . her bodies very weak. Now getcha shirt back on and get outta here before I call your mother."

Greg smiled slightly at him then climbed off the table, grabbing his shirt off the chair in the corner along with his trainers. Greg took a seat as he tied his trainers, watching the doctor filling out his forms at his desk. "What did that Kenneth Holmes have?" Greg asked him curiously. The doctor slowly looked round at him, shaking his head as he didn't want to worry him by telling him. "Why would Grissom order you to check my blood unless it was something serious?"

"It's nothing serious." He shook his head again. "We'll contact you in a few days with the results."

"You know in my lab I can get the..."

"Results to me within minutes. I know, you tell me every time we test you Greg." He interrupted him. "It's just a routine check up. I'll contact you in a few days with the results. If there's nothing wrong I'll see you again in six months for your monthly check up."

"Why do you always have to keep me in suspense? You've seen enough sick people by now, right? You must know the symptoms."

"As I've told you hundreds of times Greg, I'll contact you with the results in a few days."

"In a few days I could get seriously sick, and my mother will kill me." Greg told him as he climbed to his feet.

"You're not sick." The doctor gave him a gentle push towards the doorway. "You're absolutely fine Greg. If that cut was a few centimetres deeper then we'd have a serious problem, but you're fine. So go. I'll call you." He said before he shut the door in his face to continue with his work.

Greg immediately turned towards the waiting room; spotting Nick leant over the nurses' station. For once he wasn't trying to get her number, but demanding that he see Greg right now.

Greg slowly made his way over to him, subtly clearing his throat as he got a little closer. "Looking for me cowboy?"

Nick turned his head to look at him, being washed over with a feeling of relief as he saw the wide smile on his lover's face. He immediately threw his arms around Greg, clutching him tightly before he began with the questioning of how he was feeling and what had happened to him.

After Sara had called him at home telling him that Greg had been held hostage, he started fearing the worse and worrying that he would never again be able to hold him in his arms.

"God I love you." Nick pressed a warm kiss to his forehead. "Don't you ever do that to me again!" He demanded before he pulled back to inspect Greg's injuries. He seemed otherwise okay, besides the bandage on the side of his throat and the light blood stain down his t-shirt. "Where's the asshole that did this to you? Is he here?"

"No," Greg shook his head. "He's dead." He spoke softly.

"Good, if he wasn't I'd kill him."

"That's what I was afraid of." Greg whispered under his breath, just loud enough for Nick to hear him.

Glancing down the hallway, Nick spotted Mitch and two other officers stood guard outside of a hospital room door. Gently pushing Greg aside, he marched down the hall towards it with an angry look in his eye as he saw a guy chained to his bed with his leg all wrapped in bloody bandages.

"Nicky would you stop." Greg quickly rushed after him, holding him back as he was about to go in the room.

"You lied to me G."

"I did not." He protested, using his whole body to hold Nick back. "The guy that hurt me _is_ dead. That's the other one. His only crime is for what he did to all those missing girls."

Mitch and the other officers looked at Nick nervously, hoping he wasn't about to start something as he was a few years younger than them and a lot stronger. If Greg couldn't hold him back, they had no chance.

"You think they're gonna let you in the LVPD if you keep beating up guys who hurt me?" Greg tried to reason with him, pulling him away from the room. "It's not worth it, he's gonna rot in jail for what he's done, you don't need to pay the price too."

"Nick, he's right man." Nick looked round, seeing Warrick coming down the hall towards them. Mitch and the others sighed in relief; if anyone could take Nick it was Warrick as he was just as muscled and a lot taller than Nick, giving him the advantage. "C'mon man, this guys as good as dead anyway." Warrick helped Greg to turn Nick's attention away from the room. "We got the guy, that's the important thing."

"Where were you?" Nick suddenly asked him. "Why was Greg the only one to get hurt?"

"I was right there. He grabbed Greg so fast, it wasn't my fault." Warrick defended himself. "You are okay right Greg?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Greg nodded to him, fearing he was going to have to stop Nick from punching Warrick now.

"That's not the point!" The angry Texan snapped, only getting angrier. "He could have been killed; you're supposed to look out for him."

"I was! Don't go blaming this on me Nick. That assholes father was the one who grabbed Greg. I would have done something if I could, but he was holding a knife to his throat."

Nick groaned angrily, lunging forwards a little more as he started to shout even louder. "You're supposed to take care of him. You're the more experienced CSI; you should have secured the scene before you went in!" Greg leant his whole body back against Nick, pushing Warrick away at arm's length as they got closer together in the heat of the battle.

"I didn't know he was going to do that! Don't go blaming me."

"Would you guys shut up!" Greg finally spoke up, pushing them each apart with a forceful shove, making them both stumble back slightly at his surprising strength. "I don't need anyone to take care of me."

"Yes you do!" Warrick and Nick chimed in together.

"No I don't, certainly not from two little toddlers throwing their toys out of the pram because everything doesn't go the way they want it!"

"Well said Greggy." Catherine clapped her hands together as she approached them. "Nicky, you take Greg home. Warrick we need you at the crime scene. Let's try and act professional shall we?" She smiled at Greg then led Warrick away by his forearm to her car outside.

Greg waited until they were gone then turned to look at Nick. "Can we go home now? Or do you need to start something with the doctor who jabbed me in the arm with a needle?" Greg remarked before he walked off towards the exit of the hospital.

"Hey, I'm just tryin' to look out for you."

"Yeah and shouting at your best friend is really the way to do that." Greg sarcastically stated, stopping at the children's ward before they exited the hospital. "Wait here a second." Greg told Nick then slowly made his way off down the hall towards Brass and the young girl's mother.

"Ah Mrs Kimble, this is Greg Sanders, the CSI who found your daughter." Brass introduced the two of them.

"Thank you so much." Mrs Kimble wept into a tissue in her hands as she smiled up at the saint who saved her little girl. "I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"No need." Greg shook his head, looking at the pale young girl in the hospital room beside them. "How's she doing?" He asked curiously.

"The doctor says she's doing okay for now." Mrs Kimble dried her eyes with the damp tissue, receiving a fresh one from Captain Brass beside her. "Thank you."

"Greg, didn't Grissom send you home?" Brass queried as he saw Nick stood in the reception area.

Greg faintly nodded as he stared at the innocent little girl in the next room. More than anything he wanted to switch places with her so the poor woman could hold her daughter tightly, knowing she was going to be okay without having to worry whether she was going to survive the night or not.

Nick drove Greg back home in silence. The rain had stopped for a short time, but the streets were still flooded with the slightest of rivers overflowing through the gutters at the roadsides.

Nick got Greg home into the dry, making him a nice warm mug of his favourite coffee while he sat in his arms in front of blank screen of the television on the sofa, awaiting a call from either the doctor or Sara first.

Greg soon dozed off to sleep in Nick's arms though, completely exhausted from all the excitement he had encountered since he climbed out of bed from Nick this morning.

The peace of his much needed rest didn't last long though as he soon jolted himself awake, checking he was still in Nick's arms. "Hi." He whispered softly as he looked up into the Texan's warm eyes.

"Hi." Nick replied, wrapping his arms around his waist. "What's goin' on in that beautiful head of yours G?" He asked as he trailed his fingertips across his forehead.

Greg sighed softly as he leant back against Nick's shoulder. "I'm pathetic. You were right."

"I never said you were pathetic." Nick objected. "When did I ever say that?"

"I do need protecting." Greg looked up into Nick's eyes. "And about the firearms test. I shoulda just taken it."

"Then I'd be worryin' you got shot. When Sara called me I started worryin' that I was never goin' to see you again. I thought I had lost you."

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch." Greg lifted Nick's hand from his stomach, entwining their fingers together. "I got the slightest little scratch and everyone's worrying about me, while that little girls fighting for her life."

"Baby, you can't go blamin' yourself." Greg rested his head on Nick's chest, listening to his soft heart beat. "It's not your fault. You're a hero."

Greg sighed softly as he closed his eyes then inhaled a deep breath before he asked, "Why did I live and not that little girl Nicky? If my sexuality's so sinful and wrong, why did the big guy spare me and kill that innocent little girl?"

"Baby, it's not your fault. She's not even dead. And she's not goin' to be. She could very well survive and thank you in person. You did everythin' you could G, now it's the doctors turn."

"Everything I could is never enough though is it?"

Nick looked up as the doorbell rang, expecting it to be Greg's mother, the exact person they didn't need right now.

"That's my mom isn't it?" Greg whispered, cracking one eye open slightly to look up at Nick.

"Do you want me to tell her to come back later?"

"No . . . just don't tell her anything." Greg looked around for a scarf or something to hide the bandage around his neck, but there was nothing in the front room. "I mean it Nicky, you tell her, you die." He warned him.

"I won't tell her." Nick promised him, pecking a kiss to his cheek. "We don't have to do this shoppin' trip today though baby."

"Yes we do." Greg scrambled to his feet, heading off towards the utility room to find something to wear. "Those assholes aren't ruining my wedding." He declared.

Nick remained in the front room, waiting until Greg was ready before he opened the door to his mother in law.

Pulling a turtle neck sweatshirt from the dryer, Greg decided to wear it as it was perfect for covering Nicky's hickeys and deep cut you don't want your mother to see. Nick looked up towards the door as Jean rang the doorbell yet again. "We don't have to do this today. You've been through a traumatic experience, you need your rest." Nick turned around as he heard the utility room door opening, watching Greg walking out in a turtle neck sweatshirt and a larger hoody over the top to cover his neck from his mother.

"The traumatic experience I went through is over, now it's time to start the next one." Greg gave him a slight grin, showing Nick that his humour was still intact and he was okay. "Open it." He insisted giving him a slight nod.

Nick nodded to him then turned back to the front door as Jean pounded on it with her first, quickly pulling it open before she broke the door down. "What are you going deaf already Nicky?" She immediately remarked as he pulled the door open to her. "I was standing out there in the rain for frigging ages and I'm dying for a wee, you're so lucky I did a number two back home or I'd have just squatted right on your doorstep." Nick cringed as Jean quickly pulled her jacket off, dumping it in Nick's arms then rushed off to the nearest bathroom.

Nick pushed the door shut then hung her jacket up before turned to look at Greg. Slowly making his way towards him, Nick pulled Greg into his arms, gently running his fingers through his soft hair. "We'll call Sara and see how this girl is doin' okay? It's not your fault sweetie, even if she dies, deep down you know that." Greg shook his head, refusing to believe that an innocent little girl would die for no reason.

"What's up with him?" Jean immediately panicked as she made her way into the room.

Greg sniffed back the tears threatening to spill before he turned his head to face his mother. "This little girl today, she was stabbed in the stomach... and starved, and I don't even wonna know what else." He spoke softly. "I was the one who found her."

"Oh sweetie." Jean walked towards him with open arms, stealing him from Nick to clutch him tightly in her warm embrace. "It's okay honey, you can cry sweetie." She whispered softly as she softly soothed her.

Nick sighed softly as he leant back against the counter behind him, wondering what he was doing wrong as Greg took more comfort in his mother than he did with him.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Nick crawled onto the bed beside his slumbering lover, wrapping his arms tightly around him as he pressed a kiss to his neck. After Greg had cried into his mothers shoulder for a while, he finally took _her _advice and went to bed to get some much needed rest, postponing their shopping trip to a later time.

Jean however decided to stay over, doing laundry and cleaning the house which drove Nick crazy as he liked things in a certain order and done a certain way, but Jean had her own rules.

Greg moaned softly as he leant back into his warm touch, feeling more soft kisses against his shoulder. Nick gently smoothed his hands around his warm body, holding him tightly against his chest. "Nicky?" Greg softly murmured.

"It's me baby." He spoke softly against his neck, pressing a kiss to the soft spot behind his ear. "You okay sweetie?"

Greg slowly turned in his arms, resting his head against Nick's shoulder. "I'm fine." He whispered against his neck. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Nick whispered, touching his lips to Greg's soft temple.

"For me, I'm a pain in the ass." Wrapping one arm tightly around Nick, he brought their bodies closer together. "And my mother."

"You have nothin' to be sorry about baby. Your mom's okay, sometimes." Nick assured him. "Besides, we all take certain cases hard and your mom isn't always around."

Greg smiled softly up at him, burying his face into Nick's shoulder. "You know what the worst part is?" Greg opened his eyes to look up at Nick. "I don't even know her name. I know her murderers names, but not hers."

"Well," Nick smiled softly at him. "Sara just called. The girl you saved is alive. She's goin' to be in the hospital for a while, but she was talkin' to her mom and Brass for a little while before she fell asleep again. The stab wound missed her vital organs, they've got her on a feedin' tube, blood transfusions, but she's doin' okay. She's pretty weak, but she's a tough little girl."

Greg smiled up at him then wrapped his arms tightly around his warm body as he buried his face into his neck again. "There's something else I have to tell you." He whispered softly.

Nick gently brushed his fingers through Greg's hair, looking down into his gorgeous watery eyes. "You can tell me anythin' G." Nick went to kiss him but Greg pulled away. "What's wrong?"

Greg pulled back from Nick, resting his head against the pillow beneath him. "I think I'm infected."

Nick gave him a slight frown. "Infected? With what?"

"Grissom told the doctor to rush my blood test, why would he do that unless they found something at the crime scene? It could be anything. And I don't wonna infect you."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't wonna worry you. Because I know how much you worry." Greg pushed Nick away from him then rolled over onto his side, facing away from him. "You should go Nicky, I don't wonna hurt anyone else."

"I'm stayin'," Nick wrapped his arm around Greg's waist, spooning him tightly. "Right here." He finished off as he held him tightly. Greg pulled the covers up around him, leaning back into Nick's warm embrace. "You're not infected Greg, it's just a precaution. They always do that just to make sure you're okay. You are okay right?"

Greg smiled softly then rolled in Nick's arms slightly to face him. "You know my arm actually hurts more than my throat." He whispered.

Nick gently lifted the arm that the doctor drained blood from, pressing warm kisses across the tender flesh towards his wrist. "Better?" He asked as he held him again.

"Much." He nodded, reclosing his eyes again. "I love you Nicky."

"I love you too."

* * *

"Would you get off my back?" John shouted at him. "You're not even supposed to be here. Leslie's due back any minute."

Jasper Metcalf sighed heavily, watching the screaming child in John's arm screaming out for attention. She had the right idea about it, he would be doing that too if he wasn't in his late thirties and didn't have a bit of a sore throat already. "Fine, I'll go. But this time I'm leaving for good."

"What?" John spat as he turned to face him. "I can't be with you right now so you're leaving me?"

"Exactly." Metcalf nodded.

"You selfish asshole!" John angrily shouted at him. "You knew I came with a wife and kids, you can't just leave me because they come first. I told you they'll always come first."

"I can't leave you when we're not even together." Jasper informed him, feeling hurt by John's statement to him. "I'll just get out of your life and make things a lot less complicated for you." Jasper turned for the front door, spotting Leslie walking up the path.

"Hello Jasper." She smiled warmly at him as she carried the groceries up the path.

"Hi Leslie." Jasper quickly caught one of the bags she was about to drop.

"Thank you." She smiled in relief as that bag had the eggs inside. "You don't need my John for work do you? We were planning on having dinner together."

"No, no." Jasper shook his head, getting a frown from John in the house as the last thing he wanted him to do was talk to his wife. "I just wanted to check on something." Jasper handed her back over the bag so she could get a stronger grip on it before he made his way down the path towards his car.

"You know I always liked that man." Leslie commented as she entered her home, watching Casey immediately stopping the tears as she saw her mother. "What did he want?"

"He was just... asking something about work." John quickly lied, watching the real person he loved driving away.

"Oh, well none of my business then. You are staying for dinner right, or you rushing off out again?"

John looked at her then shook his head. "I'm staying." He spoke softly then closed the front door, repeating, "I'm staying," to himself as he so desperately wanted to go after Jasper Metcalfe to stop him from making the biggest mistake of his life by leaving him.

* * *

"Boys look at this one." Jean announced, holding up a Celtic knot love heart ring.

"It looks too girly." Greg immediately said. Nick nodded in agreement; glad Greg said it first since he didn't want to be rude.

"It's not too girly." She protested. "Are you just going to go for the ordinary gold band then? I think this one's cool. Then if you have a daughter later in the future you can give it to her for her wedding."

"What if I still want it?" Greg asked her as he leant over one of the glass displays to peer down at the rings inside it.

"It's tradition." Jean informed him, handing the Celtic love knot over to the man behind the counter. "You're lucky your Nana Olaf isn't making you do the traditional Norwegian marriage young man."

Greg smiled over at her. "I've never even heard of the Norwegian tradition."

Jean moved round to the other side of the counter, giving her son a lecture about Norwegian traditions. "Well traditionally the groom wore a handmade woollen suit known as a bundas. Your Nana Olaf teased your father while we were planning our wedding. She said she'd never let us get married unless he wore it. It comes with a white silk shirt, short pants and stockings that come up to your calf."

Greg giggled softly. "I bet Nicky would look cute in that."

"There is no way in hell I would ever wear anythin' like that." Nick informed them as he had heard every word.

"Well the groomsmen and best man wore a bundas too, so you wouldn't be the only one, or ones should I say. The bride traditionally wore a white or silver wedding gown. She would have to wear a crown on her head too."

"Luckily neither one of us is a bride." Greg smirked, moving to the next counter as he still hadn't found a ring he liked.

"Maybe you should just go with a traditional round ring? That's a Norwegian tradition." Jean suggested.

"That's traditional in every culture." Greg informed her. "So what did Dad end up wearing?"

"Just a black tie tuxedo. His shirt was pink though." Jean giggled to herself. "Before the wedding we had a little get together in the hotel room and we spilled something on his shirt..."

"Please! Don't tell me what it was." Greg stopped her there.

Jean chortled to herself at her son's reaction. "Anyway, he got his mother to wash the shirt for him, but it came out pink. He actually looked very good in it." She thought back to her wedding. "Maybe one of you should wear a pink shirt instead of the traditional black tuxedos."

"We'll pick our own clothes." Greg quickly told her, not wanting to be dressed in push up bras, lace panties or any kind of ruffled dress. "Nicky, what do you think of that one?" Greg indicated to a dark gold ring with silver thread through it. Nick just gave him a slight shrug. "Right, it sucks."

Jean rolled her eyes at them both. "Look at this one. Perfectly round. A round ring symbolises no beginning or end. The kiss seals the deal, which historically represents the exchanging of one another's souls after the wedding vows are taken."

"Everyone knows that mother." Greg smiled up at her. "Nicky, look at this one." Greg pulled Nick over by his hand, pointing to the ring down in the cabinet. "Look at that."

Nick gave him a wide smile as he saw the silver ring with a fingerprint engraving around it. "That's cool."

"Look there's another one in titanium." Greg pointed.

"Do you really wonna bring your work home with you though?" Jean asked as she looked down at the rings.

"No, I just thought they looked cool. And when people ask why we have them, we could say because we met while we in CSI, analysing fingerprints together." Greg suggested to them both.

"Are you sure that's the one you want baby?" Nick asked him. Greg nodded up at him. "I do too."

Nick and Greg both looked round as they heard Jean scoff. "What? I didn't say anything. Get it, what do I care?"

"Do you like it mom?" Greg asked her, signalling over to the man behind the desk to take it out the case so they could take a closer look.

"Well, now that you're actually asking for my opinion." She stepped up beside her son, looking at the titanium fingerprint ring as it was taken out of the case. "Well, I think it's beautiful . . . and so like you two. It suits you perfectly."

"Thanks mom."

"Fits nicely in your price range too." She added.

Greg smiled up at her then turned to Nick. "Nicky are you sure you like it; you have to look at it for the rest of your life. You don't just have to say yes because I picked it."

Nick smiled widely at him as he put his arm around his shoulder. "I love you and I want to look at you for the rest of my life. And the fact that you picked it is even better. I want it." He assured him.

The man behind the counter smiled at them both. "Okay, we just need to get your sizes and get you to fill out the engraving line if you're having one." The man handed them a pen each then slid the forms across the counter while he went to get his measurements card.

Nick and Greg both looked at each other as they clicked their pens, trying to think of what to write inside their rings. "Should we..." Greg started, tapping his pen against the back of his hand as he tried to think. He was having a hard enough time with his wedding vows now he had to think of an engraving to go inside his future husband's wedding ring. "Should we do our own, or should I write what could go in yours?"

"You write what you want in mine. And I'll write what goes in yours." Nick eventually decided. "How's that?"

"I think that's a good idea." Jean interrupted Greg before he could speak. "Daniel wrote my inscription."

"I never knew you had an inscription." Greg looked at her curiously. Jean pulled her wedding ring off, showing him the inside. "Every moment with you is a blessing." Greg read with a smirk. "Was dad high when he wrote that?" He cheekily giggled.

"No, you little monster." She slapped him upside the head as she placed her ring back on her finger. "Is it that hard to believe that somebody actually loves me? Nicky loves you." She pointed out to him.

"You know I was teasing you Mom."

"Well I think you should write 'To Love, Honour and Irritate' on Nicky's ring." She teased him back. Greg gave her an evil frown. "I was just teasing, although that's a really good idea."

"Is not." Greg pouted, resting his elbow on the counter. He glanced up at Nick who was already writing something on his form, but he couldn't read what he had written as he was too far away. Greg inhaled a deep breath as he tried to think of what to write.

Jean tapped her fingers on the counter as she watched him thinking, which really wasn't helping him as he was already under enough pressure.

Greg placed his hand on top of his mothers to stop her tapping her fingers then looked up as the clerk walked back towards them with the measurements chart.

Jean groaned softly as he was taking so long. "Hurry up sweetheart."

Greg bit his lip then looked up into Nick's eyes, thinking of the perfect thing to write. He quickly jotted it down before his mother saw as he knew she would blab it.

"C'mon boys, we still have to get Greg some sexy lingerie for under his wedding dress." Jean deviously giggled, throwing her head back in laughter as she watched Greg blushing.

He looked over at her in shock, fearing his nightmare was really going to come true.

* * *

John Vartann laughed softly to himself as he watched Paige, Robbie and Casey running around in the garden. Paige was blowing them some bubbles while Robbie and Casey jumped up to pop them with wide smiles of joy written all across their faces.

More than anything in the world he wanted them to stay happy, but he couldn't be happy in a loveless marriage with a woman who drove him crazy, when the real love of his life was out there alone, desperately wanting to be with him.

* * *

"I'm infected, I know it." Greg announced as he walked into the kitchen. Nick looked round at him, shaking his head towards his him.

"You're not Greg. You're gettin' yourself all worked up for nothin'. You just need to calm down. You're not sick." Nick went to kiss him, but Greg abruptly pulled away.

"You can't kiss me, you'll get sick."

"Greg, you're not sick." Nick told him again, but Greg pulled out of his arms, denying him a kiss.

"Sick!" Jean suddenly squealed as she entered the kitchen. "Greg's sick? Why didn't you tell me? Is it bad?"

Greg looked round at Nick, hoping he would say something for him before his mother started to have a panic attack, but it was too late.

Nick quickly grabbed a glass of water for Jean, sitting her down on one of the stools. He let her take a few calming breaths and sips of water before he started to talk to her. "Greg's not sick Mrs Sanders. He's... waitin' for his results from the doctor, and you know how much he worries. The doctor only just took his blood a couple of hours ago."

"You are still using condoms right?" She asked looking between the two of them. Greg quickly nodded, but Jean could instantly tell he was lying by his expression. "You're not!" She shrieked, deafening Nick who was stood just inches from her. "Why not? Why did you stop? You're going to get sick. Do either one of you have any idea of what HIV positive people go through? And you're willing to submit yourselves to that torture?"

"Mom, calm down." Greg took a few steps closer to her, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he nervously made eye contact with her. "We're not sick. We're both clean. We still get tested all the time . . . and we're always careful. Not to mention the fact we're in a loyal monogamous relationship. Our odds of catching it are highly unlikely." He tried to persuade her. "Trust me, I'm a DNA expert." He added.

"It's true Jean, it's highly unlikely that either one of us can get HIV when we're not HIV positive." Nick assured her too.

Jean looked up at them both then took the last sip of her water. "I want to see your medical reports whenever you're tested to prove it." Greg folded his arms across his chest, but Nick poked him in the side to agree to it if that's what it took to assure her they were okay. "I know you love each other boys. I just want you to be safe."

"We are." Greg smiled softly, but caught sight of his mother's wide eyes looking towards his neck. Greg quickly readjusted the collar around his neck, but it was too late.

Jean climbed to her feet, moving the collar away from her son's neck to see a large bandage. "I can't believe you, you little sod! Why does no one ever tell me anything? Am I really such a terrible person? Why do you always have to keep secrets from me?" She started shouting at him as her eyes glazed over with tears.

"I'm okay mom, look." Greg carefully peeled away the bandage to reveal the minor cut in his throat that was starting to tingle as it healed. "It doesn't even hurt. The doctor said I'm fine."

Nick took a look at the cut as he hadn't yet seen it, softly biting his lip as he watched Jean's reaction. "But... h-how did this happen?" She asked as she studied it carefully.

"My job." Greg replaced the bandage then took a step back in case his mother hit him. "Our suspect today didn't want us to search his house, and I was the closest one to him. So he held a knife to my throat," Pausing, Greg watched the blood draining from his mothers face. "He was trying to protect himself, but it's a good job he did take me... otherwise we would have never found that little girl. He actually sped along our search." He tried to lighten the mood to the better outcome of the situation.

"Why do you keep doing this to me Gregory? Isn't being in a lab explosion, beaten to a bloody pulp... twice enough for you to realise that this job is too dangerous for you? Luckily Nicky had some common sense to get out..."

"Actually," Greg stopped her there. "Nick's getting a new job."

Jean cast an eye towards Nick. "Please tell me it's to become an artist. Then all I have to worry about is paper cuts."

Nick shook his head slightly as he bit his lower lip. "I'm a... well I'm goin' to..." Gulping hard, Nick looked up into the dark eyes of his mother in law that he suddenly felt the need to make an impression, instead of disappoint.

"Spit it out Nicholas Stokes!" She snapped at him.

"For the LVPD as a detective." He quickly answered.

"You... bloody kids! You relish in the fact that you can torture us so much don't you?" She scolded them. "Do you not even think about your parents in your decision making? We brought you into this world and you get these stupid jobs that might very well take you out of it. I lie awake every night enough as it is worrying that you're going to die of food poisoning or contract some awful bug, now I have to worry you're going to get shot, stabbed, beaten to a bloody pulp, raped, murdered..."

"Mom, maybe you should have some more water." Greg suggested.

"I don't need any freaking water!" She snapped. "I need you two to stop messing about and start seeing what's going on around you. I don't know if you noticed but this life you're given is short enough as is, you want to increase your chances by picking the most dangerous jobs you could possibly get and getcha self killed?"

"Grissom's almost sixty." Greg defended himself.

"He's fifty two Greg." Nick reminded him. Greg glared round at him as if to say 'not helping.' "Sorry." Nick whispered to him.

"So you're telling me, even after this... you're not even considering a career change?" Jean asked them both like naughty children. "Well why not; don't you value your lives?"

"Mom, you have no idea what's it's like to solve someone's murder and lock away the bad guys." Greg tried to explain to her. "I'm not in this job because I like being beaten up and held hostage. I'm in this job because I like to learn new things every day. I like to help people."

"They're already dead!" Jean snapped. "Who are you helping?"

"Everyone." Nick pointed out to her. "The gang that beat Greg up put two other people in the hospital, they killed one other man and who knows how many more. We put them behind bars where they can't hurt anyone else. The girl that kidnapped Sara, she killed lots of people, now she's behind bars. We give voice to those that can't in order to save the livin'." Nick directly quoted his former supervisor. "You'll never understand, because you've never had someone come up to you and thank you for locking their daughters, uncles or mothers killer away where they belong."

Jean folded her arms across her chest as she looked up at the two of them. "Well I can't be mad at you for wanting to save the world." She shook her head at them. "Alright," Sighing softly, she finally gave them a smile. "I accept your decisions, but I still want the three phone calls a day, from both of you. I want your medical reports and I want to know when either one of you ever gets hurt at work. Even a minor paper cut . . . I have to know."

"One." Greg tried to haggle.

"Two and they have to last more than thirty minutes from each of you." Jean haggled back.

"Okay Mom, I'm sorry." Greg stepped forwards to give her a hug, hoping she still wasn't going to hit him round the head for not telling her, but she fully welcomed the hug then signalled for Nick to join them.

"You have no idea how much a mother worries." She told them both as she clutched them tightly in her arms. "You'll see when you have kids; you'll be having a panic attack every time they leave the house."

Greg smiled up at her. "Well . . . we'll just have to take after your example and hold onto them for as long as we can."

"That's right you little monster." She laughed as she clutched him closer.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for all your reviews on the last chapter.**

**Links to view the Wedding Rings, because you know I love to show you the pictures :D (Without the Spaces)**

**Celtic Knot Love Heart Ring – http:/ / pics . live journal . com / lolly4holly / pic / 0001saf1**

**Puzzle Rings – http:/ / pics . live journal . com / lolly4holly / pic / 0001trhf**

**Fingerprint Rings – http:/ / pics . live journal . com / lolly4holly / pic / 0001w5b0**

**The group therapy I was trying to get Nick to slowly open up. I have a friend who went to group therapy for something else and she said the councillors do try and persuade you to talk because the longer you bottle it up the worse it gets, That's why I did that on the last chapter.**

**Please Review**


	59. Chapter 59: Unexpected Visit

**Chapter Fifty Nine: Unexpected Visit**

Greg collapsed back into Nick's arms, resting his head on his shoulder with his pen and notepad in his hands. Nick lifted the magazine he was reading out from under Greg, pressing a kiss to his neck. "What's up G?"

"I just got the finalised guest list from your mother."

Nick wrapped his arms around Greg's waist, looking over his shoulder to read through it. "She wants to invite half of my dad's side?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"There's no way they would ever come." Nick set his magazine down on the bedside table, pulling Greg tighter into his arms. "They're a bunch of homophobic assholes. Real church goers, they wouldn't come even if you paid them."

"We'll just have to cut them then." Greg smiled up at him.

"I thought you were busy workin' on your book."

"I was proofing and I got bored." Greg set the pad down on the bed beside him, getting comfier against Nick.

"Why are you so jittery?" Nick smiled as he smoothed his hands beneath Greg's t-shirt.

"Our flight to Texas is soon and I'm really nervous."

"You've been there before. And this time should be easier, they already know about us and they're invitin' us over there for a big family dinner." Nick smoothed his hands down to Greg's hips, pressing a warm kiss to his neck. "Trust me, it'll be a lot easier than last time and my Mama said my dad's actually excited to have us over again." Greg looked up at him surprised. "I'm serious."

"Must be for you, he still doesn't like me."

"Yes he does." Nick pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Who couldn't like you?"

"Your father, whenever he calls here and I answer he acts like a... don't hate me for saying it, but like a total snob. He won't talk to me; just say's 'put Nick on the phone'. It wouldn't kill him to say 'Hi Greg' every once in a while."

"If it's any conciliation, he talks to me like that too G. I know my nieces and nephews will be excited to see you again." Nick lifted Greg slightly higher in his arms, closing his eyes as he held him tightly. "Hey, what's up? You're really quiet." He asked a few minutes later.

"I'm not allowed to be quiet?" He smirked.

Nick shook his head. "It's completely unnatural for you. What's up bud?"

"I don't know . . . I'm just," Greg sucked in a sharp breath before he turned in Nick's arms to look into his eyes. "I'm not having second thoughts, so don't worry about that. I'm just really . . . nervous maybe."

"You're allowed to be nervous G."

"But it's right here." Greg placed Nick's hand on his stomach, looking up into his big brown eyes. "My tummy feels all gurgly."

"About what? Thanksgivin' dinner . . . or the weddin'?" Greg gave him a slight shrug. Nick pulled him down to rest on the bed, rolling onto his side against him to comfort him. "It's okay baby." He whispered softly as he gently smoothed his hand across his younger lover's stomach. "You know we really don't have to do any of this. As far as I'm concerned we're already together. This weddin' thing is just like a rite of passage we have to go through for our parents."

"I don't mind the wedding. That's for us too. I get to hear how much you love me."

"I can tell you that anytime." Nick smiled softly. "You only have to ask."

Greg smiled up at him, placing his hand on top of Nick's on his stomach. "Then how much do you love me right now Nicky?"

"Words can't describe how much I love you right now." Nick delicately pressed his lips to Greg's forehead. "I especially love your cute smile." He whispered as Greg smiled sweetly. "I love the warmth of your body against me." He added as he trailed soft kisses down the side of his face. "I never thought that I would ever meet someone as special as you. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me . . . and I love you very . . . very . . . very . . . very much." He whispered between kisses before he joined their moist warm lips together. "How's that?" He smiled as he pulled back.

"My tummy feels better already."

"Good." Nick purred before he joined their lips together again, gently smoothing his hand further beneath Greg's t-shirt to rub his soft chest. "So, have you written your vows for me yet?"

"That's for me to know," Greg softly kissed Nick's lips then gave him a wide smile. "And you to find out, cowboy." He giggled.

"Well you better get yourself to work. We don't need both of us out of a job."

"I have..." Greg looked around at the clock. "Twenty minutes."

"Exactly G, I don't know if you noticed but you're wearin' boxers and a t-shirt and your hairs all messed. Ecklie will fire you if you're late again."

"Actually I have an excuse. I called Grissom to tell him I was going to the hospital first."

"Not to hassle the doctor about your results I hope."

"No, even though it's been two weeks. I was going to go see Kady. Her mom said she's much stronger today." Greg pecked a kiss to Nick's cheek then scrambled off the bed. "Will you be awake when I get in?"

"Try to be." Nick nodded. "Do you need anythin' from the store? Please say yes, anythin' to get out of the house and away from your mother." Nick whispered as she had been staying with them since Greg was held hostage.

"Nope, sorry." Greg shook his head, pulling on a pair of his jeans then running his fingers through his tousled hair. "Is my mom going back to Cali today?"

"I heard that!" Jean shouted from the hallway.

"You shouldn't be listening to other people's conversations!" Greg shouted back to her, dropping onto the bed beside Nick to pull some shoes and socks on.

"I can when they're in the same house as me." She informed him as she entered the room. "Nicky, you left the seat down in the toilet again and Greg, how did you manage to get pizza on your boxers?"

"For god's sake mother, would you leave us alone!"

"I'm just saying. It's a very strange place to get pizza is all." She looked towards Nick as he averted his eyes from her. "Also I found this," Jean pulled a tube of lubricant from her pocket. "I found it in the laundry basket downstairs, now unless Rascal's having sex, which I really doubt since you only just had him snipped..."

"Just give me the lube and go away." Greg pulled it from her hand, tossing it onto the bed side table behind him.

"Oh are you going to the hospital?" She asked as she saw him grabbing his coat. "I bought some flowers and a cute little teddy bear from the store for Kady. Oh and Nicky I got you some healthier protein shakes that shouldn't make you quite so gassy either."

Nick nodded to her feeling very uncomfortable.

Greg shook his head at his mother, watching Nick's cheeks flushing lightly red. "Okay, we're gonna go now. Bye Nicky." Greg leant across the bed, giving Nick a passionate kiss before he shunned his mother down the staircase to stop embarrassing his boyfriend.

"What?" Jean asked as Greg shunned her out the door towards his car. "I was thinking of him. Those other shakes he buys make him very gassy."

"Shut up mother!" Greg pulled the passenger side door open for her, handing her the flowers and the teddy bear as she sat down inside. "You're not supposed to do things like that. You embarrassed him."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." She protested, pulling her seatbelt on. "You know me though Gregory, I never know when to stop. You have to tell me if I'm being too much."

"I always do." Greg nodded to her then started the car, wishing he could dump her off at the nearest bus station and send her off back home where she couldn't bother them.

* * *

Greg led the way through the hospital, leading his mother towards the children's ward where Sara was sat talking Kady who still looked a little pale, but her eyes were more lit up and she was actually sitting up in bed. "Hi Kady." Greg waved to her then got elbowed in the arm by his mother as he hadn't introduced her. "This is my mother."

"Hello Mrs Sanders." Sara smiled as she climbed to her feet.

"Oh, hello dear." Jean smiled at her then set the flowers down on the bed side table for Kady. "We got you a teddy too sweetheart, I know you're probably a little old for teddies, but Greg thought you might like it. See he's a big softy really."

Greg rolled his eyes as he folded his arms across his chest. He had nothing to do with the teddy bear, but his mother was making it out to be all his idea.

Sara and Greg stayed with Kady a little longer before Grissom called them for a crime scene to investigate. Sara offered to drive Greg's mother back home while he went on ahead to join Warrick at the crime scene.

* * *

After work Greg waved to Sara as he head off to the locker room to get his things ready to head home. As he approached his locker he saw an envelope stuck to his locker door. He carefully pulled it off, pulling the card out from inside, finding a pizza coupon and a small slip of paper reading:

_Turn around_

Greg looked at it curiously then slowly turned around, smiling as he saw his boyfriend leant against the lockers behind him. "Now how did you do that?" He asked with a wide smile.

"Magic." He laughed, pressing a kiss to his lips as he approached him.

"What's the pizza coupon for?"

"We are goin' out to dinner, or technically breakfast, but you can get pizzas at this time in the mornin'. That's what I love about this town."

Greg giggled softly then quickly changed his shoes, pulling his jacket on. "You bought a pizza coupon especially for me?"

"No, you don't buy coupons G." He chuckled, leading him off out of the crime lab. "I cut it out of a magazine."

"That's not very romantic." Greg giggled, weaving his fingers together with Nick's as they went down in the elevator together.

"Did I also mention we're goin' bowlin' and the loser has to act out the other ones fantasy?" Nick told him then smiled as Greg's eyes lit up. "See, I knew you'd like that part."

"What about my mother?"

"She doesn't know where we're goin' so she won't tag along like the last time. I'm sorry about that." Nick apologised again as their last romantic dinner for two was interrupted by Greg's mother joining them round the candle lit dinner for two.

* * *

Nick took a seat beside Greg in the bowling lane, watching him typing Lone Ranger and Pancho in as their bowling names. Nick shook his head at him as he took a swig of his beer. "So Lone Ranger, you up first?"

"Why didn't you invite Vartann and thingy?" Greg asked him.

"John and Jasper you mean. We have to start callin' em by their first names now." Nick smirked.

"Vartann calls you Nick and me Sanders, so I have every right to call em Vartann and thingy." He smiled then climbed to his feet to bowl first.

"I didn't invite them because I wanted it to be just us G. We don't always have to double date with them. Or third wheel date with your mother. I wanted it to be the two of us."

"I know." Greg pecked a kiss to Nick's cheek. "I love that you came to work to surprise me at eight o' clock in the morning with a bowling date. You're the best boyfriend in the world." Stealing a quick kiss from Nick's soft lips, he gave him a warm smile then head of down his lane to bowl the first ball.

Nick clenched his teeth together as Greg got a strike his first time. "Damn."

"You said the loser has to act out the others fantasy right?" Greg giggled as he returned to his seat.

"You haven't won yet Lone Ranger. I can still beat you." Nick softly ruffled his hair then set his beer down on the side table as he scrambled to his feet to bowl next.

Greg gave out a righteous giggle as Nick's ball curved off to the side only knocking only four of them down. "Better luck next time Pancho!"

"I can still beat you." Nick declared, waiting for his ball to return. "Just you wait. There's no way I'm actin' out one of your fantasies tonight Lone Ranger."

"That's what you think Pancho." Greg deviously giggled. Nick gave him a look before he head off towards the lane, desperately trying to focus to get all the pins knocked over as he had no idea what Greg had install for him later.

One hour and four more strikes from Greg later, Nick dropped heavily into his seat, finishing off his third beer as Greg took his last go. Nick felt as though there wasn't even any point in playing anymore since technically Greg had already won. He could only win if Greg didn't hit a single pin down this time around and he managed to somehow get another strike.

To Nick's bad luck though, Greg managed to get another strike.

Greg victoriously leapt into the air in joy then rushed back to Nick to snatch a victory kiss. "Who is your master baby?" Greg excitedly giggled.

"I'm sure you cheated." Nick mumbled as he climbed to his feet.

"Nope, I'm just really that good." Greg declared as he stole another kiss before he tugged Nick to his feet. "Now you have to bend to my wishes Pancho."

Nick checked his watch then tossed his empty beer bottle into the trash. "Okay, so what crazy fantasy do you have planned for us?"

"First of all, I'm starving. So let's go get something to eat." Greg pulled the pizza coupon from his pocket, snatching another kiss from Nick. "I forgot to tell you, I've got tomorrow night off too, so I'm sure I can fit in one of your fantasies if you like."

"That's very kind of you Lone Ranger." Nick grinned at him.

"I do it because I love you so much Pancho." Grabbing their score card, Greg entwined his fingers with Nick's, leading the way off out the bowling alley to find the nearest pizza restaurant to eat at.

Greg tugged Nick over to and empty booth, handing him one of the menu's as he slid in beside him. "Let's just order one big pizza," Greg quickly read the coupon for the details. "Then we get it half off and two free sodas."

"Done, you pick though. This is your special date."

Greg licked his lips, scanning his eyes across the menu. "Let's go for the barbeque chicken one."

"Yummy." Nick smiled at him then watched Greg calling over the waitress to order it for them. She smiled at them as she took their order then walked away to get them their drinks. They didn't have to wait too long before their pizza was made, arriving at their table deliciously piping hot.

"Mmmm, I have been craving this all day." Greg grinned, licking the barbeque sauce from his lips. "I love you Nicky."

"Is it me you love or the pizza?" Nick smiled widely at his boyfriend sat beside him who just responded with a nod as he was too busy eating to listen. Nick hadn't felt this happy in a long time, not since he started having his post traumatic stress meltdown, but now he felt as though everything was the way it should be. He had the cutest, most bouncy boyfriend in the world who really was the light at the end of his tunnel.

Everything was perfect and it could only get better from here.

Greg led Nick straight out into the garden when they got home. He didn't even say anything just started stripping his clothing as he head over to the swimming pool that they had been too busy to use.

Nick watched Greg's jeans and t-shirt collapsing to the grassy floor beneath him before he dove into the pool. Seconds later his head popped up from the surface of the water, revealing his silky wet hair stuck to the side of his beautiful face. Nick watched as Greg removed his boxers in the pool, tossing them to the edge of the pool before he seductively hand gestured Nick to join him.

"You know you're not supposed to swim after eatin'." Nick told him as he kicked his boots off then removed his socks at the edge of the pool. He lifted his shirt up over his head then removed his jeans before he dove in beside Greg.

Nick lifted his head to the surface of the warm water, brushing his hair back from his eyes as Greg swam towards him. "So, this is your fantasy?" He queried before Greg pressed a moist soft kiss to his lips.

"Uh huh, I was out here skinny dipping and the sexy life guard thought I was drowning so he dived in to save me, but what he really wanted was to touch every inch of my naked body." Greg cheekily grinned as he wrapped his arms around Nick's shoulders.

"I like the sound of that." Nick rasped before he pulled his boxer shorts off, tossing them to the edge of the pool. "But what about you're Mom?"

Greg gave out a frustrated groan. "She's fast asleep. I'm not one of those guys that likes to include their mothers in their fantasies Nicky."

Nick laughed softly then pulled Greg closer towards him, making the younger man moan softly as their hardened groins touched. "I meant, won't she wake up?"

Greg shook his head. "Not if we're really quiet." Wrapping his legs around Nick's waist, they proceeded to hungrily kiss one another's soft lips. "My Mom used to say you shouldn't have sex after you've just eaten either, so I think we're safe." He grinned at him.

"This lifeguard might change his mind about savin' you if your mothers gonna be involved." Nick smirked.

"Lucky for you, your damsel in distress doesn't have a mother . . . I am the Lone Ranger after." Smiling widely at Nick, he brought their bodies closer together. "And the only way you can revive me is by cumming deep inside of me."

"I definitely like the sound of that." Nick rasped, smooching warm kisses down the side of his face. "As far as sexual fantasies go, this one is the best I've heard so far."

Greg giggled then softly sucked on Nick's moist warm lips. "Then hurry up and save me cowboy."

"Ahem!" Jean cleared her throat for the side of the pool.

Greg closed his eyes, dropping his head to Nick's shoulder, hoping it was all just a dream.

"I hope you're wearing swimming shorts!" She smiled widely as she spotted two pairs of boxer shorts at the edge of the pool. "What are you doing in the pool at nine in the morning?"

"What does it look like we're doing?" Greg smiled up at her. "Can you please just go away or I'm calling dad to drag your ass back home."

"You could catch a cold in that pool with no clothes on." She informed them, ignoring her son's last statement. "Do you want to get sick? I'll go and get you a towel each and your swimming shorts. Do you need lubricant or anything while I'm there?"

"Mother!" Greg snapped at her. "Just go back in the house and leave us alone. Please!" He begged, wishing the world would swallow him up so he wouldn't have to face another ounce of embarrassment from his mother.

"Swimming pool water isn't very good for slicking yourself up Gregory. It's going to be most painful. You should really look into the water soluble brands of lubricant if you're going to do it in there." She informed him as she walked back up the garden and into the house.

Greg closed his eyes against Nick's shoulder, wrapping his arms tightly around him. "Sorry, even the Lone Ranger can't escape his mother."

Nick giggled softly, pressing a kiss to the side of his lover's wet head. "We'll just have to try this again another time."

"Okay." Greg lifted his head to look up into Nick's eyes. "But we have to get her out. It was bad enough when she walked in on us both in the bath the other day with you inside of me while she was talking about the bridesmaids dresses, but this has gone too far."

"Agreed." Nick nodded. "But you're not the one who's home with her all day. She's taken me off beer, got me on vitamins and lots of fruits that are supposed to give me more energy so we can have sex for longer and she bought me a book on sex positions that she likes to discuss while we sit in the front room with a pot of coffee. That's embarrassment." Nick pointed out to him then swam to the edge of the pool to pull his shorts on before he climbed out as he fully expected Jean to be watching them still.

"Okay, if you don't mind... I'm just gonna drown now."

Nick giggled, lifting Greg's head above the water to press a kiss to his lips. "C'mon, we have to go get rid of her."

"There's a shovel in the utility room. I used it the other day to fill up the holes Rascal keeps digging. I think we have black bags under the sink and plenty of rubber gloves in our kits." Greg joked as he pulled his shorts on. "You back your truck up in the drive way while I go and poison her drink with an untraceable toxin."

Nick laughed then climbed out of the pool. "Let's take a less drastic approach." He suggested, reaching a hand out to lift Greg from the pool. "People might notice that's she's missin' from the weddin' otherwise."

"Okay." Greg ran his hands through his wet hair then collected up his clothing, heading off into the house with Nick. They stopped by the utility room for some warm towels then made their way off to the front room where Jean was sat with the wedding planning books in her hands.

"Mom." Greg cleared his throat as they entered the room. Jean looked up at them both with a wide smile on her face. "Mom . . . we have . . . well actually, Nicky has something he wants to tell you." Greg pushed Nick forwards to make him tell her as he didn't want to hurt his mother's feelings.

Nick gave Greg a frown then looked at Jean while he covered his chest with the towel in his hands to stop her from looking. "Well . . . Greg and I have been talkin'." He nervously started.

"Oh yes, about what?"

Nick licked his lips as he tried to find the courage to tell her to leave as she was completely ruining their sex lives. "Well . . . we've been talkin' . . . and we think," Nick looked up into her eyes, not wanting to disappoint her still. "That the swan napkins are the best design." He chickened out.

"Oh," Jean flipped through the magazine to find the relevant page. "Yes, they do look good. The rose looks a bit much and I don't know anyone who could fold it like that. So yes, good thinking boys." She smiled then reached for the scissors to cut the picture from the page and stick it in their wedding planning book.

"Chicken." Greg whispered to Nick as he joined him at the foot of the stairs.

"Well I don't see you tellin' her smart ass. I thought the Lone Ranger has no fears?" Nick smirked then made his way off up the stairs to get some clean dry clothes on to sleep in.

Greg looked back at his mother before he followed Nick up the stairs to their bedroom. "I'll tell her after I get some sleep." Greg defended himself then pushed the bedroom door shut, sliding the lock into place before he even started to undress.

"You better. She is your mother after all." Nick collapsed onto the bed in a fresh pair of shorts, watching Greg pulling a t-shirt down over his head before he closed all the blinds so it was dark enough for them to sleep.

"I will, I'll tell her when we wake up." Greg collapsed onto the bed beside Nick, lifting his legs as he wriggled under the covers beside him. "Either that or I'll call my dad then he can tell her."

Nick giggled then pressed a kiss to Greg's head. "Good Night G." Greg rolled in his arms, burying his face into Nick's neck before he fell asleep himself.

* * *

Nick stirred awake a few hours later, spotting Greg getting dressed by the closet. "Hey, where are you goin'?" He sleepily asked from his position on the bed.

"Don't be mad." Greg dropped onto the edge beside him, gently brushing his fingertips through Nick's soft hair. "I'm going speed dating." Nick looked at him shocked. "For moral support. Since Jasper isn't going out with John Vartann anymore, and he's out to everyone at work, he wants to start dating someone he doesn't have to hide his relationship with."

"He's out at work?" Greg nodded. "Since when?"

"Yesterday, he told everyone that needed to know, the others it's not really their business."

Nick frowned at him a moment then nodded. "Okay. But why are you goin' with him?"

"Like I told you, moral support."

"What if you get picked up? You're very cute you know Greg. A lot of guys would like that about you."

"Relax, I have a plan." Greg smiled softly then climbed off the bed to lift his t-shirt up. Nick looked at his chest, noticing he had written 'Nick's Bitch' across it in a thick black marker pen. "See."

"You're a genius." Nick chuckled, pulling him back towards him for a hungry kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too, which is why you never have to worry about me cheating on you."

"I know, but there are more guys out there that are way hotter than me G."

"Not a possibility." Greg shook his head, smiling against his lips. "You're the hottest of them of all. And I'm not attracted to guys . . . I'm attracted to you."

"Hold on a second, you're not just goin' so I get stuck with your mother again are you?" Greg's silence said it all. "You chickened out from tellin' her again? What happened to your plan B?"

"I only got my Dad's machine, but I left him a message." Greg innocently smiled at him. "I love you though, just stay up here and pretend to be asleep until I get back. I'm not working tonight so we can try again." He winked at him.

Nick smiled widely up at him. "Okay, you've convinced me. You can go now. But not for too long, I don't like bein' stuck here with her all day." Nick gave Greg's behind a playful smack. "Just remember who you belong to baby."

"How could I forget?" Greg grinned at him then slowly made his way out of the bedroom, waving goodbye to his sleepy fiancé.

* * *

"Okay, so the blue numbered group rotate around the room while the red numbered group stay seated. You have seven minutes to astound your date before you move onto the next. If it's fate you write down the number of the date you liked, if the computer matches you up you have to go on a real date." The queen in a tight red tank top and form fitted jeans told them as he talked through his hands.

Greg just happened to be one of the red group, number thirteen. He thought it was pretty bad luck, but then again he wasn't looking for a date. He was there to support Jasper, who was in the blue group.

Greg dropped into one of the empty seats, looking down at the clipboard in his hands. He decided to cross off number eleven as he was a very large man who kept giving him a hungry look as though he wanted to eat him.

Leaning on his elbow, Greg patiently waited as the blue group got themselves sorted out. The queen started up the clock then a tall bald man, number seven dropped into the seat in front of Greg, giving him a gapy toothed smile. Greg gulped hard, quickly striking out number seven before he even started talking.

"Hi, my names Martin. I'm forty eight years old. I-I... I like to drive... and..." He started to nervously stammer as he looked up at Greg. "I er... I..."

Greg rolled his eyes, waiting for number seven to go away so number eleven could sit down. "Hi." He smiled widely at Greg, revealing the mustard stain on his double chin and what looked like spinach stuck in his teeth. "My favourite food has to be a burrito. But I love tortilla chips in salsa. Hot dogs, lots of mustard. Kebab's, I love Kebab's. Anything on the menu from McDonalds, especially the big Mac. KFC are awesome. Love the chicken wings. Taco's, especially the ones off taco trucks, they're the best. Not a fan of sushi. I like burgers, chips... French fries mainly. Domino's Pizza is the best, but I'm not fussy, I'll eat any kind. Spaghetti, anything meat..."

Greg gave out a wide yawn to show how bored he was with the man listing all the food he loved. The more he talked though, the hungrier Greg started to get.

Number One talked nonstop about politics, which Greg didn't really care much for so he kept his mouth shut. Number Three wanted to make Greg into a respectable husband with his three children, Augustus, Winifred and Elizabeth. Number Nine kept talking about his wife who up and left him one day for a woman, so he decided to give a shot at being gay too, which Greg didn't really understand.

Then Greg got Jasper, number Four. "How many you got?" Greg queried as he peeked a look at his clipboard. "Ew, you actually liked that guy?" Greg looked over at red number five who Jasper had written down. "He keeps picking his nose; I've seen him do it every time the bell goes to change."

Jasper laughed softly, shaking his head at him. "What about you? You've struck out every one you've had so far."

"May I remind you I'm engaged?" Greg pointed out to him.

"Yeah, but you're acting like a total party pooper Greg. You're not even talking."

"Fine, I'll talk to the next one." Greg smiled at him as he handed his clipboard back.

"Oh God, what are you gonna talk about?" Jasper panicked.

"My one favourite thing in the world." Greg grinned up at him then leant back in his chair as Jasper had to move to the next table to make room for number Six.

"Hi, my names Glenn." He introduced himself with a wide smile. "I'm thirty seven years old. I have a golden retriever called Rocky. I'm looking for a guy to date who I can also be friends with. The last couple of boyfriends I've had just wanted to screw me then go out clubbing to find another guy to screw."

"Sounds rough, I'm lucky. I never had to go through the awkward dating phase, because my boyfriend was already my best friend. His names Nick Stokes," Greg opened his wallet to show Glenn a picture of Nick. "He's gorgeous, amazing in bed, gives great head. He loves to snuggle, join me in the shower, walk around the kitchen naked, oh and we're getting married in March."

Glenn looked at Greg with his jaw dropped and a blank expression on his face.

Next up number Twenty. He started to introduce himself, telling Greg all about his hobbies and the cars he would like to test drive, before he asked, "What are you most proud of in your life?"

"My boyfriend." Greg immediately answered, turning the man's smile upside-down. "He's been through so much; buried alive, almost shot, rejection from his father, post traumatic stress breakdowns, eaten alive by bugs, escaped an explosion, near death experiences, rejection at work, even from me. But now we're so tight, not even a chain saw could break us apart. I mean that figuratively obviously, if you put a chainsaw between us there would be all this blood and guts, bits of brains, shredded muscles..." He rambled on, making the guy in front of him turn a little green.

Number Fifteen told Greg all about himself then asked, "Who was your hero as a child?"

"My father." Greg answered. "He was my biggest hero, still is... but now, I have a bigger hero. My Nicky." Greg opened his wallet to show another man the photo of his loving boyfriend. "That's my Nicky; he's the love and hero of my life."

Craig number Ten who told Greg he had a great smile made the mistake of asking, "Where do you see yourself in five years?"

Greg smiled widely at him. "Married to my boyfriend, maybe with a few kids . . . and my puppy all grown up. I'm getting married in March to the most amazing man in the whole world." He dreamily sighed.

Number Seventeen, Ted who always wanted to raise and train border collies asked, "Describe your perfect Sunday morning."

"That's easy." Greg beamed a wide smile up at them. "I'd wake up to see Nick lying beside me with a big ol' plate of crispy bacon, pancakes drenched in syrup and then after breakfast we'd have ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream together, licking it off one another before we started to..." Greg rambled on, making the guy in front of him more and more jealous by the minute as this mystery man got to do all of this with Greg and all he got was to hear him ramble on about it.

Number Twenty two, with the near perfect body, beside the head on top asked, "When was your last relationship, and how long did it last?"

"Started in August last year . . . and it's gonna last forever." Greg dreamily told him. "Me and my boyfriend Nicky have known each other for around nine years now would you believe? We started dating last year and we're getting married in March!" He excitedly declared. "I always knew we were best friends, but I never even thought that we'd be having sex non-stop."

Number Five with the queasy smile asked, "Do you like to dance?"

Greg leant on his elbow as he looked up at the large mole the guy's forehead that stuck out more than his queasy smile. "Actually, I don't dance a whole lot. I used to all the time . . . the best dance was with my boyfriend at our engagement party though."

"You were engaged?" He asked surprised.

"Still am." Greg lifted his key chain out from under his t-shirt to show him. "See, my boyfriend got the teeth engraved. Love, honour and cherish." He read them out as he showed him them. "We're getting married in March. I should be home with him right now. He's probably lying naked in bed, waiting me for come back to him so he can show me the best few hours of my life . . . again and again . . . and again. I think our record is twelve times . . . in one hour." He exaggerated.

Queasy smile guy struck Greg's number right off his clipboard then leant back in his chair as he waited for the timer to go off to move onto the next candidate.

"What three words would your best friend use to describe you?" asked number Twelve with his P-FLAG mother on the side lines cheering him on.

"Um..." Greg smiled softly as he thought of the perfect three. "Sexy, Gorgeous . . . and Adorkable."

"Your best friend must really like you." He smiled widely at him, giving his mother the thumbs up as he thought he might be the one.

"Yep." Greg nodded. "I really love him too, especially when he's inside of me. No one else in this world ever makes me scream so hard. Before Nicky I never had the toes curling experience, let alone the triple orgasming, now I totally get it. I get it every day without fail. He has so much energy he can go for hours, it's probably coz he works out so much. Take this morning for example, we did it in the shower... on the kitchen counter... in the hot tub... oh in bed before we got up... on the stairs... in the car," Greg continued exaggerating, smiling victoriously as the man in front of him looked towards his mother like a scared child.

The speed daters stopped for a break, heading off towards the bar to grab some refreshments before they started the second half of the dating.

"So, did you get any?" Greg asked Jasper as he dropped onto the stool beside him around the bar.

"I thought I had one, but then it turned out he was still married and she didn't know he was gay." Jasper ordered a glass of water for Greg then looked around the room of potential candidates. "I don't really want to date any of these guys. I want John."

"Then why doncha go get him?" Greg suggested, waving over to the P-FLAG son stood by his mother. The son gave him an evil frown before he walked off into the crowd to where he couldn't see Greg anymore.

"Making friends?" Jasper smirked.

"He's just a sore loser. But I did what you said. I've been talking to them, and it's actually a lot more fun."

"What have you been talking about?" Jasper queried.

"All about Nicky. Maybe next round I should start showing off the naked pictures of us together." Greg pulled his phone out to look through his saved pictures.

Jasper laughed at him, shaking his head. "Thanks for coming Greg. You didn't have to."

"Oh please, this is way better than sitting home with my mother to go over the wedding plans." Greg cheekily giggled at the thought of Nick having to go through that torture.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't like this one Nicky? It's very pretty. Don't worry about looking too gay." Jean burst into giggles as she playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "Oh look at this, they have a men's lingerie section. Wouldn't you look good in that?" Nick cringed as he looked down at the tight turquoise shorts she was pointing out to him from the magazine. "Those would be good for Greg, pity he wouldn't fill them out as much as the model though aye?" She snickered as she playfully elbowed Nick. "I suppose they stuff these pictures though, do you really think his penis is that long? I bet that would hurt going in huh? You could get Greg to stuff his shorts, increase the sexual fantasy. Oh look at that." She pointed to a hunky model in a black silk body suit. "I love a man in a body suit. Unfortunately what with my Daniel being so thin, he doesn't quite fill them out the way these models do. His pouch just isn't big enough."

"Jean Stop!" Nick stopped her there, feeling a cold tingle shivering its way up his spine as goosebumps began to form on his arms. "Enough please. We don't need lingerie."

Jean giggled shaking her head at the poor man beside her. "Don't be embarrassed sweetheart. We can talk about this, I don't mind."

"I do." He shivered. "We're lookin' for suits or tuxedos, not lingerie. Why would anyone ever need underwear that's edible or that has an actual snake where your... thing goes? We don't need it!" He insisted, fully aware of how bright he was blushing.

"There's not only a snake sweetheart. Look, there's elephants, cows, look there's even a tiger and a..."

"I'm goin'." Nick leapt to his feet, quickly walking off into the next room as he couldn't take any more of it.

* * *

Leslie tucked her son Robbie into bed then made her way off downstairs to where her husband was waiting to talk to her. "So, what was it?" She asked as she dropped onto the sofa beside him.

John hesitated, his eyes ran across her features a moment, trying to think up the best way to come out with it and tell her the truth already. She did have a right to know. He knew how much it would probably hurt her, but he couldn't keep lying to her anymore, his heart belonged to another.

"There's no easy way to tell you this Leslie." He started, fidgeting in his seat beside her. "So I'm just going to tell you." Gulping hard, John closed his eyes as he tried to build up his courage. "I'm gay." He blurted, letting out a breath of relief as he had finally said it out loud. Not only to her, but to himself.

"What?" Leslie shrieked, frowning in his direction as he looked up at her. "H-How? Wh-What? Why? How?" She started to babble as she couldn't think of the right thing to say. "How long?"

"My whole life." He shrugged at her. "I tried to make it work with us. I've tried so long."

"Wait a minute." Leslie leapt to her feet, turning to face him. "So you're telling me you're gay . . . and what, your leaving me?"

"Pretty much." He nodded slightly, glad she said it first. "I want a divorce."

The statement seemed to slap her in the face. Leslie's jaw dropped open as she looked down at him. Her hands fell limp at her sides before she turned her gaze to the floor. "Wh-what?" She questioned.

"I said, I want a divorce. I can't do this with us anymore. I'm not even attracted to you."

"You married me!"

"It was a mistake. I was fooling myself."

"But... you married me." She repeated, folding her arms across her stomach as she started to feel sick at the thought of losing her husband. "Why did you marry me if you knew you were gay?"

"I thought I could live a normal life. Wife... kids, but I was fooling myself."

"Oh shut up!" She snapped. "You think you're not normal because you're gay? Moron. You have no idea." She shook her head angrily at him. "Why... how could you do this to me? And you can't blame anyone else; it was your own fault you selfish prick."

John sighed softly as he looked up into her watery eyes. "I'm sorry I did this to you. I'm sorry I did this to our children too. I care about you Leslie, I just don't love you. I love our children. I wouldn't trade anything in the world for them. I just can't do this anymore with you. I'm in love with someone else."

Leslie gulped hard as tears began streaming their way down her cheeks, smudging her makeup that she spent so long putting on this morning. "Do I know him?" she asked, not sure she really wanted to know who he was.

John cautiously climbed to his feet, deciding not to tell her who he had fallen for. "No," Shaking his head he took a step closer. "You don't know him."

"Have you..." Glancing up into her husband's eyes, she dreaded asking this question but she had to know. "Have you been sleeping with him?"

"Leslie, you really don't need to..."

"Answer me." She demanded. "You owe me that much. Just tell me. Have you?" Nervously digging his hands deep into his pockets, John gave her a slight nod. "In the house?" She started to weep. "Did you ever... in our house? In our bed?"

"No." He assured her, shaking his head at her. "Only his place."

"Before or after you did it with me?" She asked him. "How could you do this to me? I gave you everything I had."

"I'm sorry. I'm tired of trying to work this out. We don't work together Leslie. I wouldn't trade our children for anything, but being married to you . . . I can't do it anymore."

"We can go to therapy." She suggested. "It worked for my parents. They had an argument and they were going to get a divorce. We don't have to divorce. We can try to make it work."

"No we can't. I've _been_ trying. I gave you twelve years... I can't do it anymore. This is the best thing I can do now, before it affects our children."

"You think it's not going to?" She shrieked. "They've lost their daddy because he'd prefer to stick his dick in a man then he would his wife!" John stepped past her, walking off towards the door to grab his jacket. "No!" She shouted after him, starting to beg. "Please John, we can work this out. We can give it another shot. Don't go, don't do this. You can't do this to me. You can't do this to our children!"

"I'm doing this for the children." John pulled his jacket on. "I have to go. I'm sorry Leslie." John took one last look at her before he walked out the front door and out of her life.

* * *

"Hey, you're back early." Nick smiled as the love of his life bounded towards him. Greg collapsed into his welcoming arms, pressing a kiss to his cheek as he curled up into his arms. "Hey, you can't have missed me that much."

"I did." Greg closed his eyes against Nick's shoulder. "This guy asked me if I had six months left to live, what would I do first . . . and I immediately started missing you."

"Aww," Nick smiled widely as he wrapped his arms around him. "I missed you too baby."

Greg straddled Nick's thighs, slowly unbuttoning his shirt as he pressed soft kisses to his chin. "I just had multiple seven minutes of hell . . . I need seven minutes of heaven now." Trailing his fingertip down Nick's taut stomach towards his belt, he smiled against his parted lips before he kissed him.

"That's sounds all very nice." Nick smiled widely, grabbing Greg's wrists as they reached his belt. "But your moms still here." Nick whispered as Jean appeared in the doorway.

Greg turned his head to the door, smiling innocently at his mother. "Mom, what are you still doing here?"

"I'll be out of your hair before you know it." She grinned at them. "Then you can have all the sex you'd like on the sofa in the middle of the day."

"It's eight o'clock at night." Greg pointed out to her, getting poked in the stomach by Nick.

"I know. But still, it's a little early young man and Nicky; I really didn't mean to embarrass you earlier." Greg looked at Nick curiously, wondering what she did to embarrass him. "I'm very sorry. I promise I'll behave for your wedding. I know I'm a bit much to take sometimes, but please don't disinvite me."

Greg smiled over at her. "Well we'll have to think..."

"We'd never do that." Nick cut him off, poking him in the stomach again to shut him up. "You're the most important guest." He assured her.

"Aww, I love you Nicky." Jean smiled at him then cast a frown towards her son. "At least somebody cares about me. I made you some dinner, when the timer goes off it'll be ready. There's some fresh bread on the side too." Jean grabbed her coat and her bag as Nick pushed Greg off his lap to button his shirt up to give Jean a proper goodbye.

"Goodbye Mom, I love you." Greg pecked a kiss to her cheek, giving her a warm hug as he was glad to see her leaving finally.

"I love you too, even if you are a little monster. And I'll be seeing you this weekend over at the Stokes." She smiled excitedly before she hugged Nick. "I'll get to meet all your wonderful sisters and their children.

"We better check her luggage when she leaves," Greg teased her. "She might try and abduct one of them."

"I would never do that." She complained, pulling her purse over her shoulder. "I'll see you there then boys. Be careful, and call me tomorrow Gregory. You too Nicky, I have to know you're alive and well."

"Yes Mrs Sanders." Nick nodded, putting his arm around Greg's shoulder. "I'll make sure he does too."

"Thank you." Jean smiled at both of them then made her way off down the drive.

Greg waved her off then pushed the door shut, spinning on his heels to face Nick. "I know that look." Nick smiled at him. Grinning widely, Greg made his way towards him, immediately joining their warm lips together. Slowly they made their way back towards the couch, collapsing against the soft cushions. Greg rolled their bodies so he was under Nick, tugging his shirt open again, just as the phone started to ring.

"Nooo!" He complained as Nick leant across the coffee table to grab the phone.

"Hello?" Nick answered, sitting back on his lover's hips. "Okay," Pulling the phone away from his ear, he handed it over to Greg.

"_Greg," _The familiar doctor's voice rang through the phone. "_I just got your results in."_

Greg leant up on his elbows, intensely waiting to hear the bad news as he kept his eyes locked on Nick above him. He hated the way the doctor made him wait, just like one of those game shows with the answers, leaving them in suspense. "It's bad isn't it?"

"_No, no. Everything's fine. No need to come in, you're perfectly healthy still."_

"Oh My God!" Greg exclaimed. "Thank you." Greg hung up the phone then tossed it onto the table.

"What's wrong?" Nick immediately asked.

"Nothing." Greg smiled up at him. "Nothing's wrong at all." Tugging Nick's jeans open, he pulled him down on top of him to kiss him hungrily.

"See... I told... you." Nick breathed through their heavenly kisses. "Nothin' to worry about."

"You were right." Greg grinned widely, sweeping Nick's shirt off his shoulders. "By the way, do you know of any clubs around here?"

Nick looked down at him surprised as his shirt dropped to the floor. "Yeah, why?"

"I wonna go dancing with you. It's the only other physical activity that even compares to sex."

Nick grinned at him then lifted the younger mans t-shirt off his body. "Well when you put it that way." Trailing his fingers down towards Greg's jeans, he gave him a wide smile. "I'd love to go with you . . . mind if we finish this first though? Now that we have no interruptions?"

"Absolutely not." Greg lifted his hips as Nick removed his jeans and boxers. He reached under the sofa for the spare bottle of lube, glad his mother hadn't found that one while Nick shed the rest of his clothing. "I love you Nicky." He gasped, arching his body up towards him, begging to be touched.

Nick complied with his wishes, trailing warm open mouthed kisses across his name still visible on his young lover's chest. Greg didn't have to wait long before Nick was pushing himself deep into the core of his body, making his toes curl and muscles go into complete spasm as he lost control, just as he had described to all those poor saps going home alone.

* * *

**The last of the meddlesome mother? I hope you liked Jean in this chapter, along with the John/Leslie breakup, and I especially hoped you liked the speed dating with Greg. I worked hard on that :D**

**I'll try and think up some more creative chapters before the big day. You've got the Stokes thanksgiving dinner to get excited for with Jean and Daniel along too. And I'll try and involve some more of the CSI team in a few chapters too.**

**I'm currently working on my first book, which I might very well publish if it turns out okay. I'll let you all know when it's complete and where you can download it when I'm finished. It's called 'Undercover Lover' my main characters aren't Nick and Greg though, they're DEA Agent Nathaniel Walker and young Officer Luke Harris, that's all I'll tell you for now :D**

**Please Review**


	60. Chapter 60: Letting Go

**Chapter Sixty: Letting Go**

"Don't... be... late." Nick breathed between kisses, clutching Greg tightly in his arms, wanting to keep his warmth against him for as long as possible.

"If you never let me go, I'm never gonna get to work." He giggled against his warm parted lips.

"Call me if you're gonna be late."

"Why, do you have something special planned?" Greg queried, weaving his fingers through Nick's soft hair.

"You'll just have to wait and see." Nick winked at him then snatched another kiss before he finally let him go. "And I'll pack your stuff before the flight since _somebody_ always leaves it to the last minute." He smirked, looking directly up at Greg.

"I didn't have time." He giggled, touching his lips to Nick's, kissing him softly before he finally climbed off his lap to leave for work.

"Hey, be careful and I love you."

"I love you too." Greg gave him a wave before he disappeared out the door and down the stairs to get to work.

Greg soon arrived at the lab, immediately receiving a text from Nick telling him he loved him again. He smiled as he sent one back before he quickly head off into the lab so he wasn't late.

Ecklie watched Greg signing in, raising his wrist to check the time he arrived today. According to the clock behind Judy's desk he was only one minute late because he stopped in the parking garage to talk Sara.

Greg just ignored him heading off through the lab halls to see Grissom for his first assignment.

"Greg, hit and run . . . take Warrick." Grissom dropped the slip into his hands then continued walking to find Catherine.

"Nice to see you too." He muttered under his breath as he read the address off the slip in his hands.

* * *

As soon as Jasper spotted John Vartann coming his way, he whirled around and started heading in the opposite direction. John sighed heavily in annoyance then rushed after him, stopping him in his tracks. "Are you just gonna turn and walk away whenever you see me now?" He asked him as he held him securely in place.

Shrugging his arms off, Jasper gave him a firm nod. "Yeah. Pretty much." Avoiding eye contact with him, Jasper tried to get by him but John blocked his path again.

"I think we really need to talk Jas. We can't avoid each other forever."

"You're right." Jasper finally looked up into his eyes. "Maybe you should leave me alone." He suggested then stepped past him, heading off into the station to get to work.

John slapped himself in the side of the head in anger as he should have done something sooner before he lost him. He then turned to face the other end of the hall, spotting Greg coming out of Brass's office with a file in his hands.

"Sanders!" He shouted, running towards him to talk to him.

"Don't wonna talk to you unless its case related and I'm working a hit and run, so I highly doubt its case related since you're a homicide detective." Greg informed him with a smirk.

"Why am I the bad guy?"

Greg glanced up at him over the file he had in his hands. "I'm not choosing sides; I'm choosing not to get involved."

"Look, I didn't mean to break his heart."

"You should be telling that to him then." Greg went to step past him but Vartann stepped in his way again. "I'm not a dating guru. I've had hundreds of bad relationships; the only good one is with Nick because he's my best friend."

"But you talked to him the other day. Does he really hate me that much?"

"You should be talking to him." Greg advised him, folding his arms across his chest. Vartann looked into Greg's eyes then nodded to him before he walked off down the other end of the hall, getting back to work.

Greg watched him go then head over to Metcalf working the front desk. "So, how'd it go the other day?" Greg asked him curiously.

"The date?" Jasper looked around the station to check no one was listening then up into Greg's eyes. "Horrible. He was an even bigger asshole then John. I can't believe the only call back I got was another married man, cheating on his wife."

"Speaking of," Greg leant on the front of his desk, looking at him curiously. "Have you talked to him lately?" Jasper shook his head. "Are you going to? He seems generally upset and really sorry."

"He's done that before though."

"I heard from O'Riley that he's been crashing on his couch for the past two weeks though." Jasper looked up at Greg surprised. "Word has it; John and his wife are on the verge of a divorce."

A hand suddenly slammed down on Greg's shoulder startling him. "When you're done flirting with Metcalf, can we go get our suspect?" Warrick asked him with a smirk.

"I wasn't flirting." Greg protested as he scowled round at him. "I was making light conversation."

Warrick nodded with an eye roll. "Does Nick know about your thing for men in uniform?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Greg cheekily bit his tongue as he smiled round at him. "Later Jasper."

"Bye." He waved to them both, watching them walking off out the station together towards Warrick's car.

* * *

"Bill, I just cleaned there!" Jillian complained as he came and sat down in the front room, putting his feet up on the coffee table. Bill took no notice of her as he reached for the TV remote, clicking it on to watch the game. "Why are you actin' like this all of a sudden? You better not be in this mood when everyone arrives tomorrow."

"I'm not in a mood." He protested, turning up the volume of the TV to drown out her voice.

"You are." She scowled at him. "And you better be nice to Greg when he's here tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Because he's your son's fiancé." She reminded him. "And he's really a sweet boy once you get to know him. He cares about our Nicky a lot too, so you might wonna give him a chance." Jillian slapped his legs with a newspaper to get them off her freshly cleaned coffee table. "His parents are comin' over too, and I want you to be on your best behaviour."

Bill just rolled his eyes up at her in response. "That'll be a barrel of laughs." He muttered under his breath.

"C'mon Bill! We've been through this with every child so far. You didn't like Bill junior's wife Vanessa because her parents are Jewish. You hated Lillian's husband Anthony because his father used to beat you up in Highschool..."

"He did not!" He protested, grumpily folding his arms across his chest. "It was one time . . . and he did not beat me up, the sun was in my eyes. And it wasn't Highschool. It was junior high." He informed her.

"Whatever." She groaned. "You still hate Gwen's husband Damian, but you love all of your grandchildren. I don't know why you would deny your children happiness."

"I'm not denying them anythin'. I can like who I like and so can they, why should they care what I think?"

Jillian let out an exasperated sigh as her husband was a completely clueless father even after all these years. "Children always seek the approval of their father, no matter how old they are. If you don't approve of who they date, they feel as though they've let you down." Jillian informed him then slapped him round the head with the newspaper before she made her way out the room.

Bill held his head shocked as he watched her walking out the room. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"You deserved it!" She shouted from the other room.

* * *

Parking his car in his driveway, Greg slowly climbed out of his car, excitedly making his way up the drive towards the front door to see Nick again. As soon as he stepped inside he saw Nick stood waiting for him. "Okay, you really need a hobby." Greg teased him as he sweetly smiled at him, kicking the door shut with his foot behind him. "You're as bad as Rascal waiting for me to come home every day." He chuckled as he stroked the excitable puppy at his feet.

"I'm not, and I do have a hobby." Nick defended himself. "Today my hobby just happens to be about you though."

"About me?" Greg queried, chucking his keys onto the side. "What did you have in mind?"

"Come with me and I'll show you." Nick pulled Greg away from his puppy by his hand towards a closed door. He covered his hands over his eyes so he couldn't see anything as they entered the room. "Keep your eyes closed." Nick whispered against his neck as he led him into the dining room that they had been using for storage since they moved in as they didn't have a dining room table. "Okay, open them." Slowly moving his hands away from Greg's eyes, he moved his hands to wrap around his waist as he waited for his reaction.

"Oh my..." Greg gasped as he looked around the room that he didn't remember being in his house when he left for work.

The skirting boards had been replaced with a decorative mahogany wood; the walls were a warm maroon and the floors were now a nice laminate dark wood that made the room feel complete and homey. A brand new natural oak table stood in the centre of the room with four black emperor chairs around it. On the centre of the table stood a double brass candle stem, complete with scented candles making the room glow with a romantic flicker. The romantic setting was complete with folded napkins, sprinkled rose petals and two place settings for dinner.

"Holy... cow." Greg gasped, looking up at Nick behind him. "Am I in the right house?"

Nick smiled widely then pulled Greg tighter into his arms. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," He gasped again. "When did you do all this?"

"I've been workin' on it all week. Just goes to show how often you come in this room, huh?" He smirked, pressing a kiss to his neck.

"Okay, so what's all this in aid of?"

"As if I need a reason to treat you." Hugging Greg tightly in his arms, he pressed a kiss to the soft spot behind his ear. "I just thought, it's our first real thanksgivin' together, even though officially it's not until tomorrow . . . I just figured we could have it together in our brand new dining room that will one day have either a little girl or boy in those chairs."

"Or both." Greg smiled round at him. "So, what did you make for dinner?"

"Well first of all we have smoked chicken parcels for appetizers. Rack of lamb with crispy potatoes for dinner then afters we've got baked chocolate and pear pudding."

"Mmm," Greg licked his lips just thinking about it. "I didn't know you could cook."

"Neither did I, but your mom is a big help in some places. And don't worry, she's not here. She coached me via the phone." Nick chuckled as he saw the look on Greg's face at the mention of his mother.

Nick walked over to the cabinet in the corner of the room, pulling the tea towel off to show off the advertising appetizers to him.

"But before all that we have," Pulling a remote from the back of his jeans pocket, Nick pointed and clicked in the other direction, starting up a slow romantic track on the CD player. He pulled Greg into his arms, whirling him around as they started dancing. "This."

"This is a total dream." Greg giggled as Nick spun him then pulled him back into his embrace.

"Nope, it's all real." Nick smiled before he twirled Greg in his arms, supporting his whole body in his arms as he leant down to romantically kiss him.

"God I love you Nicholas Stokes." Greg smiled widely up at him.

"I love you too. More than you'd ever know."

"I think I know." Greg gave out a soft giggle, staring up into the eyes of the one he loved.

Holding Greg in his arms, he swayed gently to the music, keeping his eyes locked on the caramel flecks in Greg's eyes. He could feel Greg's heartbeat pounding rapidly and his hands shaking in his own.

He loved the fact that he still made Greg feel like this.

Nick spun Greg in his arms again, pulling him back into his grasp, he shoved his hands deep into the back pockets of Greg's jeans, cupping the globe's of his masculine body in his hands as he continued to take the lead around the room.

Their hot hungry mouths came together; soft, gentle, exploring tongues slid across one another. By now Greg's heart was fluttering with excitement and lust.

Greg's hands roamed down Nick's back and with a soft sigh as he buried his face into Nick's neck, breathing in his cowboy's familiar scents. He was in no hurry to eat or de-cloth his fiancé as they had a lifetime together.

All he wanted to do now was dance.

* * *

"Would you just give me a chance?" Vartann rushed down the hall after Metcalf, only to have the door slammed in his face once he reached his apartment door. "Jasper, please." He groaned, pounding his fist on the door. "Jasper, I love you, don't do this to me. I just want to talk to you."

Jasper pulled his door open on the burglar chain to look out at John. "I don't want to hear it again John. You've done this to me so many times before."

"Did you not hear me when I said I loved you?"

"Right now I believe you'd try anything to get through this door and into my pants before you rush back home to your wife and..."

"Would you please just let me explain!" John interrupted him. "Please Jasper, just hear me out."

"What?" He snapped. "What lame excuse are you going to give me now?" Even though Jasper was shouting at him, John found him cuter than ever. "Why are you smiling? Stop smiling!"

"Sorry." John bit his lip as he tried to suppress his grin. "I just think you're adorable when you're angry." Jasper released a groan of anger, going to slam the door shut in his face but John stopped him. "Okay, seriously now. I left Leslie. I told her everything."

Jasper looked at him curiously. "Define . . . everything?"

"I told her I'm gay. I told her I wasn't in love with her. I told her I was in love with someone else, but I didn't tell her it was you because I didn't think you wanted to."

Jasper folded his arms across his chest, continuing to look at him curiously. "I don't believe you." He finally stated as he studied his face.

"I'm telling the truth Jas. Have you ever heard me use the word gay for starters?" Jasper shook his head. "There you go then. I've also never told you that I loved you, so you have to believe me. You can even call Leslie and ask her, she'll probably give you an earful about me."

"But how do I know it's going to be different?" Jasper asked him.

"I'll go stay at a hotel then. I just wanted you to know how I felt." John whirled around on the heels of his feet, heading off down the hall back towards the elevator.

"Wa-wait!" Jasper shouted, closing his door to take the chain off. He quickly rushed into the hall seeing John waiting to hear what he wanted to tell him. "Did you really tell her you were gay?"

"Yep." John nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Do you really love me?"

"Yep! Believe it or not Jas, I really do." He nodded, hoping Jasper was going to ask him to stay. "Well, I'm gonna go." John pointed to the elevator doors behind him. "I'll call you later."

"John, do you wonna stay? Fully clothed on the other side of my bed." He quickly added, making John smile.

"No, I'm good. I'll call you tomorrow; we'll arrange a date or something. Isn't that what boyfriend's do when they start officially dating?" He smiled at him before he slipped into the elevator. "Bye." He waved as the door closed.

Jasper waved back then slowly turned back to his apartment, smiling softly to himself as John really had changed.

* * *

Nick gently pushed Greg back onto one of the sun beds, straddling his hips once he was lying down. They had finished their dinner and dessert then moved to the garden to make love in the morning sunshine.

Greg's breath caught in his throat as Nick ground his hips against him. Nick stripped off his jeans, boxers and socks in one swift movement, leaving Greg in just a t-shirt as he repositioned him. "No Nicky." Greg stopped him, pushing his t-shirt down to cover himself up.

Nick looked at him completely confused. Greg had never once denied him access and after the meal he just cooked him it was even more confusing. "What's wrong?"

"Just," Greg looked at the porch over their heads then towards the neighbour's garden, hoping no one was out there so they could see them. "I'm kinda loud." He whispered embarrassed.

Nick couldn't help but smile at him. "It's okay Greg. Mrs Steinberg is deaf. Dave and Otis are out at work and Jody's in school." Nick informed him, making Greg frown up at him as he had planned everything to the very last detail. "You don't think I know how loud you are?" He smirked. "Trust me, no one's around to hear and I triple locked the front door. There's no way anyone with or without a key can get through it." He assured him.

"Okay." Greg released his t-shirt from his grip, relaxing back against the sun bed. "As long as you're sure."

"Positive." Nick smiled at him, snatching a kiss from his lips before he moved down his body again.

"Wait, wait!" Greg stopped him again. Nick glanced up at him from his position above his hips. "Can I have a pillow? This seats kinda cold."

Nick couldn't help but laugh this time. He scrambled to his feet, grabbing one of the pillows off the patio chairs then returned to Greg, slipping it underneath him. "Okay, ready now or would you like me to do anythin' else, sweetheart?" He teased him.

"No, I'm good now."

"Good." Grinning widely, Nick trailed a hot path of kisses down Greg's neck then pushed his t-shirt up to continue down the centre of his chest towards his destination.

Nick swirled his tongue across the tip of Greg's hard groin, feeling the younger mans slender fingers gently weaving through his hair already. Taking in the divine scents of his lovers flesh, Nick trailed hot kisses down his shaft, moving all the way to his belly button that made Greg writhe beneath him.

Relaxing his throat, he gradually took in his lover's girth, licking, sucking and gently nipping in all the right places that made Greg scream his name in a ferocious growl of lust.

It wasn't long before Greg started to tremble, sending his very essence of ecstasy straight into Nick.

Nick quickly moved his hot mouth back to Greg's, plunging his fierce tongue into his mouth, fighting for control. Greg giggled as he pulled back, digging his fingers into the globes of Nick's arse. "What has gotten into you Nicholas Stokes?" He asked through a wide smile.

"Nothin', just plannin' a romantic evenin' for the two of us and thinkin' of all the things I wanted to do to you," Nick paused as he nipped at Greg's lower lip, gently teasing his tongue across the roof of his mouth. "You make me crazy hot for you." Nick reached under the seat, presenting Greg with a bottle of lube.

"You do come prepared." He beamed a wide smile up at him then slid his hands beneath Nick's shirt to get him undressed as he was still fully clothed.

Nick swept Greg's t-shirt off then helped him with his own jeans and boxers before he blanketed his warm body with his own.

"Let's hope Mrs Steinberg is blind too." Greg mischievously grinned before Nick started to devour his lips, grinding his hips against him as his strong hands touched and caressed every aspect of his partner's warm body.

He slowly slid his hands down Greg's arms, clasping his strong hands around his wrists as he licked a hot trail from his neck to his navel. He playfully grinned up at Greg as he started to squirm beneath him, knowing exactly what Nick was going to do next.

Nick blew on the hot trail, making Greg helplessly giggle and wriggle in his arms.

"I love makin' you do that." Nick rasped before swiping his hot tongue across his nipples, heightening Greg's pleasure with each touch. "You know what I've always wanted to do?" He asked him, without allowing Greg to answer he pinned one of his wrists to the arm of the chair, tying it in place with his sock.

"So far I like it." Greg purred through a pleased smirk.

Nick tied down his other wrist then grabbed Greg's t-shirt, snatching a wild hungry kiss from his lips as he tied it around Greg's head so he couldn't see anything. Greg smiled as Nick started to explore his body with his tongue; licking, sucking and tasting his masculine flesh. He checked Greg still couldn't see then slicked up his fingers with the lube, parting Greg's legs to slip his fingers inside.

The lack of vision was surprisingly desirable. Greg could feel and smell Nick, but he couldn't see him. He had to rely on his other senses which increased his pleasure senses as he couldn't see what was coming next, making each of Nick's movements more pleasurable.

He felt helpless, but he didn't mind as Nick was the one in the driver's seat.

Greg's chest heaved in helpless anticipation. Nick's fingers slowly withdrew from him under much protest on his half. He struggled against his restraints, wanting to know what was going on, but he only had to wait mere seconds to find out.

Nick lifted his legs onto his shoulders then pushed himself into his lover's entrance, erupting a strangled moan from Greg's throat.

Moaning in sensation, Greg pulled Nick deeper inside of him until he hit the core of his body, making him involuntarily quiver.

Nick took a moment's breather, struggling to hear the desperate whispering coming from Greg's delicious lips. He envied Greg for being able to trust him completely, freely offering himself over to Nick for his own pleasure. He wished he could, he just didn't know how someone could do that.

That's what made Greg so special.

Nick steadied himself as he started to rock his hips. He watched Greg's lips still whimpering then angled himself into position, thrusting his hips against Greg.

"Oh Nicky!" He growled like a hungry tiger, still unable to free himself from his restraints.

Nick could feel his orgasm coming fast, groaning as Greg's heels dug into his back, bringing their bodies closer together. Nick managed to lean down to kiss without hurting Greg as he surprisingly flexible even though he never worked out.

Panting across one another's warm lips as Nick continued to thrust his hips, he felt a sudden need to watch Greg's eyes as he climaxed as it always increased his own pleasure to watch Greg going over the edge. Nick swiftly removed the t-shirt from Greg's eyes, smiling against his parted lips as he looked into those brown beauties, making him completely lose control and fill Greg's body with his warm seed.

Even after he was spent, Nick continued thrusting his hips. Greg gasped as he felt Nick hardening inside of him almost instantly. Nick was drowning him in love and it was the greatest feeling in the world.

Nick felt the aftershocks riding his body before he finally collapsed on top of Greg, loosening the restraint to one of his wrists so he could feel his hands on his body.

The morning was silent. They could hear birds chirping in the distance, dogs barking across the neighbouring yards and one another's heavy breathing as their spent bodies struggled to circulate the few breaths they had left.

"Oh... my... god..." Greg spoke through deep breaths. "I can't believe... you did all this... for me."

"Believe it baby." Teasing his fingertips across Greg's slippery chest, he listened to his pounding heartbeat against his ear. "I love you more than I could ever tell you. That's why I did all this."

Greg pulled his other arm free then wrapped them securely around Nick's dripping wet body on top of him. "I think I can tell how much you love me." He smiled in content, resting his head against Nick's soft hair. "I can feel your love inside me. It's warm and tingly."

"Where?" Nick smiled up at him, curious to know how Greg felt his love.

"Right now... everywhere." Greg sighed softly then tightened his arms around Nick's, pressing his swollen lips to his forehead as he whispered, "But when I'm away from you I feel it in my heart. You're always there, waiting for me to come back to you."

"Aww," Nick lifted his head to peck a kiss to Greg's cheek. "That's exactly the same way I feel about you, gorgeous."

"You're just a big ol' pussy cat at heart aren't cha?" He teased.

"You're the one who was growlin'." Nick pointed out to him then reached for the blanket off the sun bed beside him. He tangled their legs together as he threw it across them then snuggled under the blanket beside Greg, staring into his partners beautiful eyes before they both eventually dozed off to sleep.

Greg woke up a few hours later, relaxing back in Nick's arms as the afternoon sunshine beamed down over their bodies. "Nicky," Greg whispered softly, trying to see if he was awake but there was no reply. Greg lifted the blanket slightly as he turned in Nick's arms to look at him. "Nick." He whispered again, teasing his fingertips across Nick's warm muscular chest that was still sticky from their love making. "Nick, wakey, wakey Nicky."

Nick blinked his eyes open a few times then looked down at Greg. "Hey, what's up bud?"

"It's too hot out here." Greg rested on his hands either side of Nick's body, looking down at him. "Does my romantic boyfriend have any more surprises up his sleeve?"

"Well," Nick grinned widely up at him. "I had planned a bubble bath for two if your..."

"Oh I'm definitely interested." Greg giggled, pulling Nick to his feet. Nick held the blanket in place around Greg's body and his as they moved back towards the house in case any of their neighbours were watching.

Nick led the way off towards the bathroom, pouring a warm bath full of bubbles. Greg dropped the blanket to the floor, climbing into the tub first and leaning back against the smooth surface. Nick climbed into the tub next, leaning his back against Greg's warm chest. Greg raised his knees either side of Nick's body then wrapped his arms tightly around him as Nick nestled himself comfortably in his embrace.

"You're the best boyfriend ever Nick." Greg closed his eyes as he rested his head against the side of Nick's. "So, what's with the date night? Is today special or something?" He asked curiously.

"Very." Sliding his fingertips across Greg's bubble covered leg; Nick rested his head back against Greg's shoulder as he completely relaxed in his arms, trying to do just as Greg did when they were in reversed positions.

"How?" Greg asked as he couldn't think of any kind of anniversary that was nearby.

"It's been exactly eight years since the day we met." Nick informed him, looking up to see Greg's reaction.

"Holy... cow." He gasped. "So this is what you do for our eight year anniversary of meeting? I'd love to see what you do on our wedding anniversary."

"You're going to." Nick smiled up at him. "But it'll be a surprise like all this."

"I love surprises." Greg reached for the wash cloth behind him, soaking it into the bubbly water before he slid it down Nick's chest. "I especially love them coming from you." He purred against his ear as he slid the wash cloth down his partners rippling body.

"Good." Nick beamed a wide grin up at him then closed his eyes as he rested his head on Greg's shoulder again. "I've gotta leave at seven G."

"Today?" Greg asked surprised as he didn't want him to leave.

"No tomorrow morning, 7am." Nick raised his watch to look at the time now, reading 4:25pm. "You can get some sleep and I'll be back before lunch time tomorrow for our flight out to Texas."

"You do like to plan things." Greg giggled against his neck, continuing to smooth the wash cloth across Nick's rippling muscles. "What's tomorrow?"

"I've got my trainin' slash interview thing tomorrow," Nick reminded him. "Do you know how much crap they have to test you on before they even let you through the door?"

Greg giggled giving him a nod. "Yep, but I'm sure they'll go easy on you since you've already had a job in law enforcement. You'll pass with flying colours." Greg assured him as he slid the wash cloth across his boyfriend's bicep. "So does that mean I get to see you in one of those sexy uniforms? You know how much I love a man in uniform."

Nick opened his eyes, smiling up at him. "I take it you've seen the picture of my graduation from the police academy."

"Yeah." Greg giggled softly, tightening his arms around Nick's chest. "You looked smoking hot. It's a shame you want to become a detective though."

"Why?" Nick looked up into Greg's eyes with confusion.

"Because... I can think of a few things I'd want to do to you in one of those deputies uniforms."

"I bet you would." Nick laughed, leaning up to kiss him. "You're gorgeous . . . you know that G?"

"Only because you tell me all the time." Greg giggled, pressing his lips to the back of Nick's neck. "Not that I ever get tired of hearing it. In fact you should tell me more often." He cheekily declared.

"I will. I'm gonna tell you forever... and ever... and ever." He smiled as he turned in his arms to kiss his hungrily. "And ever... and ever and ever." Nick added as he slowly pulled back.

"I get it." Greg giggled against his lips. "I love you." Smoothing his hands around the broad back of his lover, Greg traced each muscle with his fingertips as he pulled Nick's body closer against him. Greg gasped as Nick's soft skin lay flat against his own, making his body shiver with excitement despite the warmth of the water around them.

Nick slid his hardened groin against the younger mans, smiling as he stuttered a grateful moan against his lips. They kissed hungrily, tasting one another's lips and tongues, gently teasing their tongues across one another's teeth to increase one another's pleasure. "You wonna go again, or are you too worn out?" He whispered as he trailed kisses across his jaw.

"I suppose you _could_ tempt me into it." Grasping Nick's shoulders, Greg bucked his hips up towards him as he beamed a wide smile against his lips. "It shouldn't take too much persuasion on your part."

Sliding their warm hard erections together, Nick smiled down at his lover, trying to fight for control as he could feel himself losing it already. "I think after the weekend we're about to go through, we deserve plenty of time unwind."

"And grind." Greg giggled, grinding his hips against Nick's.

Greg pulled Nick closer towards him for a deep intense kiss; with the wash cloth in hand Greg slid it down Nick's arched spine, feeling the bones moving beneath his skin as Nick thrusted his hips against him.

Nick jerked his hips as he tore away from Greg's mouth, letting out a pleasurable moan of bliss as he released his seed against Greg. The flecks of gold in Greg's eyes gleamed brightly as his body shock in desperation.

His pleasure was short lived as Nick pulled away from him. "Shit, I just remembered I gotta go to my support group at 4:30." Nick remembered as he climbed out of the tub, grabbing some warm towels from the closet. Greg mirthlessly smiled in his direction then dejectedly climbed out of the tub; going to reach for a towel but Nick secured one around his own waist then started drying Greg's body with the other. "You're not mad at me are you?"

"Nope, I love you too much to ever get mad at you." He assured him. "Did you pack my stuff?"

"Yes dear. Enough for the whole weekend with a few extras coz I know how messy you are, all you're favourite t-shirts and all the jeans that hug that cute little butt of yours." He teased as he placed his hands on the globes of Greg's arse. "I love you."

"Love you more." Greg stole a kiss once he was dry then head off towards the bedroom to go to sleep while Nick shaved and brushed his teeth to head out.

Once Nick was done in the bathroom, he returned to the bedroom smiling as he saw Greg lying across the middle with the towel still wrapped his body. Nick pulled on some boxers and sweatpants then closed the blinds so it was darker in there for Greg to sleep. He then carefully removed the towel from Greg, replacing it with the nice warm covers to keep him warm while he went out.

Greg didn't even stir as Nick tucked him in, delicately pressing a kiss to his forehead before he finished getting dressed then head off to one of his support group meetings.

* * *

"Hi everybody, my names Cecelia. I started having PTSD symptoms a couple of weeks ago . . . it all started a few years ago after I was involved in a car accident . . . in which I lost my husband and my daughter." She clutched the tissue in her hands tightly. "A couple of weeks ago I was cleaning out the attic after nine years. I found one of my daughters teddy bears from when she was just a baby . . . I still can't believe that something so innocent and ordinary could bring all this back again. I haven't thought about the car wreck in years."

"The slightest thing can trigger anyone's post traumatic stress." Albert told her with a soft smile. "Okay, who wants to go next?" Nick gripped the troll tightly in his pocket before he raised his hand, getting surprised looks from half the group as he was finally willing to participate. "Nick? Welcome back. Would you like to share? Whenever you're ready, no rush." He smiled softly in his direction.

Nick cleared his throat then took a deep breath. "Three years ago . . . when I was workin' as a crime scene investigator. I went out on an ordinary case, from an anonymous 9 – 1 – 1 caller," Nick looked down at his hands in his lap as he recalled the memory, finally deciding to confess the whole thing to a group of complete strangers . . .

_Nick was driving down the Las Vegas strip in his truck, listening and singing along to one of his favourite songs. "It was Christmas in Las Vegas, when the locals take the down. Theresa hit a streak, and laid her waitress apron down. She was playin' penny poker over at the old Gold Spike. She's tired of Texas hold em, so she switched to let it ride. Then over on Freemont Street, six pits won her a car. She rode it up the strip to where the flashy hotels are. At first she hit a royal, not a dirty one this time and then she drew four deuces..."_

_Nick shut off his car engine, turning the radio off. He reached for his camera off the passenger seat, hanging it around his neck as he climbed out of the car. Pushing the driver's door shut, he reached into the back for his kit before he head off towards the crime scene._

"_Nick." The officer waved him over._

_Nick nodded to him, taking a look around the alley he was in. "What's goin' on out here?"_

"_Anonymous 9 – 1 – 1 caller reported body parts in this area." The officer pulled his flashlight from his belt, pointing off down the alley. "I rolled up . . . and I found this."_

_Nick followed him off down the alley, noticing a bloody puddle on the concrete with what looked like intestines in the middle. "Hmm, tasty." Nick remarked, placing his kit down on the floor to snap some photos of the body parts on the alley floor. He knelt down beside his kit, pulling it open to place down a marker by the body parts._

"_Have any idea how long it's gonna take you to get this stuff outta here?" The officer asked, placing his hand over his mouth as he felt the urge to throw up._

"_Well," Nick climbed to his feet, looking around for any vital evidence that needed to be collected. "I can't move the, uh . . . the 'body' until the coroner releases the scene. It's a busy night, it's probably gonna take a while man." Nick explained, snapping another picture._

"_Great." The officer took a step back, feeling his stomach churning. "Hey, you mind if I step away for a second? I need to get some fresher air."_

_Nick looked round at his pale complexion, seeing he looked as though he was going to throw up. "Oh, yeah, yeah . . . sure, take yah time." Nick watched the officer turning away, leaving the scene as he made his way back towards his car, leaving Nick alone with the body parts._

_Nick snapped another photo before he straightened up. "Whew." He cringed from the smell. Nick looked round at the officer over by his car, retching his guts up beside his car. "Hey, you uh . . . want some gum?" He shouted back to him, pulling the packet from his pocket._

"_No, thank you." The officer shouted back, throwing up again._

_Nick popped a piece of gum into his mouth, tucking the packet back into his jeans pocket. He lifted some more evidence markers from his kit, taking a look around at the eerie looking alley ahead of him as the officer continued to retch and cough in the background._

_Nick found a cigarette butt, dropping a marker beside it to snap another picture in case it was case related. He continued on down the alley, finding some tire tracks in the concrete. He glanced over his shoulder at the officer, who was quite a distance away from him now. He set down a marker by the tire tracks, snapping a picture before he spotted something by a fire hydrant on the street._

_Nick knelt down beside what looked like an evidence bag with a Styrofoam cup inside. He placed his camera down on the floor, pulling some latex gloves from his pocket before he touched the evidence._

_Lifting it from its position on the floor, he frowned in confusion as he noticed it was an actual evidence bag. "That's peculiar."_

_Suddenly a dark figure appeared behind Nick while his attention was focused on the cup in his hands._

_Nick was yanked to his feet, struggling with his attacker as a cloth slipped over his mouth. It smelt somewhat like ether, but the more he struggled, the more he inhaled._

_Nick collapsed back against their arms as his eyelids fell heavily shut._

_Nick slowly started coming too. He blinked his eyes open a few times, seeing a blinding red light in front of him as he slowly started to rock to and fro. He appeared to be in the back of a car and his wrists were tightly bound behind his back. He struggled to pull them apart, but it was too tight._

_He looked around as the car ground to a halt, remaining silent as he heard the sounds of footsteps crunching on the gravel outside of the car. Nick struggled into a sitting position, raising his legs ready to kick his attacker as they walked around the car. He patiently waited, ready to strike them at a moment's notice when another cloth was suddenly slipped over his mouth from behind him. He tried to struggle as it covered his mouth and nose, but it was hopeless._

_The attacker shone a flashlight across Nick's face as he dropped him down into the box. Nick's eyes were still firmly closed. The man cut the plastic ties around Nick's wrists, breaking a glow stick then shaking it in his hand before he dropped it onto Nick's chest in the box at his feet._

_Nick slowly started to move his head from side to side as he started coming too. The man lowered a loaded gun into the box, setting it down beside Nick's left hand, placing a cassette tape recorder beside his right hand. He dropped several more glow sticks into the box with Nick before he closed the Plexiglas box lid, covering the surface with dirt so he was hidden deep underground._

_The light of the glow sticks started to wake Nick. He slowly started to blink his eyes open, looking around at the eerie green glow around him. Instinctively, Nick tried to sit up, hitting his head on the roof of the box. He fell back against the base, raising his hand to hold his sore forehead; in the process he noticed that he couldn't raise his arm very far._

_He felt constricted._

_Looking around he noticed a green glow stick on his chest. He picked it up to look around, noticing a light at the base of the box between his feet._

_Searching around he found a gun beside him. He checked the clip, noticing it was loaded then cocked it back, loading a bullet into the chamber. He wondered what kind of kidnapper would give him a gun, but it's not like he could use it underground, especially in his tight quarters._

_Nick used the glow stick to look around at the box again. He tapped his knuckles against the side, noticing it must have been Plexiglas as he could see the dirt on the other side. His breathing started to increase as he realised he was trapped underground._

_Reaching around by his sides, he found another object by his other hand. He raised it to eye level to take a look, realising it was a tape recorder._

_Clicking play, Nick tried to pace his breathing so he could hear whatever was on the tape. "Hi CSI guy," A taunting voice started up. "You wondering why you're here?" A sinister chuckle erupted from the speaker's voice. "Because you followed the evidence. Because that's what CSI's do. So breathe quick, breathe slow . . . put your gun in your mouth and pull the trigger. Anyway you like . . . you're going to die here. Okay."_

_The tape shut off leaving Nick to burst into panic._

_His breathing started to rapidly increase. He pounded his fists against the box top, rolling over in his restrained quarters, desperately trying to find a way out. He frantically tried to push the side, top and bottom open, starting to panic even more as he found no way out of there._

_He started to scream in terror, feeling the fear coursing through his veins, making him shake in panic as his screams slowly drowned out into frightened sobs._

Nick felt his body shake as he looked back up at the group. He had never shared that with anyone, not even Greg. Nick felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, but now he really wanted a hug from Greg.

Albert congratulated him for sharing, telling the group to take a break. Nick was thankful for this since they were all looking at him completely shocked.

Nick immediately head home after the meeting, waving to Otis as he made his way up the drive. He knew Greg would still be fast asleep, so he decided to head straight upstairs to their bedroom, smiling softly as he saw his snoozing lover lying flat on his stomach, right where he left him.

Nick quietly removed his shirt and jeans as he climbed in beside him; he turned to the clock beside the bed, checking the alarm was set so he wouldn't miss his interview/training tomorrow to become a detective.

Greg sighed softly as he readjusted himself against Nick's chest. He didn't even stir as Nick wrapped his arms around him tightly, never wanting to let him go.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, sorry for the wait.**

**Please Review**


	61. Chapter 61: Family Gathering

**Chapter Sixty One: Family Gathering**

"Shh, Nicky, it's just a bad dream." Greg whispered, softly smoothing his palm up and down Nick's chest to sooth his trembling body. "Wake up Nicky, it's just a nightmare." He tried to wake him, but still he twitched and shook from his nightmare. "Wake up babe. You're safe."

Nick shook himself awake to the sound of Greg's voice, stopping his twitching and shakes as he looked up to see Greg above him.

"Hey Nicky, you're safe. It was all just a bad dream." He whispered softly, entwining their fingers together on his chest to prove it. "See, you're here with me. You're safe now."

Nick looked around the room he was in as he recollected his dream. He turned back to Greg with a slight smile on his face. "Thank you." He whispered.

"Hey, what happened Nicky? You haven't had a nightmare in weeks."

"I know." Nick rubbed his eyes open, feeling his body beginning to calm from the shakes as he felt Greg's warmth against him.

"Are you okay?" He whispered as he circled his arms around him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He nodded to him then turned to look him in the eye. "You'd be proud of me." Nick reached up to press his lips to Greg's forehead. "Yesterday's group therapy session . . . I told them mostly everythin'."

Greg looked at him curiously. "Mostly?"

"I told them all about the abduction . . . and the coffin . . . before I couldn't breathe anymore."

"You never told me any of that." Greg pouted, looking up at Nick with his puppy dog eyes. "I am proud of you though babe." Greg leant up on his arms to press soft angel kisses to Nick's eyelids. "I'm very proud of you Nicky."

"Thank you baby . . . and I'll tell you anythin' you wonna know." Nick pulled Greg's head down to rest on his shoulder, circling his arms around his body.

"Tell me about your dream . . . the one you had in the coffin." Nick looked down at him surprised. "You never told me. I told you everything about the attack and the nightmares. I just wonna know what you thought about . . . when you thought that we weren't gonna get to you in time." Greg asked him curiously.

"It's not that interestin'."

"It is to me." Greg swirled his fingertips across Nick's chest as he looked into his eyes. "Everything about you is interesting to me."

"Okay," Nick sighed softly. "I'm not sure it was a dream really . . . more like a hallucination or somethin' like that. My whole body . . . and face was covered with ants at this point. The first thing I remember was wakin' up on a coolin' table down in the morgue. Doc Robbins and David were standin' above me . . . then one of them said, 'It's a damn shame they didn't get to him in time'."

Greg looked up into his eyes surprised. "Is that what you were worried about? That we wouldn't save you."

"Well I was down there a really long time G." Nick nestled closer to Greg as he thought back to the horrifying memories of being trapped in a box underground. "I thought I'd never get out . . . my biggest regret was that I never told you that I loved you."

"I know now." Greg delicately wiped a tear from under Nick's eye with his fingertip, blanketing his body with his own for comfort. "What happened next?"

"Doc Robbins was lookin' at all the bites across my body. They looked like these huge swollen bite welts, they looked horrible and they were everywhere . . . then David asked him if he thought I suffered. Doc Robbins said . . . 'definitely' . . . then the next thing I know I'm on the autopsy table, hearin' this hysterical laughter in the background." Nick weaved his fingers together with Greg's, looking at the keys around their necks that were currently entwined together, knowing he was safe with Greg there. "I couldn't move, but my eyes were open as I was layin' on this autopsy table . . . then Doc Robbins and David started countin' in Spanish above me before they put on the radio which was playin' the song Lucky too by Bob Neuwirth..."

"The one you never listen to in the car?" Greg asked him as whenever it came on; Nick immediately changed the CD or station to listen to anything else but that song.

He thought Greg hadn't noticed, but he was very observant over him.

Nick nodded down at him. "It was the song playin' in my car on the drive to the crime scene." He finally confessed to him. "As the song started playin' . . . Doc Robbins handed this big ol' butchers knife over to David to make the Y incision..."

"You do know they do that a scalpel right?" Greg giggled softly.

"Yeah I know that smart arse," Nick tickled Greg's sides watching him squirm. "I've seen hundreds of autopsies over the years, but in my hallucination it was a butcher's knife . . . then Doc Robbins peeled back the skin of my chest as if it was a waistcoat." He cringed at the memory. "Doc Robbins put down his face protection thingy as he raised this buzz saw to my chest. And all this blood squirted across them both, it went everywhere. David and the Doc were completely covered in it as he pulled my rib cage out of my chest and tossed it over his shoulder as if it was nothin'. I even heard it hit the floor behind him."

Greg gave him a soft smile. "I'm sure they have laws against that."

"Yeah . . . anyway, then he started diggin' around inside my chest sayin', 'he won't be needin' this anymore' as he threw some of my organs out across the floor. Then he's pullin' out my intestines, throwin' my lungs across the table . . . then my dad was standin' over me." Greg softly soothed Nick by delicately smoothing his palm around his chest before he continued. "My dad had this really wide smile on his face . . . one I hadn't seen since I was a child. Then he cheerfully asked Doc Robbins how I died. Then Doc Robbins gets all into his teachin' mode, tellin' him about my cause of death."

"Was it accurate?" Greg asked curiously.

Nick shrugged. "I must have heard Doc Robbins say it once before. I can't remember what he said now. Anyway then my dad told the Doc 'He'll look great at the funeral . . . his mother will appreciate that.' Then he pulled my heart out of my chest, only I could still hear it beatin'. Doc Robbins told my dad that I had a good heart then he handed it over to my dad. And he was just stood over me, starin' at me with this bloody heart in his hand." Nick finished, gently brushing his fingers through Greg's hair. "Then I woke up . . . and I could feel the bites again. Then Warrick and Grissom are above me. The first thing I heard was your name bein' called . . . then Grissom and Warrick were talkin' to me. Griss told me to put my hand on his and promise him somethin' . . . then I woke up in hospital. I can't remember the rest of it."

"I'm glad." Greg protectively wrapped his arms around Nick, closing his eyes as he listened to his heartbeat. "You don't wonna remember the rest of it. That was my worst nightmare to see my best friend go through that."

Nick smiled softly as he pressed his lips to the top of Greg's head, burying his face into his soft hair. "I love you baby." He whispered softly.

"I love you more." Greg whispered back, sighing softly as he fell asleep against Nick's chest, only to be startled awake by the sound of the alarm a few minutes later.

"Shit, I gotta go." Nick slammed his hand down on top of it then pecked a kiss to Greg's forehead. "Be ready to leave when I get back."

"Call me on your way home."

Nick nodded back to him as he scrambled off the bed heading for the bathroom. He soon returned with his toothbrush in his mouth, gently shaking Greg awake again so he could talk to him. "Hmmm?" Greg moaned softly.

"Don't forget to give the spare key to Jade and tell her where everythin' is for Rascal."

"I won't." Greg sleepily murmured, rolling away from him to go to sleep again.

"You better be up before noon Greg." Greg nodded his head weakly, keeping his head buried into his pillow. "I'm settin' the alarm then G." He told him as he set the alarm to wake him up in two hours. "Don't turn it off." He warned him as he had done it several times before then fallen fast asleep again.

Greg gave him a weak nod before he pulled the covers up over his head. Nick chuckled softly to himself then head back to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

Nick head straight off to his interview, nervous about how it would go, but he took the good luck charm troll with him which kept him very calm so he wouldn't nervously shake or screw up his interview with them.

Greg slammed his hand down on the annoying alarm clock beside him as it woke him up then looked around the room to see if Nick was back yet. He soon scrambled off the bed so he wouldn't fall asleep again, heading off down the stairs as he heard Rascal yapping at the back door.

"You can use the doggy door." He informed him as he head over to him. He took a seat beside the door, giving his puppy a stroke before he showed him how the doggy door opened. "Look see."

Rascal looked at the swinging flap suspiciously. As Greg let it go he took a few cautious steps back, fearing the swinging door flap.

"It's just a door." Greg smiled softly then gently tugged him closer so he could sit him on his lap to stroke him. "You can't go around being scared of every little thing boy. You can leave that to your daddies." He smirked softly to himself as he stroked his puppy's soft coat.

* * *

"Hello!" Jillian exclaimed as she rushed down the steps to greet her in laws while her husband stubbornly stood at the door. "How was your flight?" She immediately asked.

"Wonderful." Jean smiled at her, handing her over a large bouquet of multicoloured flowers that she had bought for her at the airport.

"Oh, thank you Jean." She smiled widely at her, smelling all the deep scents of the flowers she had just been handed. "That's very kind of you."

"Oh you're welcome Jilly. So this is the ranch huh? I've heard so many wonderful things about this place. Greg loved his last visit here, but I thought it would be smaller." She gasped at the size of the house and the breathtaking landscape around it.

Jillian chuckled softly. "It's bigger on the outside. It certainly served us well raisin' seven children. C'mon inside, we'll get you some ice cold lemonade or somethin'." She smiled at her then scowled round at her husband as he didn't even bother to come down the steps to greet them.

* * *

As soon as Nick got home they grabbed their bags and head off for the airport. Greg was reluctant to leave his puppy alone for the first time at first, but Jade soon convinced him that she had everything under control and she'd call him to keep him updated on how Rascal was doing.

"G," Nick gently shook Greg awake as the stewardesses started to clear away the food and drinks for their arrival in Texas, Dallas. "Greg, wakey, wakey." He whispered, watching Greg slowly starting to stir awake. "Hey there sleepin' beauty." He smiled once his eyes were open.

Greg looked around at his surroundings, realising where he was. "Are we there?"

Nick nodded to him. "Yep, seatbelt on." He instructed.

Greg sleepily rubbed his eyes open then sat up straight so he could put his belt on. "What time is it?"

"We're two hours ahead of Vegas now, so it's 11pm." He reported as he checked his watch.

"Then why do I feel so tired?" He smirked, giving out a wide yawn.

"I have no idea; you've been sleepin' all day." Nick smiled at him then laced their hands together at their sides as the plane started to descend.

"Maybe we should check into a hotel?" Greg suggested, giving out another yawn as he rubbed his eyes open with his free hand.

"Why?"

"Coz your parents won't let us sleep in the same room, and I don't wonna sleep without you."

"I'll sneak in. They'll be none the wiser." He winked at him.

Greg smiled widely at him. "I love you."

"I know."

* * *

"They're here!" Jillian excitedly announced to herself as everyone else was gathered in the back yard talking. Quickly bounding towards the door, she pulled it open with a welcoming smile as Nick and Greg approached. "Hello Darling's!"

"Uh Oh, my mother's got to her." Greg joked as she threw her arms around them both, clutching them tightly.

"You didn't have to wait up for us Mama." Nick told her, knowing that she was always one to go to bed early.

Early to bed, early to rise; she always used to tell him as a child.

"Don't be silly, I wanted to. C'mon, come in. You must be exhausted." She ushered them into the house. "Can I get you anything to eat?"

"No thank you." Greg shook his head.

"No, we're good Mama, we're just gonna go to bed I think." He suggested, watching Greg yawning again.

"Okay," She nodded then led them off up the stairs. "I'm sorry Greg; Bill insists that we make you sleep in separate rooms. He does it with all his daughters too, so it's not just you." She assured him as they stopped outside the guest bedroom. "If it were up to me I'd let you sleep in the same room, but it's his house, his rules."

"That's okay." Greg was suddenly thankful for having such loving parents, even if they did drive him crazy at times.

Jillian led him into the room, showing him where the clean towels and everything were. Nick pecked a kiss to his cheek, giving him a wink before he head off out the room to go to his old room down the hall. "Good night sweetheart." Jillian smiled as she pecked a kiss to his cheek. "Sweet dreams."

"You too Mama." Nick set his suitcase down on the floor, watching her walking out. He took a seat on the edge of his old bed, deciding to stay for a few minutes until she had gone downstairs before he snuck off towards Greg's room.

Greg set his suitcase down then pulled his sneakers off as he head off into the bathroom. He sleepily rubbed his eyes open before he brushed his teeth then removed his t-shirt and jeans crawling into bed. He didn't have to wait long for Nick to arrive, in less than a few minutes his window slid open and in climbed Nick.

"In through the window? Smooth." Greg smiled over at him. "Something tells me you've done that before though."

"Nope, never." Nick assured him, reclosing the window behind him. "I've seen my sister's doin' it tons of times when their boyfriends stayed over." He smirked as he pulled his shoes off then slid his shirt off his shoulders and removed his jeans before he crawled into bed beside Greg.

"Ooh, your hands are cold." Greg shivered as Nick wrapped his arms around him.

"Sorry." Nick smiled against his lips before he gave him a passionate kiss. "Good Night Gorgeous."

"G'night Nicky." He smiled back then turned in his arms so Nick was spooning him tightly as they fell asleep together.

* * *

"Mornin'," Nick smiled as Greg's long lashes fluttered open. "You gonna sleep all day today?" He teased as he had been awake for a while just watching him sleeping.

"No. Today I have you to keep me company." Greg smiled up at him.

"Gregory," His mother's voice suddenly shouted from the doorway. Greg quickly pulled the covers up over Nick as his mother walked in. "Morning sweetheart, how was your flight?"

"Fine. How was yours?" He asked, checking Nick was completely covered up as he wasn't meant to be in there.

"Fine, your father will say I complained all the way over, but I didn't." She assured him, taking a few steps closer towards the bed, looking at the large lump next to him curiously. "Jilly's making breakfast if you want to come down now." She slowly made her way over to the door, looking back at Greg before she pulled the door shut. "Good morning Nicky." She called back as she had easily figured out he was under there.

Greg giggled as Nick lifted the covers to give her a smile. "Mornin' Mrs Sanders." He awkwardly waved at her.

"Mom's the word." She teased, tapping her nose before she closed the door and head off downstairs to get breakfast.

"So busted." Greg giggled as he turned to his fiancé.

"I better go before we get caught." Nick quickly snatched a kiss from Greg's lips then scrambled off the bed to get his clothes. Greg watched Nick pulling his jeans and shirt on then sat up as Nick returned to the bed to steal another kiss. "See you at breakfast."

"I love you."

"Love you more." Nick returned, giving him a wide smile as he head off towards the door. He checked the coast was clear then smiled round at Greg before he crept off down the hall back to his room to get changed.

Greg scrambled out from under the warm covers a few minutes later, heading off to the bathroom to freshen up.

* * *

"Oh they're adorable!" Jean gasped as she gaped out the window.

"What are you gawking at?" Greg asked as he stepped up beside her. He assumed she was staring at Jillian's grandchildren, thinking up her plan to snag one and take them home with her, but when he stepped up to the window he spotted one of the cats in the conservatory with little kittens staggering around it. "Wow." He gasped in awe.

"There's nine left if anyone wants one. The two little black ones and the one with the white nose are already taken." Jillian informed them.

"Who had babies?" Nick asked as he saw them all.

"Alvin." Jillian replied. "Lillian's daughter Lauren brought her cat over while they went away on their vacation. The last owner told them that she was a he. And then our young miss Alvin decided to get it on with our cat Sebastian." She chortled. "Your father was horrified."

"I'll bet he was." Nick muttered, watching Greg and Jean smiling round at him.

"Breakfast is ready in the dining room everyone." She told them as she carried the food off into the room.

"Okay." The three of them chimed in together.

"Look at their little tails." Jean gasped, still cooing after the kittens. "They're so tiny."

"Are you like this with all babies?" Greg teased her.

"You don't think they're cute?" She asked looking at him wide eyed with surprise.

"They're cute, of course they are. It's just you gawk over every little baby thing you see." He chuckled.

"It's a mother's job." She smiled then pecked him on the cheek before she head off into the dining room to join everyone else.

"No Greg." Nick warned him as he watched the look in his eyes.

"I wasn't going to say anything." Greg smiled round at him.

"Good, coz I just gave you a puppy. You can't have a kitten too." Greg pouted at him but Nick tried to resist as he pulled him off towards the dining room. "C'mon, breakfast. I'm starved."

Jillian and Jean were sat on one side of the table with Daniel and Bill on the other. Greg took his seat beside his mother while Nick sat across from him beside Daniel. Jillian started handing around the food before she poured out the coffee, handing them each a mug.

"Mama, what are these?" Nick asked curiously as he took a bite his waffle that had a peculiar taste to it.

"Your mother's gone very thanksgivin' this year." The Judge spoke for her. "She made pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin waffles..."

"Even chocolate chip and pumpkin seed muffins." Jillian interrupted her husband with a wide smile. She lifted the basket of muffins, handing it down the table for them to have a taste. "Do you like them?" She asked the table.

"Oh yes, they're delicious." Jean nodded, grabbing herself another waffle before she kicked her husband under the table to say something.

"Yes, they're very different. I've never tasted anything like it before." Daniel tried to compliment her as best he could, getting a scowl from Jean as it wasn't good enough.

"Well I'm glad you like them Daniel, thank you." Jillian smiled at them then watched Jean elbowing her son to say something.

"Ouch!" He moaned at her, holding his arm. "What was that for?"

"Where's your manners Gregory?" Jean scolded him.

"I haven't tried any of the pumpkin things yet." He complained, setting his coffee down as he had been drinking that the whole time.

Jillian laughed at the two of them then handed over the plate of pancakes to him. "Help yourself to as many as you like. I can make more if anyone wants extras."

Greg took two pancakes, smiling at Nick as he handed him the syrup. He took his first bite of the pancakes, feeling his mother's eyes burning into him as she waited for him to compliment Jillian. He waited until he finished chewing before he complimented her. "Mmmm, these are delicious Mrs Stokes. What kinda spices did you use?"

"Well I used nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger, Greg. Thank you for noticing." She smiled widely at him. "And in the waffles I did the same, except I added some ground cloves."

"They're delicious." Greg nodded as he took a bite of the waffles Nick had just put on his plate for him.

"It's so quiet out here." Jean suddenly noticed. "Where we live there's always cars rushing by, we live so close to the main city."

"Well you better enjoy the quiet while it lasts. The house will be full of children tonight." Jillian reminded her. Greg rolled his eyes as he watched his mother's eyes lighting up at the sound of the word 'children'. "More coffee anybody?" She asked as she climbed to her feet.

"No thank you." Jean shook her head, helping her with the plates. Daniel and Bill both shook their heads as Nick collected up their finished plates.

"Sit down Greg, you too Jean." Jillian insisted, taking the plates from their hands to take off towards the kitchen with Nick.

Jillian set the plates down on the side as she started to run the water in the sink. "Are you okay honey?" She asked her youngest.

"Yeah." Nick nodded, leaning against the counter as he reached for the towel. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. A few months before my weddin' to your father, I was a nervous wreck." She admitted to him, handing him the first plate. "How are you and Greg holdin' up?"

"Fine, we've almost got everythin' planned. I'm sure once you and Jean look over it we'll know for sure though." Nick dried up the plates as she handed them over to him, setting them down in the usual cupboard where they had always been sat. "Is dad okay with all of this?"

"He's comin' around." She nodded round to him. "He wants to pay for the whole thing which is a good sign, but Jean and Daniel insist on payin' at least half. We've been talkin' about the weddin' all day and we're all very excited."

"You guys don't have to pay for any of it."

"Nonsense, you can't pay for your own weddin' sweetheart." She chuckled round at him. "We've still got lots of money saved up. We payed for six of our children's weddin's so far, it would be wrong to leave you out." She smiled softly, handing him another plate. "Besides, we're allowed to splash out on our baby. You're our last chance to make everythin' right." She pecked him on the cheek then wiped her lipstick from his cheek with her thumb before she started washing up again.

"What's that?" Nick asked as he looked out the window where Jean, Daniel and Greg were stood together.

"Your daddy's showin' off his new wheels. It's a Lexus RX 350 or somethin'. He's so proud of that thing." She chuckled to herself. "He's been showin' it off to all the neighbours since he got that thing. Go and have a look if you want."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I can do the rest of the dishes myself." She nodded to him, taking the towel from his hands so he could go.

Nick smiled at her then head off through the house towards the open front door. He stepped up beside Greg, watching his and Greg's father fiddling with the gadgets inside the car. "What do you think Nicholas?" The Judge asked him. "It's a 3.5 litre, V6 engine with 270 horse power."

"Looks good." Nick nodded, looking at the large silver SUV parked in his father's driveway.

"Zero to sixty in seven point three seconds." He reported before he showed Daniel some more of the gadgets.

Nick nodded then turned to look down the driveway as some cars started pulling in. Within a few seconds the front porch was flooded with children. The Judge introduced Daniel and Jean to his children, leaving it up to them to introduce their own children while he kept the kids away from his brand new car.

To keep the kids entertained and away from her husband's car, Jillian decided to start up a family game of baseball.

Nick and Greg rushed off up the stairs to change as it was really hot weather outside and they were wearing thick clothes that weren't suitable for running in.

Greg watched Nick pulling off his denim shirt, replacing it with a navy blue t-shirt. Greg moaned softly as Nick's rippling abs disappeared beneath of the fabric of his t-shirt.

"I've seen that look in your eyes thousands of times in the locker room." Nick chuckled as he looked around at him.

"I wasn't looking at you then though."

"Yeah." Nick scoffed, touching his lips to Greg's cheek. "I'm not gonna believe that for a second." He teased him.

"Maybe I was just admiring the fine craftsmanship of a well toned body."

"Yeah." He struggled not to laugh. "Keep tellin' yourself that G. C'mon." He gently tugged Greg off towards the door, heading downstairs to start up a game with his family. "You are gonna play right?"

"Do I have to?"

"No, but if you want to impress my dad." He suggested, turning to look at him. "Do you know how to play baseball?"

"Dude, how long have you known me?" Greg frowned at him with a slight smile on his lips.

Nick gave out a soft chuckle. "Okay, it's really easy to remember, and you don't need to be that experienced to play it." Nick explained the basic details of the game to him, telling him just enough so he'd know what to do.

* * *

"C'mon kids." Jillian rounded them all up, getting them ready to play a big family game of baseball like they did every year only it wasn't always baseball. "We need two team captains." She announced, watching all of their hands shooting up as they all wanted to be a team captain. "How about the first two to run from here, around the barn and back can coach each team?" She suggested so she wouldn't have to choose and end up upsetting them all.

As soon as the children understood what she had said they all started running, shoving one another so they could try and get there and back first.

"Somethin' wrong?" Jillian asked Jean as she stepped up beside her.

"No nothing." She shook her head then looked round at her. "I envied you for having so many grandchildren." Jean finally admitted to her. "But now I see you here struggling to get a word in edgeways amongst all their voices, and I feel sorry for you."

"That's nothing, that's not even the full crowd. That's only twelve of the twenty grandchildren I have." She chuckled, watching them racing against each other around the barn in the distance. "The younger ones are a real handful." She pointed over her shoulder towards the picnic tables where the younger ones were sat playing with either bikes, dolls or in the sandbox.

"Yes!" Sixteen year old Zack cheered as he got back first.

Jillian smiled at him. "Zack, you cheated. I said around the barn, you cut through it."

Zack just shrugged at his grandmother. "So, the others didn't think of it. That just proves I have great strategy so I'll be a perfect team captain."

Jillian chuckled softly shaking her head at him. "You do always make a good argument. Just like your mother Lillian!" She smirked as she could never punish her daughter for doing anything because she always made the perfect argument to get herself out of trouble.

Zack's cousin ten year old Lauren arrived next, resting on her knees as she panted heavily.

"Looks like we've got our team captains then," Jillian smiled at the two of them. "Time to pick your teams. You don't have to stick by the rules, just make sure you have even team members."

"I want Uncle Nick!" Lauren immediately shouted as she saw him coming over.

Zack pouted as he wanted his Uncle Nick. "Fine, I get Uncle Billy."

"Pick the other children first then we'll split the adults." She advised them before they started arguing over their other aunts and uncles.

"But I still get Uncle Nick." Lauren shouted as she scowled at her cousin just as the other kids started running back.

Jean chuckled softly to them then watched them arguing as they picked out their teams. When all the children that were old enough to play were designated to a team each; Zack and Lauren starting fighting over the adults they wanted on their teams.

"C'mon, pick Greg." Nick asked his oldest nephew. Zack looked over at Greg sat on the picnic table with four year old Mindy and Emily who were showing him their doll's. "Please, for me. No one ever picks him."

"You did." Zack pointed out to him.

Nick rolled his eyes at him. "Please just pick him; he's better than he looks."

Zack rolled his eyes at his favourite uncle. "If we lose, it's all your fault though Uncle Nick." He warned him. Nick smiled at him giving him a wink.

Zack head over to Greg, asking him to join his team to make their teams even. Greg handed Mindy back her doll, climbing off the bench to go and join the rest of the team.

As referee, Jillian sent Lauren's team off to field first while Zack's team were left to bat.

Greg started with the bat, looking out at Nick out in the field giving him a soft smile. He gave Nick a smile back then gripped the bat in his hands, ready to hit the ball. He had never played baseball before, but Nick had explained it to him, so he got the jist. The only part he didn't get was if he could hit the ball or not.

The first time he swung the bat the ball flew right past him. "Strike One!" Jillian shouted. "Don't worry Greg." He nodded then looked out into the field where Nick was mouthing the words 'Don't worry' to him too.

Greg got ready to swing again, this time he hit the ball, sending it flying off into the distance.

"Run!" Jillian excitedly shouted to him.

Greg dropped the bat then started to run. He ran past twelve year old Justin on first base, Nick's sister Gwen on second and Lillian's daughter, Lauren on third base before he ran straight for the home plate, being cheered on by his entire team.

"Yes!" Jillian cheered, giving him a high five as he ran their first home run. "Nice one Greg. Freddie, you're up next." Jillian handed the bat over to her eleven year old grandson, softly ruffling his hair.

"Nice one Greg." Zack smiled at him; usually he always got the losing team, but with a run like that this early, they were sure to win.

"Mama, you're not supposed to pick sides. The ref is meant to be neutral." Her eldest son Billy laughed.

"I am neutral; I was just cheerin' him on." She defended herself.

"Be careful Gregory!" Jean shouted from the sidelines where she was sat with a drink in her hands as she had been clenching her teeth the whole time he was running around.

Greg gave her an evil scowl as she was embarrassing him in front of Nick's nephews who thought he was their uncle's cool boyfriend.

The rest of Zack's team went up to bat, scoring them a few more points as they seemed to have the fastest runners and the strongest batters, until Laurens team stepped up to bat. Luckily she had picked her favourite cousins, who were mostly under the age of eight and didn't know which end of the bat they were meant to hold. But with their Uncle Nick and Grandpa Bill helping them out, they managed to get a few good runs.

Greg was lucky to have been placed out in the field where no one ever hit the balls because they all seemed to be right handed so it went the other way towards Zack and Billy.

But when a ball came in his direction, he wasn't ready for it.

He reached his gloved hand up into the sky, squinting as the sun was in his eyes. He thought he wasn't going to catch it, knowing it would probably hit him in the face so he held it higher, flinching as the hard ball slammed right into his gloved hand.

Jean was stood beside Nick with the rest of the batters, reaching for Nick's hand beside her as she watched anxiously, fearing the worst.

Billy and Zack were shouting something towards Greg, but he couldn't quite hear them over everyone else's shouting. He couldn't remember what he had to do after catching the ball. He didn't listen to that part because he thought he never would actually catch it.

Greg looked towards Nick who was pointing at his sister Kayla who was pitching. He grabbed the ball from his glove with his other hand than threw it towards Kayla, hoping he didn't look like a girl as he threw it, but Kayla managed to catch it then everyone started cheering, so he must have done something right.

"Yes! You are so out! Geeks rule and jocks drawl!" Kayla shouted at the top of her lungs, cheering her team's victory. She laughed as saw Nick and her older sister's expressions. As children, they were always beating her at everything, but now she was the winner.

"Gregory, do you need ice for your hand!" Jean immediately shouted as the game was over.

Greg rolled his eyes over at her then took the glove off his hand tossing it over to Billy as he was collecting up everyone's gloves to clean up the game.

Zack high-fived his uncle Billy then ran over to Greg to give him a high-five too. "Thanks Uncle G! I'm usually always on the losin' team."

"You're welcome." Greg smiled at the nickname Nick's nephew had just given him. "It was a team effort." He added as he really hadn't done that much except hit the ball once and caught it once, but apparently that was all there was to it.

"Uncle G, you wonna go get a soda and play Kane and Lynch on the x-box?" Zack asked him.

Before he could answer though, eight year old fraternal twins Chris and Charlie ran over to Greg, grabbing each of his hands in their own. "Uncle Greg, come and play 'stuck in the mud' with us!" Charlie pleaded him with her eyes.

"Uncle Gweg!" Emily shouted, running towards him with her doll in hand. "Do you wonna see Molly's other outfits?" She asked in a sweet voice as she held up her doll to him. "Hey!" She pouted as Zack grabbed her doll from her hands. "Give it back. I'll tell Gama!"

"I wonna hang out with Greg." Zack lunged the doll as far as he could throw it, watching Emily running after it in tears.

"Look at Greg." Jean chuckled to Nick beside her. Nick looked over at Greg, watching Zack and the twins fighting over him before Emily ran back to him with her doll in hand, brushing the dirt from her fairy princess dress. "He's so popular with the kids." She chortled.

"That's not necessarily a good thing though." Jillian advised them as she looked over at her grandchildren all fighting for Greg's attention. "You better go rescue him Nicky."

Nick nodded then head over to Greg at the other end of the garden.

"I wonna play with Greg!" Charlie protested, pushing her cousins out the way.

"I wonna show Gweg my dolly!" Emily pouted.

Greg looked between all of their innocent little faces, unable to choose which of them he wanted to go with.

Nick quickly came walking up towards him and lifted him up into a fireman's carry. "No Nicky!" He protested with a giggle as he carried him away over his shoulder. "Nicky, put me down!" He giggled and squirmed in his arms as he carried him away from them.

Nick finally set Greg down once they were in the barn, giving him a wide smile.

"Why'd you do that?" He smiled as he readjusted his t-shirt.

"I wonna play with you." He grinned at him then handed him a horse riding hat. "You wonna go?"

"My hero." Greg smiled at him then pulled the hat down onto his head. Nick carefully readjusted it for him, clipping it under his chin before he led him off towards the horses. "Do I get... Shadow again?" He tried to remember the horse's name.

"Yep, let me get him set up for yah."

"You love horse riding doncha Nicky?" He asked as he leant against the stable door, watching his boyfriend carefully strapping the reins and saddle around the horse.

"Yeah."

"Then... why do you live in the city where you can't horse ride?" He asked him curiously, making Nick look round at him. "Don't you want to ride a horse more than once a year?"

"I guess." He shrugged then signalled for Greg to join him beside the horse.

"So... why don't we move some place that you could?" Nick looked into his eyes surprised. "Don't you want to be able to ride a horse . . . or ever to teach your children how to?"

"How long have you been thinkin' about this?" Nick held his hands together ready to give Greg a boost up onto the horse.

"Since the last time we were here."Greg stepped into Nick's hands, getting a boost up onto the horse that he never remembered being so tall.

"I guess it would be nice," Nick helped Greg to slip his feet into the stirrups then handed him the reins. "But we can't exactly afford it Greg."

"Could if we sold our house."

"But could the city boy live out in the country?" Nick smiled up at him.

"I'm not that much of a city boy. And you are always saying that Las Vegas is a terrible city to raise children in . . . and I know you want kids some day." He added. "I care about what you want Nick, I mean really... we're only bound to Vegas because of our jobs, doesn't mean we have to stay."

"I'll think about." Nick assured him, tapping him gently on the knee. "We don't have to make _all_ our life decisions before our weddin' though G." He smiled up at him before he head into the other stable to set up his horse Trojan.

Nick led Trojan out the stable, grabbing Shadow to lead him behind him. He climbed onto Trojan once they were outside, setting his helmet in place on his head. "Comfy?" He asked as he looked round at Greg.

"Yep." Greg gave him a wide smile.

"Okay, stay close. Shout if you need help." Nick reminded him, giving Greg some space to go on first so he could see how he was doing the whole way.

Nick took him down a different trail this time, keeping a close eye on him to see how he was doing. He stopped him at the highest peak of the trail, climbing off his horse to tie it off to a fence. He tied Greg's horse off then helped him down; unclipping the helmet from under his chin once he was back on the ground.

"Why are we stopping here?" Greg asked him.

"Rest of the ways on foot." Nick set their helmets down then made sure the horses were secure before he led Greg off by his hand up the rest of the trail. "It's not that far G." He chuckled as he saw the look in his eyes.

"I wasn't complaining." Greg gave him a wide grin as he walked right beside him towards the top of the hill. "Wow." He gasped.

"Yep." Nick nodded round at him. "At night the sun sets right over there." He pointed off through the tall trees. "Maybe tomorrow we can watch it together?" He suggested as he pulled him closer.

"Can't get a view like that in Vegas." Greg smiled round at him.

"Nope." Nick agreed. "You're really tryin' to sell me on this movin' to the countryside idea huh?" He smirked as he led him back slightly towards a large tree that he could sit against, tugging Greg down into his arms to sit against his chest in the process.

"I wasn't trying to sell you on anything." Greg smiled as Nick wrapped his warm arms around his waist. "I just want you to be happy. And you're always so excited to come out here and do the things you used to do as a kid."

"What about you?" He asked as he smoothed his fingertips through Greg's slightly flatted helmet hair. "Isn't there anythin' you wonna do with your life?"

"Besides you?" He grinned round at him. "I'm perfectly happy where I am. I've already done most of the stuff I wanted to do. Ticked off another one today too."

"Oh yeah, what was that then?"

"Baseball, I never played before and I won the first time." He smiled widely, resting his head back against Nick's shoulder. "I sorta completed another one too, I became cool Uncle G."

Nick chuckled softly. "And you were so nervous you'd make yourself look like an idiot."

"That's right loser." He teased him. Nick laughed softly then pecked a kiss to his cheek. "I think my mother made me into an idiot anyway. Did you hear her every time I ran or anything? She even had to check the baseball bat to make sure I wouldn't get a splinter at one point."

Nick couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think anyone noticed. They were fightin' over you coz you're cool Uncle G."

"She's so embarrassing though. Last time I came here I was your cool boyfriend, now I'm the loser with his over protective mother."

"You're not a loser Greg." Nick pressed his lips to the side of his head. "Why would they be fightin' over you if they thought you were a loser? And Zack still thinks you're cool. He was desperate to win this game and he did thanks to you."

"That was a team effort." Greg smiled as he leant back against his shoulder. "But somehow this visit seems so much better than the last."

"I know what you mean." Nick nodded in agreement.

"We'll just have to wait and see how thanksgiving dinner goes with your folks and mine." Greg gulped nervously.

* * *

**Thanks for all of your reviews on the last chapter! I'm so glad you're still enjoying the story and I love to hear what you think :D Not sure when the next chapter will be done, I'm gonna work on my new book for a little while but I'll try not to leave you hanging too long :)**

**In case you didn't know **'Kane & Lynch' **is a cooperative third-person shooter game. And the game **'Stuck in the Mud'** is also called **'Freeze Tag'. **There's bascially one person That's **it** and when they catch someone they shout** 'Stuck'** and that person can't move until someone free's them.**

**Thanks for sticking with the story for this long.**

**Please Review**

**Take Care**

**~ Holly ~**


	62. Chapter 62: Give Thanks

A/N: The link to my first published story is at the top of my profile btw, you can purchase an E-book or Paperback if you haven't already. Thanks so much, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Chapter Sixty Two: Give Thanks**

For Jillian Stokes, Christmas and Thanksgiving were her favourite time of year. Even though cooking for thirty-eight people was a bit of a hassle, she loved having all of her children back home with their own children. Now they were all grown up, she only really got to see them all under one roof around the holidays so it was her best time of year.

The only problem with having such a big family was where to put them all to eat their dinner.

The dining room table had four chairs down each side and one at each end. But ten chairs was hardly enough to seat thirty-eight. Luckily her husband had thought up a plan to seat the whole family though.

Jillian looked out of the kitchen window, spotting her husband and her two boys carrying tables out to the back garden along with a stack of chairs each. "What's all this?" She asked as she stepped out the door to see what they were doing.

"We can all sit outside." Her husband told her with a wide smile. "We've got enough here to seat the whole family together out here. Even the children."

"Oh." She looked at all the tables and chairs then gave him a wide smile. "I love you." Bill smiled back at her as he had finally managed to do something right. "Now I just have to decide where they all sit."

"We'll just put the chairs out; they'll have decide that part. They're old enough to make their own decisions now." He chuckled to her then pecked her on the cheek before he rushed back to his car to get the rest of the chairs with Nick and Billy.

"Do you need any help Jilly?" Jean asked as she made her way over to her.

"Non-sense, guests don't help prepare their own dinner." She smiled at her. "That's what children are for." She smirked then called over her daughters in to help her out in the kitchen. "I've missed you all so much." She smiled as she hugged and kissed each one of them.

"Mama!" They all groaned, hating being fussed over well into their forties.

"It's lonely in this big ol' house alone." Their mother complained.

"You have dad." Her eldest Lillian reminded her, watching the frown on her mother's face as she made her way into the kitchen.

"You'll see." Her mother said to her as she started handing out assignments to them so everything was prepared in time for the big family sit down. "Once your children are all grown up and leave home, you'll see how lonely it is without them around."

"My youngest Emily is only four; I've still got plenty of time left." Lillian smiled at her as she grabbed the carrots from the refrigerator to start peeling them.

"Oh that reminds me." Gwen turned to face her sisters. "Damian and I are havin' another baby."

"What?" They all shrieked together, half excited and half surprised.

"Well it's been six years since we had our last. And now . . . I'm pregnant!" She announced hearing delighted squeals from her mother and sisters.

"How far along?" Ronnie asked curiously.

"Two months. We wanted to wait a while before we told everyone. It's due in June next year around the fifteenth the doctor recons."

"Children never arrive on time. Trust me." Her mother laughed. "I've had seven and not one of you arrived on the day you were supposed to."

"I know." Gwen giggled. "I have had four already. Zack's not too excited because he'll be gettin' another little brother or sister. But Denise, Charlotte and Bobby are all very excited to be gettin' another baby brother or sister."

"Well Zack is well into his teens." Ronnie reminded her. "I don't know how you cope. I've only got two and I find them more than enough."

"Your two boys are only three years apart." Her twin sister Vicki chortled. "My three boys are even more chaos, especially now that Peter's just turned fourteen."

"Well it's about time someone else got a teenager on their hands." Gwen giggled. "I've had to put up with Zack's moody teens, now you and Billy will have to go through it too and you'll see what I meant after all this time." She warned them with a smirk as she started chopping up the vegetables.

"Twenty one grandchildren." Their mother gasped as she got the freshly made bread from the oven. "How will I ever remember their birthdays if you keep havin' more?"

Vicki giggled softly, gently tapping her poor mother on the shoulder. "We'll send you a message a few days before." She smirked. "I for one am not havin' anymore children. We did always want a girl, but my three boys are _more_ than enough."

"Well, looks like you've done it again Gwen." Her big sister Lillian remarked. "You were the first to get pregnant, first to get married and now you'll be the one with the most children."

"Exactly, can't have you girls beatin' me at everythin' still." She chortled.

"I think Nicky wins though." The youngest sister Kayla pointed out to them. They all looked round at her surprised as she had been keeping quiet this whole time. "He's the first one to fall in love with someone and wait until he's in his late thirties to marry him."

The rest of her sisters nodded in agreement before they got back to work.

* * *

Nick smiled as he poked his head into the family room, spotting Zack and Greg playing video games together. Greg was still the cool Uncle G, even with the overprotective mother constantly checking in on him.

Judge Bill Stokes wandered off through his house; spotting his youngest leant against the family room doorframe. He took a peek through the other door, spotting Greg and his grandson Zack playing a computer game together. He looked back towards Nick and smiled to himself as he could see the obvious signs of love in his eyes.

"Pancho, c'mon!" He shouted down the hallway, surprising Nick as he hadn't called him that in ages. "We're startin' up a game of football out back." He tossed the football in his hands towards Nick, smiling as he caught it.

"Okay." Nick took one last look at Greg then followed his father into the garden where his brother and brother-in-laws were starting to get ready. The game seemed to be adults only as all the children were off playing, doing all sorts of different things.

"Hey Daniel. You in?" The Judge asked Greg's father, who was watching his wife doting over Jillian's grandchildren.

"Um... yeah, I guess." He nodded, even though he hadn't played football with other adults since he was in Highschool. He used to try and play with Greg when he was a child, but he had no interest in the sport and his mother wouldn't let him.

The Judge picked out the teams, making sure the talented players were evenly spread so it was a fair game.

Greg finished his game with Zack and wandered off through the house towards the kitchen where all of Nick's sisters were working together to prepare dinner. Despite the small size of the kitchen, none of them bumped into each other or got in one another's way. They worked perfectly together as they gossiped about babies, clothes and the main topic of conversation seemed to be about Greg, since he was going to be marrying their little brother in a few months time.

Greg decided to listen in, curious to hear what they thought about him as he didn't know how they all truly felt that Nick would be marrying him instead of a Christian girl like they always wanted. Unlike his family where Nick didn't have to worry, because his family pretty much told him every detail about what they thought about him.

"I think he's a very sweet boy." Jillian spoke up after her daughters as she started to fiddle with the knobs of the stove to get it warm and ready.

"At first I was a little against it." Nick's eldest sister Lillian truthfully told them all. "Mainly because I had never met anyone who was gay, and Daddy was always tellin' us all those awful things..."

"That's how his father raised him." Jillian defended him. "Your fathers still bein' very stubborn though. He agrees to the weddin', he's just pretendin' that Nick's marryin' a woman."

"The kiss at the altar is goin' to be a big shock to him then." Gwen giggled.

"I think it will be romantic." Kayla added, getting funny looks from her big sisters. "What? Me and Nicky had to sit through all of your weddings watching you tonguing those guys you call husbands." She teased them. "Plus Greg is adorable; if he wasn't gay I'd be elbowin' Nicky out the way."

"You're a married woman!" Vicki reminded her, unable to help her giggles of laughter like the rest of her sisters.

"Yeah, and I do love Marcus, but Greg's... he's a cutie." She smiled round at them all, knowing they were all secretly agreeing with her.

"I'll agree with Mama and say he's a sweet boy," Lillian agreed. "But I won't say he's cute, since I'm a married woman." She pointed out her wedding ring.

"P-lease, you've told me hundreds of times how much you fancy the pants off Brad Pitt." Gwen teased her.

"I do not!" She protested, blushing as she said it. "I love Anthony."

Gwen laughed, shaking her head at her embarrassed big sister. "And I love Damian, but I can still have crushes."

"You have a crush on Greg?" Kayla asked her surprised, giggling as it was Gwen's turn to blush.

"No, I don't have a crush on him. I was agreein' with you that he's cute." She scowled at her.

"I don't know how you do it Mama." Ronnie sighed softly as she looked round at her, trying to change the subject.

"Do what?"

"Well you were always tellin' us to keep our eyes out for an eligible girl for Nicky, but then you find out... well that he's gone the other way, and you're actin' like its nothin' while Daddy's worryin' about what everyone will think of him havin' a gay son." Ronnie explained. "I mean I was a little weirded out at first, because I knew gay people were around, I just never knew that Nicky was one of them."

"You act like they're some cult." Kayla giggled. "He's still Nicky; nothin's changed because he was always like this. If any of _my_ children turn out to be gay, I'll accept them too. I'd be a terrible person if I didn't."

"Exactly." Jillian agreed with her daughter. "I accepted the fact that Gwen likes to date bikers a long time ago. I also accepted the fact that Kayla would never wear a dress, so I can certainly accept the fact that Nicky is in love with Greg." Jillian concluded, watching her daughters nodding as they agreed with her before they got back to work.

Greg smiled to himself then quietly snuck away so they were none the wiser of his presence in the room.

Greg head off upstairs towards the guest room he was staying in. He checked his phone messages, reading a few from Sara and Catherine, both curious to know how it was going before he decided to lay down on the bed and rest a while after the busy morning and afternoon he had just had.

* * *

"Greg." Nick's voice whispered against his ear a few hours later. Greg slowly fluttered his eyes open then turned to face Nick sat on the edge of the bed. "Good Evenin' sleepin' beauty." Nick smiled widely at him as Greg's long lashes flickered across his cheeks as he blinked his eyes open a few times. "I can't believe you're still tired." He smirked.

"I had a busy morning." Greg smiled back at him then struggled to a sitting position, rubbing his tired eyes open a moment before he looked back at Nick. "What have you been doing?" He queried as he brushed dirt from his lover's forehead.

"Football with the boys."

"I guess that didn't include me?"

Nick smiled softly as Greg ran a hand through his tousled hair. "You were playin' with Zack last I checked in on you. You coulda played if you wanted to."

Greg shook his head then stretched his arms out before he pulled Nick's body into his arms, receiving a warm hug from him. "I mostly just like to watch." He whispered against his neck.

"I know you do." Nick smirked as he clutched his warm body tightly. "Do you wonna come down? They're just startin' to set up dinner."

"Yes." Greg stole a kiss from Nick's lips before he scrambled off the bed, heading for the bathroom to freshen up. He didn't want to walk down there with messed up hair as his mother would easily interpret that as a heavy make out session with Nick, and she'd end up telling everyone.

Once Greg was finished, he laced his hand with Nick's, leading the way off down the stairs towards the back door. He snatched a kiss where no one could see them before they separated, heading off towards one of the tables with two empty seats beside each other. Fortunately, it was nowhere near Greg's mother so they wouldn't have to listen to her comments that she meant as humour, but the Stokes' would probably take the wrong way.

"First up Roast Turkey, apple stuffin', green bean casserole, crispy roast potatoes, glazed baby carrots, maple mashed sweet potatoes, giblet brown gravy and spiced cranberries!" Jillian announced as her daughters helped her to carry out the food from the kitchen.

Jillian carried the turkey off towards her husband, handing him the carving knife while everyone started to take their seats.

The Stokes daughters helped to distribute the food to all the tables, making sure everyone got what they wanted until they themselves took their seats, filling their plates.

Jillian Stokes slapped the back of her eldest's hand as he went to dig into the food in front of him. "Billy you know our routine by now. Every year we go around the table and say what we're thankful for." Jillian scowled in her eldest's direction then looked towards her husband to start it off. He looked around the tables of hungry of people, thinking about how long it would take to go through them all, when his stomach suddenly rumbled making him even hungrier.

"That'll take forever though." He complained.

"Well, we better get started." She smiled at him. "It's tradition." She argued as he was still reluctant to say anything.

"Okay," He sighed softly, putting his knife and fork down. "I guess I'll go first then." He licked some gravy from his knuckles then looked around at the pairs of eyes all staring at him, waiting to hear what he was thankful for so they could fill their rumbling tummies. "Um... I'm thankful for my family." He stated then looked to his wife who was frowning at him. "For my two sons, my five daughters... my daughter in law, my five... almost six son in laws. I'm thankful for my twenty grandchildren," He looked towards Jean and Daniel Sanders. "I'm thankful for my in laws and the new ones soon to be joinin' our family. I'm thankful for my whole family." He concluded, getting a smile of satisfaction from his wife.

"Okay, I'll go now." Jillian announced, not noticing the grandchildren in the back sneaking a bite of food every time the adults looked away from them. "I'm thankful for the food on our table. I'm thankful for havin' my family all around me, it doesn't happen very often. But most of all, I'm thankful for seein' my family happy... especially my youngest son Nicky, now that he's found the one he's destined to be with." She smiled over at him. "Billy, would you like to go next?"

"Um... sure," Billy hid all evidence that he was eating turkey then cleared his throat. "I'm er... I'm thankful for my family, just like Dad. And I'm thankful for . . . my health." Bill smiled then turned to look at his wife sat beside him.

"I'm very thankful for my four children, my family and my extended family." Vanessa spoke softly before she lifted her wine glass to take a sip.

Nick smiled as seven year old Tyler at their table slipped a mouthful of turkey when no one was looking. Nick then turned to look at Greg beside him, seeing he was discreetly chewing something while everyone else said what they were thankful for.

Nick softly poked Greg in the stomach, grinning widely at him as he turned to face him. Greg gave him an innocent smile as he licked his lips.

"I like comin' to gwamma's, but mostly I like my parents bein' together!" Six year old Cameron suddenly shouted, making everyone's jaws drop as they looked towards his parents Bill junior and Vanessa.

"What do you mean?" Jillian gasped. "What's he talkin' about Billy?"

"Mama... we were gonna tell you." Billy defended himself, looking towards his wife who was staring down into her wine glass. "We're not officially split..."

"Oh just tell them Billy!" Vanessa snapped at him. "He's moved out and we're talkin' to lawyers about the separation."

Greg stuffed a carrot into his mouth, giving out a loud crunch making Nick look round at him. "What? I didn't say anything." He whispered with a slight smile.

Nick shook his head at him then watched Vanessa, his parents and Bill junior rushing into the house to discuss the rest in private.

"Does that mean I'm off the hook?" Greg whispered to Nick beside him as he was struggling to think of something he was thankful for, besides the obvious.

"No G," He smiled softly at him. "What are you thankful for?"

"You mean besides you?" He grinned widely at him. "Um... well I'm thankful to be alive, and engaged, and marrying you next year." Nick grinned back at him, snatching a kiss from his gravy coated lips.

Four year old Mindy jumped down from her chair, wandering off into the house where the grownups were arguing about Billy's divorce. "Gwamma!" She shouted over their voices to get their attention.

"Mindy sweetheart, why don't you go outside and tell everyone what you're thankful for?" She suggested, giving her a gentle push towards the door.

"But I want you to hear it too!" She complained.

"Well you can tell me after." Jillian tried to usher the four year old out the door but she persisted on remaining inside.

"Gwamma I'll forget it later though." She complained, stubbornly stomping her feet.

"Well why don't you go and sing or something, we'll be out there soon enough."

"Jingle bells, Santa smells, he's been drunk all day!"

"No, no, no... that's a Christmas carol and not a very nice one." Jillian stopped her niece from singing before anyone else heard her. "Just go and play dear." She pushed her out the door then locked it in place, turning back towards her son to continue scolding him.

"Mommy!" Mindy shouted as she ran over to her mother Kayla.

"One second honey." She shushed her while she continued talking to Nick and Greg about their wedding arrangements. "Wow that's so cute, you actually engraved each other's rings and you don't know what the other wrote."

"Yep." Nick and Greg chimed in together.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

"One second honey, don't interrupt people, it's rude." Kayla warned her then turned back to her brother and his cute boyfriend. "I'll have to come by and see the house when I'm next in Las Vegas." She giggled as she had never once visited the city. "What was the dogs name again?"

"Rascal after Rascal Flatts." Greg proudly informed her. "He's getting bigger already. Nicky doesn't like him running around the house because he's always digging holes in the garden and leaving muddy footprints everywhere." Kayla giggled as she looked towards her little brother. She remembered that he was always like that as a child too.

Mindy raised her hand in the air above her head, jumping up and down on the spot catching Greg's attention. "Sorry uncle Gweg, can I talk to my Mommy now?"

Greg smiled sweetly at her. "Of course you can."

"Mommy, Gwamma said we can eat now." Mindy lied to her as she was starving.

"Well sit down then sweetheart." She pulled out the chair beside her, helping her up onto the chair to reach the table. "You didn't have to wait to eat honey."

"You said it was rude to interrupt."

"Well it is." Kayla nodded. "But you didn't have to wait to eat your dinner." Kayla handed her knife and fork over to her, not noticing Greg and Nick enviously watching her with her child.

Both of them looked around at everyone else, noticing the proud fathers with a child sat on their lap or the helpful mothers cutting up their children's meat for them while their faces lit up with pure joy.

Nick pulled Greg's chair slightly closer to him, putting his arm around his waist. "What are you thinkin' about G?" He whispered softly to him as he saw the same look of envy on his face.

Greg shook his head as he reached for his knife and fork. "Nothing." He spoke softly, but Nick could have sworn he heard disappointment in his voice.

Jillian and her husband returned to the table a few minutes later where everyone else was already digging into their lovely dinners to fill the awkward silence of the moment.

Billy and Vanessa returned a few minutes after them, getting disappointed looks from Jillian and the Judge.

"Oh, to have everyone at the dinner table together... it's so heart warmin'." Jillian sighed softly as she unfolded her napkin onto her lap, acting as though nothing had happened, making Jean and Daniel think she was on medication or not enough.

After everyone had finished their dinner, Jillian and her daughters helped to serve out the pumpkin pecan pies and the cinnamon baked apple pie to all of their guests. Not long after that the Stokes women started to clear the table away, gathering the dirty dishes in the kitchen while the children rushed off to play.

Being the very old fashioned family that they were the men soon moved away from the table to smoke cigars and drink whisky; all but Daniel, Nick and Greg that was as they weren't one for the tradition of killing themselves slowly.

Nick pulled Greg up from his chair, holding his hand as he led him away while the sun was still up in the sky. "Where are we going Nicky?"

"You'll see."

"Nick!" He complained, struggling to keep up with him. "You know I'm not one for long walks after I've eaten, it makes me feel sick."

Nick turned to face him, giving him a wide smile. "It's not that far, I swear."

"Okay." He sighed in defeat, reluctantly following after Nick. "But I don't wonna leave my mom alone too long with your family."

"Relax; they're all too tired to hear anythin' at this point. My family aren't like yours, after a big meal they completely zone out." He assured him then pulled Greg into his arms as they reached the top, overlooking the sun setting on the horizon. "This is what I wanted to show you. Now usually I walk up here alone after dinner." He pointed to a large tree with the roots sticking out of the ground. "I used to sit over there and watch the sun settin' while everyone started to go home with their families after dinner."

Greg leant back into his embrace, resting his head on his shoulder as Nick circled his arms around his waist. "You're not alone anymore Nicky." He assured him.

"I know." Nick gently pulled him off towards the usual tree he was always sat at alone against for years. He sat down first, waiting with open arms for his lover.

Greg dropped back into his arms, receiving a warm kiss to his neck as Nick wrapped his arms tightly around him.

"Hey Nicky." He whispered softly as he stared out at the sun setting in the distance.

"Yeah?" Nick queried as he looked down into his eyes.

"You never told me what you were thankful for this thanksgiving."

Nick smiled softly as he tightened his embrace, gently touching his lips to the side of Greg's head. "I'm thankful that I have you. You mean more to me then anythin' in the world G. I've sat up here for years wishin' I had the courage to tell you how much I loved you so that I could be with you. Now here I am, and I never wonna let you go."

Greg turned in his arms, giving him a wide smile before he brought their lips together for a delicate kiss. "I bet you never imagined you'd ever kiss me against this tree huh?" He grinned as he pulled back.

"Nope, I just imagined it a lot."

Greg smiled as he gently brushed his fingertips across the older man's cheek. "And is it better than your imagination?"

"Much." He nodded, staring deep into Greg's adorable eyes. "It's not over when I open my eyes." Gently cupping his lovers cheeks into his hands, he smiled wider than he ever had before, joining their lips for a passionate kiss, ready to start the next chapter of their life together.

* * *

**Not as long as the other chapters, but I couldn't think of anything else to add to it as I didn't want to overload you with more Jean or too much Nick/Greg in case you were starting to get bored. I'll be moving things along a little quicker than I have before, but only because I have more ideas for the future that I want to get in before I have another writers-block month :D**

**Chapter 63 is almost finished so it might be up tomorrow or Tuesday as Monday is my little brothers birthday so I won't be finishing it then.**

**Have a GREAT weekend guys and please leave a review!**

**Thanks so much**

**~ Holly**

*** big hugs ***


	63. Chapter 63: Family Day Out

**Chapter Sixty Three: Family Day Out**

Perching himself onto his sleeping lover's hips, Nick gently brushed his fingers through Greg's mess of hair, slowly awaking him from his deep slumber. "Hey." Greg sleepy murmured as he blinked his eyes open a few times. "What are you doing up?" Nick held up a letter in his hands as Greg sleepily looked up at him. "What's that?"

"It's about the job." Nick beamed a wide smile down at him as Greg took it from his hands to read through it for himself.

"Really?" Greg queried as he let out a yawn.

"Yep, I'm gonna be partnered up with Vartann for a couple of months until I pass my detectives exam." He proudly announced, looking at Greg's reaction curiously. "I thought you'd be a little happier for me than that G."

"No I am." Greg placed the letter on his chest as he looked up at Nick. "I just can't believe that you won't be working as a CSI anymore. I took the job because of you."

"You never know, I might go back to it one day. I just wonna try other things."

"I'm very proud of you Nick." Greg struggled to a sitting position, pressing a tender kiss to Nick's lips. "Just promise me you won't play the big hero. I don't know what I'd do without you Nicky."

"I promise." He assured him, returning with a delicate kiss to Greg's lips. "Now you need to get your gorgeous little ass out of bed or we're gonna be late."

"Late? Late for what?" He asked as he looked up at him through a perplexed frown.

"Grissom's takin' us all out, remember. You have ten minutes to get your butt downstairs for breakfast." Nick snatched a kiss as he climbed off him then quickly head off down the stairs back to the kitchen.

Greg re-read through the letter on his chest, smiling proudly for his fiancé even though he knew that he would have got the job anyway. He didn't let on to Nick how scared he was for him though, as he desperately wanted him to be happy.

Greg quickly scrambled off to the bathroom to get ready. He then rushed off down the stairs in a t-shirt and jeans, finding a fresh cup of coffee set on the counter ready and waiting for him. "Hey G, did you know the old lady next door moved out while we were gone?" Nick suddenly asked as he came in through the back door. "All her stuffs gone and there was a mover truck out the front this mornin'."

"In or out?" Greg queried as he dropped onto one of the stools around the breakfast bar.

"They were movin' stuff in." Nick placed a steaming hot plate of breakfast down in front of Greg, pressing a kiss to his neck.

"Fried egg, bacon, sausage... and waffles? What did I do to deserve all this?" He grinned round at him as Nick wrapped his arms around him.

"You didn't have to do anythin'. I don't want you leavin' me before I can even be your husband." He smirked as he clutched him tightly.

"Never gonna happen babe." Greg assured him as he leant up to kiss him. "Who else am I gonna find who's incredibly good looking and loves me despite all my quirks?"

"I'm sure there are plenty for a guy as gorgeous as you." Nick planted a kiss square on his forehead. "But no one else gets to touch you but me." Greg beamed a wide smile up at him then snatched a kiss before Greg started to eat his lovingly made breakfast.

Nick fetched his own plate then took a seat opposite him.

"You know if you love me so much Nicky, then you wouldn't mind if _I _drove us." Greg grinned over at him, catching Nick frowning slightly as he was always the driver. "Please." He smiled even sweeter so Nick wouldn't be able to resist him.

"Yes, but I pick the tunes." He quickly warned him.

"Done, but only songs with a sentimental value that don't have a horrible twang."

"I can do that." Nodding to his adorable lover, he watched the victorious smile spreading across Greg's lips as he got his own way again. "You have to be incredibly cute and adorable for the whole day though so Catherine and Warrick know what they're missin' out on." He compromised as the two of them were still keeping their relationship on the down low, with no PDA's whatsoever, even though everyone and work knew about them.

"Done." Greg winked across the table at him. "But I'm pretty sure that Grissom already knows."

"Pretty sure?"

"Really pretty sure." He nodded, finishing off his coffee. "Warrick's like his little star, I'm pretty sure he knows who he's dating."

"Warrick's his little star?" Nick almost enviously asked him confused. "How do you know that?"

"He treats him like a son." Greg jumped off his stool once he was done, dumping his plate on the counter beside the sink as he poured himself another coffee. "Don't feel jealous babe. Grissom doesn't exactly favour him over any of us, I just think that he sees him slightly more... you know as a son to any of us." Greg watched the look on Nick's face then pressed a kiss to the side of his head. "You're my number one Nicky. And you know I think my dad even likes you better than me now."

"You don't have to make me feel better G."

"It's true. And you're definitely your father's favourite son now that your brothers committed the ultimate sin of adultery and soon to be divorced." He assured him, pulling his head to rest on his chest as he clutched him tightly. "You're lots of peoples favourite."

Nick laughed at himself then looked up at his smiling fiancé. "You still wonna marry the complex cowboy with serious daddy issues?"

"Yes." Greg grinned down at him. "I wouldn't have you any other way Nicholas Parker Stokes." He assured him with a kiss to his hairline. "C'mon, we're gonna be late for the first day out Grissom's ever taken us on that doesn't involve dumpster diving, bugs of any kind and definitely no rotting corpses." He giggled as he let go of Nick.

Nick quickly finished up his breakfast while Greg drank the rest of his coffee. He then climbed to his feet, stepping past Greg and started to load the plates and things into the dishwasher as he hated to leave behind a dirty house.

"C'mon boy." Nick called out to Rascal who was relaxing on the kitchen floor in a patch of sun. He sent the dog off out into the garden, checking his water bowl and everything was full before he locked up the back door and grabbed some CD's for the car, meeting Greg at the door. Nick grabbed his sunglasses then followed Greg off down the drive towards his truck, climbing into the passenger seat instead of the drivers for a change.

* * *

"There they are." Warrick pointed through the crowd, spotting Nick being tugged along by Greg towards them. "Oh great, the love birds." He muttered under his breath as they got closer, holding each other's hands intimately.

Catherine punched him in the arm giving them a warm smile as they giggled their way over to them. "Nicky, Greg... glad to have you back here." Catherine excitedly exclaimed as she had missed them over the holidays.

"Sorry we're late, Greg was drivin' and he got lost." Nick smirked, putting his arm around his boyfriend's shoulders.

"I did _not_ get lost. The navigator told me the _wrong_ directions, but I found my way back onto the course without his help." Greg giggled, talking as if Nick wasn't there. Nick laughed pulling Greg towards him to tickle him.

Warrick rolled his eyes turning his head away from the love birds, immediately catching the attention of Catherine who punched him in the arm again. "Sara and Gil are already here, they went on ahead to look at the bug section." Catherine pointed out as she handed them over their tickets that Grissom had bought for them all to spend the day out together.

"Ew, let's not go that way." Greg told Nick behind him who nodded in agreement. He wasn't sure if Greg meant the bugs or Grissom with Sara, but he didn't want to go that way anyway. "Trust our supervisor to treat us with a trip to the bugs to celebrate our survival of another year."

"So much for your no bug's thing on a day out with Grissom, G." Nick smirked.

"It was actually _my_ idea." Catherine scowled over at Greg.

"Opps!" Greg ducked back as she went to thump him. "I just meant, coming here to the Las Vegas Zoo was a brilliant idea, but I meant trust Grissom to want to go and see the bugs for it."

"I know what you meant Greggy." She playfully ruffled his hair then went to shield her eyes from the sun. "I don't know about you guys, but it's nice to be out in the sun for once. We never get to see Vegas like this."

"I agree, well I wonna go check out the fish." Warrick pointed off towards the aquarium, not wanting to waste any more time at the entrance. "We'll meet you guys later for lunch. Let's say around one o'clock?" He suggested checking his watch.

"Sure." Nick checked his watch then tapped his buddy on the shoulder as they walked past him. "I think we're annoyin' people already G." He whispered to him once they were gone.

"Who cares, they're just jealous. C'mon." Greg entwined his fingers with Nick's, leading him off towards the entrance where they had to pass through metal detectors once they handed over their tickets.

Greg raised his arms as the cute security guard with a floppy mop of blonde hair scanned the metal detector across his arms, legs and chest before he looked Greg in the eye giving him a flirtatious smile.

Nick cleared his throat as he possessively draped his arm around Greg's shoulder to show the young lad that they were together. He backed away innocently letting Greg by before he nervously scanned Nick and ushered him through too.

Greg gave Nick a wide grin as he joined him. "I can't take you anywhere, you're just too cute!" Nick laughed as he wrapped his arms around him.

"You think that scrawny kid is of any interest to me?" Greg cheekily smiled round at him. "I like full bodied Texas boys." He winked to assure him that he was the only one. "C'mon." He dragged him off towards the birds first as he knew they were Nick's favourites. "Cool, look at that." Greg pointed out a vulture that was ripping the insides of a dead rabbit out in front of a crowd of people. Nick put his arm around Greg's shoulder again as he watched the other vultures joining the meal. "Have they ever heard of napkins?" Greg whispered to him with a smirk.

"They're wild animals G, or they were. They don't need napkins." He smiled at him then led him round to the other side to watch the owl sat on its perch, turning its head in all directions to look at the crowd pointing and flashing cameras at it.

"Ooh, look at that one." Greg pointed off towards another bird.

Nick laughed as he followed after him. "You're like a kid at an amusement park G."

"Dude, that's the whole point in these days out. You get to run wild and be free." He grinned round at his fiancé with a slightly wicked smile. "You can't kick back and relax if you're perfectly behaved _all_ the time Nicholas Stokes." He surmised.

"Wild on me just looks stupid, but you look cute." Nick grinned at him, taking his hand as they stepped up to the snowy owls. "The Snowy Owl, Bubo scandiacus. Large owl of the Strigidae family. Also known as the Arctic Owl or the Great white Owl. The adult males are virtually pure white, but the females and young owls have some dark spottin'. The powerful bird relies on rodents as a food source, but are known to eat larger prey such as rabbits, moles and rats. Snowy owls like many other birds swallow their prey whole. Their strong stomach juices digest the flesh while the indigestible bones, teeth, fur and feathers are compacted into oval pellets that the bird regurgitates eighteen to..."

"Ew!" Greg cringed interrupting him as he shivered in his arms. "Did you get that from the discovery channel?" He teased him.

Nick grinned widely then slapped him upside the head. "It's written right there Einstein." He pointed to the details of the bird. "I won't bother tellin' you the others." He smirked.

"I was kidding." Greg giggled, reaching out for Nick's hand again. "I was enjoying it up until the regurgitate part."

"Okay, I'll leave those parts out." Dragging Greg off towards another bird, Nick pulled the younger man in front of him as they looked up at the owl behind the bars of its cage.

"Wow, he has really long legs."

"He's a she." Nick pointed out the name of the birds name on the side, reading Trixie.

"Oh, sorry miss." Greg smiled up at the bird who gave him an eye roll before it turned its head. "Must have been Ecklie in a former life." He whispered to Nick who couldn't help but laugh.

"It's a Burrowing Owl. They can grow just over ten inches tall with a wing span of twenty one inches."

"How do they know that? Do they like go around and measure them all? For all they know there could be a five foot owl there somewhere."

Nick smiled at his lover, shaking his head slightly. "If there was a five foot owl in the world Greg, doncha think people would have noticed by now?" He laughed as Greg's expression turned into one of deep thought.

"Maybe there is one but it's not capable of flight... so it's out on some remote deserted island somewhere?" He suggested then dragged Nick off towards another one.

"The largest livin' bird is an ostrich G, they're flightless and they can grow up to ten feet tall." The bird nut informed him.

Greg smiled round at his brainy boyfriend. "It's nice to be the brainy one for once isn't it?"

"I'm not steppin' on yah toes am I Einstein?" He smirked, gently brushing his fingers through his hair.

"Nope, because I have the brainiest boyfriend here... unless you count Sara's boyfriend."

"Way to bruise the ego pal." He laughed, shaking his head at him as he gave him a gentle shove away from him. "You think that Grissom's smarter than me?" Greg shook his head as he tightly clamped his lips shut to keep himself from saying anything else. "You do. You think he's smarter than me."

"You each have different area of expertises." Greg told him then pulled him off towards another bird. "Tell me what this one is, without looking at the information."

Nick looked up at the birds, looking at their prominent brown eyes and the large bill. "They're Kookaburra's." Greg turned to look at the sign behind him then smiled round at Nick as he had gotten it right. "P-lease, that wasn't even a real challenge man. A five year old could tell you that was a Kookaburra."

"Okay then." Greg entwined his fingers with Nick's, tugging him off towards another. "What about this one?"

"You really don't have to make me feel better G." He smiled widely at him.

"No I really wonna know what this one is." Greg smiled innocently at him as he pointed up to it.

"It's a Bald Eagle."

"See, you're the smartest boyfriend in the whole wide world. I bet Grissom is giving Sara all kinds of boring and useless facts about bugs and creepy crawlies and she's bored out of her wits. He's probably gonna test her about it before they have sex tonight, and if she gets any answers wrong, she'll be sleeping with the dog on the sofa."

"Okay Greg, way too much information about Grissom and Sara's sex life." Nick cringed.

"My point is, I recon one day in the future when Grissom is old enough to retire, you'll replace him and you'll be a better Grissom than ever. Instead of boring people with hundreds of facts we really don't wonna know when we're standing around a smelly rotting crime scene, you'll just tell us what we need to know. And you'll be the best supervisor ever." Greg leant forwards, quickly snatching a kiss from his lips before he tugged him away to continue exploring like an excitable child.

They explored through the entire bird exhibit then head off towards the aquarium where Greg quickly stole a kiss under the romantic glow of the aquarium lights as the fish swam by.

Greg leant against the glass at the end of the aquarium as he watched the beautiful otters gliding through the water like mermaids. He watched in fascination as the zookeepers emptied a bucket of goldfish and freshwater clams into the water for the otters to eat. One by the one the goldfish were picked off by the otters for their lunch, beginning to make Greg feel hungry.

Nick returned to his side within seconds holding an ice cream in his hands for him. He also pulled a baseball cap out from behind his back, placing it down on Greg's head with a wide smile on his face. "Hey, you messed up my hair." Greg protested, readjusting it on his head.

"Sorry, I don't want you gettin' too hot. Your ice cream my love." He smiled softly as he handed it over.

"Mmmm," Greg slid his finger across the ice cream dripping down Nick's wrist, sucking it into his mouth. "Mint Chocolate with caramel and chocolate sprinkles, my favourite."

"I know." Nick smiled at him as he wiped the rest of the ice cream off with a napkin.

"Thank you Nicky. Can we go see the penguins next?" He asked like an excited child as he started to lick the ice cream from the cone.

"Yep, I just saw Sara and Grissom comin' out of the butterfly sanctuary. Sara said it's really, really humid in there and the butterflies just fly all around you."

"That's cool." Greg licked the dripping ice cream around the cone then held Nick's hand as they wandered off towards the penguins. "Hey, do you think Grissom and Sara shared a kiss under the flutter of beautiful butterfly wings?" He queried as he followed after him.

"I highly doubt it, but now that you mention it, we are definitely goin' to do that." He winked around at him before he stopped at the penguins. Nick pulled his sunglasses off his t-shirt, replacing them back over his eyes as the sun started to come out again, beaming brightly down across the water in front of them.

Greg stepped up in front of Nick, leaning against the railing as he watched the penguins. "You know I haven't been to the zoo since I was a kid. My dad took me after he got back from one of his long business trips once. He carried me round on his shoulders the whole way even though he had just got off a business flight from New York."

"That's because your father would do anythin' for you Greg, you're his world." He smiled at him. "I think I only ever went to zoos on school trips." Nick stepped closer to Greg as he watched the penguins waddling along in their tuxedos on the fake icebergs in their tank. "But in Highschool I only ever went to museums and things."

"My mom came on every school trip I ever had. She volunteered every time. She'd sit next to me on the bus then she'd hold my hand as we walked around. She tried to do it through to Highschool too, but I tried hiding the letters and just get the money from my dad so I could go."

Nick smiled then gently brushed his thumb across Greg's chin as he had spilt some ice cream. "I would say you're lucky because my parents never even cared or bothered about school activities, but I've met your mom." He smirked then led Greg around the outside of the penguin's exhibit towards a sign he had noticed out of the corner of his eye.

"Bird show, eleven thirty." Greg read off it then glanced at Nick's watch as he lifted his wrist. "It's about to start. You wonna go?"

"Yeah, finish your ice cream first though." Nick pointed to the no food sign. Nick watched as Greg took a whole mouthful of ice cream then rushed to hold his head as he got a rush of brain freeze. Nick couldn't help but laugh at him as he shook his head. "You didn't have to do it that quickly G; I'd have waited for yah." He laughed softly. "Don't want you freezin' out that big beautiful brain of yours."

"I'm okay." Greg licked his lips then pulled Nick off towards the show.

Nick found a spot on the grass in some shade, pulling Greg down into his arms once he got comfy. They watched the eagles, owls and parrots doing as their Master instructed in fascination.

Nick was in awe of them while Greg was drinking a cold glass of lemonade, resting back in Nick's arms. They hadn't seen the whole zoo yet and he was exhausted from the heat already.

They stayed in the shade after it finished, waiting for the others to return from their adventures so they could grab some lunch as they were right near the picnic area where families were starting to gather. "What have we gotta do next then G?" Nick asked Greg who was leaning against his chest with the visitor's guide in his hands.

"We've seen the chimpanzee's, eagles, ostriches, talking parrots... oh, we haven't been to the reptile enclosure yet." He pointed on his map. "And we haven't seen the big cats. They were always mine and my dad's favourites."

"We'll go see em after lunch." Nick brushed his fingers through Greg's slightly damp hair, brushing it down flat then replaced the cap back on his head to keep him cool. "What's the alligator pathway?" He queried as he looked at the visitors guide in Greg's hands.

"Oh, the alligator pathway. We just went there." Catherine suddenly called over to them as she wiped her mouth on her napkin from the ice cream in her hands. "There's this massive seven foot alligator there. Gave me the creeps." She smiled as she sat down on the grass beside them, finishing up her ice cream that Warrick had just bought for her.

"Did you see the rattlesnakes?" Grissom asked her, appearing from the other side of them with Sara in tow. Catherine nodded her head, feeling her skin trembling again as snakes were the only animal that crept her out. "Some of those snakes are endangered species you know. They're the only ones of their kinds, like the eyelash viper from Belize. It's the deadliest rattlesnake known to man." Grissom reported making Greg smile up at Nick as they had made a bet that Grissom would try to out-knowledge them with some interesting facts he learnt on the way round.

"So there could be another one out there, just no one knows about it." Greg smirked as Nick handed him a twenty from his pocket for losing the bet.

Grissom watched the act curiously then looked at the young ex-lab rat in his CSI's arms, before reporting, "Man inhabits over three quarters of the world Greg, if there was another one out there, I'm sure scientists would have found their remains by now." Grissom smiled at him then took a seat on the grass, brushing his fingers through the freshly cut blades of grass.

"Maybe they didn't die so there wouldn't _be_ any remains. There must be something out there that no one's found yet." Greg suggested as he desperately wanted to discover something for himself one day.

Nick softly tickled Greg to stop him from arguing with his boss.

Grissom opened his mouth to speak again, but Greg cut him off before he could even make vowel sounds, "Did you know the ostriches we just saw can grow up to ten feet and they weigh around three hundred and fifty pounds?" Greg changed the subject, directly quoting something his boyfriend had told him. "That's like three of me; imagine if that Big Muder stepped on your foot." He smirked up at Grissom.

"And where did you read that Greg?" Grissom queried with a smirk.

"My highly intelligent _boyfriend_ told me, actually." He smiled up at Nick. "I shoulda asked one of the zookeepers if they ever got their foot stepped on by one of those ostriches. Then again, they probably had to have their whole leg amputated." He giggled.

"You have too many thoughts G." Nick chuckled softly against his ear.

"Who picked the hottest day of the year for us all to go out to the zoo?" Catherine asked as she fanned herself from the heat, changing the subject. She knew guys who fought over penis sizes, but brain sizes was ridiculous. "It's December for Christ's sake, it shouldn't be this hot."

"Global warming." Greg and Grissom chimed in together.

Sara smiled at them both as she finally took a seat beside her significant other on the grass. "I think that's actually what they call Las Vegas heat." She smirked.

Looking around at his circle of friends, Nick noticed that Grissom and Sara were sat a few feet apart from one another and Catherine was sat alone while Warrick was away grabbing them lunch. He and Greg however were right against each other in broad daylight and it didn't make him nervous one bit when it used to make him really anxious.

"We should adopt an animal Nicky." Greg changed the subject a few minutes later. "It's only twenty five bucks per animal." He pointed in the visitors guide.

"Only? That's a lot of money G."

"Not to save an animal's life." Greg shook his head as he leant further back against Nick's chest. "I think we should adopt Midas and MG." Everyone looked at Greg confused. "The pair of majestic lions, they're in the brochure. They're brother and sister lions."

"We haven't seen them yet." Nick looked over Greg's shoulder at the picture of them.

"We can go see them next. They're probably being fed so we'll be able to see em in action." Greg smiled up at him then rested back in his arms to continue flipping through the book.

"Okay, who wants lunch?" Warrick appeared with a bag of sandwiches and things along with some ice cold lemonades. He handed round the drinks then let Catherine pick which sandwich she wanted first before he moved over to Sara doing the traditional ladies first routine like a perfect gentlemen. "Sorry Greggo," Warrick smiled as he stopped by him next. "Just you're more of the girl in the relationship, right?"

Greg smiled up at him deciding to mess with him. "Not last night I wasn't." He cheekily declared.

"Greg." Grissom scowled over at him as he was just about to eat his lunch. "It's nothing personal, I don't even like to hear about Catherine." He pointed in her direction, getting an evil scowl from the woman with lettuce sticking out of her mouth.

Nick however kept his mouth shut as he reached for a sandwich in the bag before Greg, making Warrick slightly uncomfortable. Even though he was trying to get used to the two of them being together, he still got a little weirded out at the thought of his best friend in that position. He was no longer squicked when they were kissing or sitting together anymore, it crept him out more when they weren't being all lovey dovey because it meant something was wrong.

Greg grabbed a cheese and pickle sandwich then watched as Warrick served his boss one before he took a seat just a few inches from Catherine to take the last one which was fortunately one of his favourites.

Sara finished off her lunch then turned to look at her boyfriend who still had his nose in the bug book he had been looking at the whole way round. She looked towards Catherine who was fanning herself from the heat as her sweaty blonde hair stuck to her face and neck. Warrick however was watching the chickens roaming around the picnic area and Nick was just looking at the book in his boyfriends hands over his shoulder.

"Doesn't anybody else think this is kinda cruel? People travel all this way to see these animals cooped up in cages, poking at em all day when they'd rather be roaming out in the wild." Sara asked them all.

"If they were in the wild they'd be dead." Her boyfriend pointed out to her. "It is slightly cruel, but if you think about it they're preserving the endangered species and none of the animals are exactly miserable here." Grissom watched as a clucking chicken walked by him. "This is their freedom."

"It's like prison complete with everything they'd ever need." Greg added, smiling over at Sara making Grissom slightly envious.

"But look at this." Sara pointed to the brochure in her hands. "They're running a captive breeding program. That sounds really wrong."

"Why?" Grissom asked her. "It's their way of breeding rare or endangered species in human controlled environments. Captive breeding is meant to save the species from going completely extinct."

"But _captive_ breeding, that sounds so wrong. They would never do that to humans." Sara pointed out to him. She could tell she was much more of an animal lover then her bug loving boyfriend. "If we suddenly run out of Indians or Scottish, or any people in the world... they would never do captive breeding."

"It's man's job to protect the species." Grissom simply told her.

"Since man is one of the reasons most of these animals are endangered." Greg pointed out to her, wanting to outsmart Grissom. "And animals don't exactly mind. This is for their survival. They have no need for televisions, careers or big cars. Their primary goal is to find a mate, care for their young and continue their species."

Nick pressed a proud kiss to his boyfriends head, wrapping his arms around him tighter as Grissom frowned in his direction for making him look like a man who doesn't care in front of his girlfriend.

Catherine sighed heavily as she wasn't getting any cooler sat out here in the melting hot sun. "C'mon Warrick, I wonna go see the Flamingo exhibit, it's cooler over there."

"I never knew you had a thing for Flamingo's." Greg teased her.

"I don't. I meant it's in the shade. Later guys." Catherine waved as she walked off with Warrick. Everyone gave her a slight nod, too hot and tired to properly wave.

"Hey Sara, have you ever been to the San Francisco aquarium?" Greg asked her curiously.

"Yes, I love the sharks there."

"Me too, my dad took me when I was little. We actually got to touch the leopard sharks. We never told my mom though, she never wanted me to go to any of those places because she said she had this dream of the tanks suddenly cracking and all the fish spilling out and eating us up."

"You never told me you went there." Grissom cast an accusing glare towards his girlfriend as she laughed at the young ex-lab rat.

"Sorry, there's a lot of stuff you don't know about me." Sara smiled softly to him. "Did you also happen to know that I've been to the zoo in Queens when I was a kid? I went with a bunch of other foster kids on one of our outings and the coyotes made this one little girl wet herself."

"Huh, you must really cherish that memory." Greg teased her. Sara gave him an evil scowl as she whacked him in the leg with her tour guide book. "I'm kidding. What zoos have you been to Nicky?" He queried, looking up at his boyfriend over the cap on his head.

"Um... on a school trip we went to the Houston, Texas Zoo. They had just built in the aquariums there when I went so there wasn't that much fish. It's much bigger than this place and it's got more animals too."

"That's because it's a bigger space Nick." Grissom informed him, always being the walking spurt of knowledge of the group. "The Houston Zoo is about fifty five acre's while this is only three."

"Is there anything you _don't_ know everything about?" Greg quizzically asked him.

Grissom nodded slightly. "People, they're a complete mystery to me Greg."

Sara looked round at Nick and Greg rolling her eyes as they both laughed at Grissom. "C'mon then Gilbert, I wonna go see the parrots before it gets too hot to walk." She said as she climbed to her feet.

"Okay." Grissom climbed to his feet, replacing the straw hat to his head. "You know Greg, this park is meant to _educate_ and entertain. A little more learning and one day you could know everything too." He smiled at the young man.

"Ha! I already know enough. And I completely understand people." Greg deviously grinned up at him.

"Mm hmm." Grissom nodded sarcastically as he followed Sara off towards parrots.

"Does it seem weird to you socialising with Grissom?" Greg whispered to Nick once he was gone.

"No G."

"Does to me. It's like when I was a kid in school and I thought teachers weren't real people like they slept in the school or something." Nick chuckled softly at Greg's wild imagination. "Socialising with Grissom outside of work just seems really weird."

"He's a person too Greg." Nick snickered.

"Yeah, _but_ he's my boss. That's one person I never thought I'd be hanging out with at the zoo with my boyfriend and all my friends."

"Well one of your friends just happens to be datin' him." Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's neck before he lifted him from his lap. "C'mon lets go see those tigers."

"Lions." Greg corrected him. "I remember the species of the animals _you_ wonna see Nicky."

"So, tigers and lions are basically the same." Nick smiled at him as he shrugged, putting his arm round his boyfriends shoulders again as he climbed to his feet.

"They're nothing alike Nicky. And here I thought I was dating you for your brains." He teased him. Nick laughed tickling Greg's sides as he pulled him closer. "I was kidding!" He giggled as Nick furiously tickled him. "You're all brains and brawn rolled into one baby." He assured him with an adorable grin.

"Good." Nick winked then led him off towards the lions so they could go home and get out of this blistering heat.

* * *

A few hours later they all started to wander off towards the exit as they had seen all of the park. Nick talked to Warrick over by his truck about his new job offer while Grissom sat in his car alone waiting for his significant other to return from talking to Greg and Catherine. Greg was talking weddings with them, and it wasn't really Grissom's cup of tea.

"Bye." Greg waved to Catherine and Sara, watching them leaving. He met Nick by his truck, smiling as he saw Warrick and Nick talking as though nothing was different between them.

"Hey Greggo, you wonna go out for a few beers some time?" Warrick asked him as he joined Nick's side. "C'mon, I'll buy you dinner and all?" Warrick smiled as he looked between them both.

"We're not into threesomes." Greg teased him, getting poked in the side by Nick. "Shouldn't you be buying your _girlfriend_ dinner?"

"Hey if you don't want it..."

"He's kiddin'." Nick stopped him as he tickled Greg. "We'll meet you there." Warrick nodded then walked off towards his car. Nick dug his hand into Greg's jeans pocket, retrieving his car keys so they could get in. "I'm drivin'." He winked at he touched his lips to Greg's cheek.

"Fine by me, I'm too tired to drive right now. Are you sure you want Grissom and everyone around while you do it though?" Greg joked as he smiled over at him, climbing into the passenger's seat of Nick's truck.

"Not that kinda drivin' G." Nick smiled back at him then waved Warrick off before he climbed into the driver's seat and drove the both of them off home.

* * *

Nick pulled his truck up in their driveway, giving his passenger who had fallen fast asleep a gentle shake before he climbed out himself. He head round to the passenger side door, feeling the sweat on his back making his t-shirt stick to him. He pulled open the passenger side door, releasing Greg's seatbelt before he gently lifted him down, resting his body against his own while he locked up his truck.

Nick smiled softly as he saw Greg was still able to sleep while he was stood against him only being supported by Nick's arms beneath his own. He stuffed his keys into his pocket then carefully directed the sleep walking Greg off towards the front door, keeping his weight supported against his own body. Nick fumbled with his keys in his pocket then tried to unlock the door with Greg still leant against him.

Greg softly began to stir, but he remained leant against his shoulder as Nick unlocked the front door and tried to get him inside. "Nicky." He murmured softly.

"Shh baby," He whispered, carefully directing him off towards the front room. "Go back to sleep Greg." He spoke softly, lifting him onto the couch in their front room. He removed the cap from Greg's head along with his sneakers so he could get comfy. He smiled in awe as he watched his lover shifting on the sofa slightly before he fell fast asleep again.

Nick touched a kiss to his forehead then went to lock the front door. He dropped his keys and sunglasses on the side before he head off towards the back door where Rascal was yapping as he had heard them come in. He opened the door to greet the pup then stepped outside to refill his water bowl and go to lock up the shed down the end that he left open because Rascal liked to sit in it while it was sunny outside. He had planned on putting a doggy door in the door to it, but he hadn't had the time to do it yet.

As Nick was walking back towards the house he noticed some new neighbours in the house the other side of them that weren't there before thanksgiving. He spotted toys in the yard that appeared to be young children's toys from the colour and size. He looked at the house curiously then head off inside just in time to catch Rascal scratching at one of the cupboards.

"Hey!" Nick clapped his hands together to scare him off the door. "Don't scratch my cupboards mister." He warned him then reached inside the cupboard to retrieve his biscuits for him.

Rascal knew not to beg as Nick hated it when he did that, whereas Greg let him get away with it. Instead he just followed close behind Nick off towards the nice cool utility room where Nick filled his biscuit bowl for him.

Nick gently ruffled the pup's fur then returned to the kitchen to put them away. He examined the minor scratches on the bottom of the cupboard door then grabbed a cold beer from the fridge door to cool himself down. He head back to the front room, pulling the coffee table towards him as he sat with his back against the sofa on the floor.

Setting his beer down on one of the coasters, he rifled through the wedding planning books, going over everything again to find out what he still needed to do before the big day while Greg peacefully slept behind him and Rascal curled up on the carpet ahead of him, relaxing in the cooling air of the house as he had been outside all morning while Nick and Greg were at the zoo.

A few hours later Greg awoke, looking at Nick beside him. He gently brushed his fingers through his soft hair, making Nick look round at him. "Hi."

"Hey there sleepin' beauty." Nick winked at him, brushing his fingers through Greg's dishevelled hair. "Did yah have a nice sleep there G?" Greg nodded as he reached out to hug him tightly. Nick climbed onto the sofa on top of him so he could receive a warmer hug from his young lover.

"I had a dream I lost you." Greg whispered as he hugged his lover's warm body. "You know when you're a kid and you think you've lost your parents in the supermarket?" Nick nodded to him. "Well it was like that. One minute you were right beside me then when I turned around, you were gone and I was pushing my way through this massive crowd of people trying to find you."

"I'm not goin' anywhere." Nick assured him as he leant on his elbow beside his head, gently brushing his fingers through Greg's tousled hair. "I promise you that G." He whispered as he touched his lips to his forehead.

Greg smiled softly to him then gently pulled his head down to rest on his shoulder, wrapping his arms tightly around him. "What are you doing Nicky?" He queried as he tilted his head to the side to look at the papers and things on the coffee table.

Nick reached for one of the lists he had made, rolling onto his side as he showed it to Greg. "I got this gay waiters service thing from Catherine. Her father used them once for this big queer birthday bash or somethin'. I hired them to cater for our weddin' after party. Look at this." Nick reached for the magazine on the edge of the table, showing him the different uniforms they wore for their different venues. "I picked this one." He pointed to a smart black tuxedo with a white jacket and black tie.

Greg smiled as he flipped through the rest, widening his eyes as he got to some of the more extreme outfits the waiters would wear. "I would love to see your fathers face if they were in that." He giggled as he pointed to a leather thong that came with a collar and studded bracelets around their wrists.

"I think he'd have a heart attack." Nick smirked as he set it back down. "I think... we've almost got everythin' done. I'll call your mom later to tell her about the waiters."

"Don't tell her about the waiter's outfits." Greg warned him. "She'll probably call in and change the order." He giggled.

Nick smiled back as he rested on his elbow beside his head. "I've picked Warrick as my best man; I called him about an hour ago. I also told him we're not havin' bachelor parties which he was pretty pissed about. Apparently he was plannin' a gay stripper."

Greg giggled then pulled Nick's head down to rest on his shoulder again. "You're not gay enough for a gay stripper babe." He teased him.

"Not gay enough?" Nick scoffed. "What do you mean I'm not gay enough?"

"You with a gay stripper just seems unnatural." Greg spoke softly as he smoothed his fingertips through Nick's hair.

A few minutes of snuggling later he soon realised that Nick had fallen right to sleep in his arms, giving out soft wheezes with each deep breath.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sorry its late. I know I promised it to you at the beginning of the week, but I've been off sick. But hopefully it will make a good read for you all for the weekend. Thanks for reading, please review!**

**Have a great weekend.**

**~ Holly**


	64. Chapter 64: Parental Influence

**Chapter Sixty Four: Parental Influence**

"Hello!" A voice suddenly startled Greg as he climbed out of his car in his driveway after getting back from a long shift at the lab. It wasn't a voice he recognised, but it sounded somewhat like a woman's voice. Greg closed his driver's side door, looking around everywhere for the person when he caught sight of her trotting along up his driveway in a long pink dressing gown. "Sorry, did I startle you?" She asked as she got closer.

"No, it's okay." He shook his head, looking at the green stuff on her face and her hair all up in scary looking rollers. "What's up?" He gulped.

"I just wanted to say hello to the new neighbours while I had the chance. I wasn't spying on you or anything weird like that, so don't worry. I was just grabbing the mail and morning paper. I live right next door, so I thought it be rude if you saw me and I didn't say hello. So much on first impressions right?" She giggled then clapped a hand on her cheek, realising she was still wearing her face mask. "Oh my god, this is the worst first impression I've ever made. No wonder you look frightened dear, I must look like a monster." She giggled in hysterics again, leaving Greg to wonder if she had taken her medication this morning, or not enough. "I'm Silvia your new neighbour." She reached her hand out to shake his, colliding her long scary fingernails into his palm. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry dear," She rushed to apologise as she saw him flinch back. "I just stuck them on." She giggled, showing off her pink claws. "Pardon the robe too, I just got up. Obviously you coulda figured that out for yourself right? I wasn't implying you were stupid or anything . . . far from it." She looked at him awkwardly, really regretting ever coming over here to introduce herself. "So what about you, are you a doctor or something? I've seen you leaving late at night then coming home really early exhausted. You must work a pretty serious job or something. I recon a brain surgeon but my partner thinks that you're an orderly because you're so cute and young..."

"Oh no, I'm a criminalist at the Las Vegas crime lab." He interrupted her, wondering why her husband would think _he_ was cute and young." I work the graveyard shift there." He explained to her then slowly started backing away towards his front door before she started talking a mile a minute again.

"Oh, that sounds like fun. Well I'm Silvia Newman. I just moved in here over thanksgiving with my partner Jenna Talbot and our three children."

_Oh!_ Greg thought, _that explains a lot_.

Silvia pulled out some pictures from her dressing gown pocket to show him. "That's our eldest; he's seven years old and his names Oscar. This is Louise our five year old adopted daughter and that's our youngest Chase. She's two and a half years old now." She smiled proudly.

"Wow." He nodded, giving her the best smile he could muster up from the exhaustion. "That's a beautiful family you've got."

"Thank you. We're planning on having another baby soon; we really want another little boy. Oscar was such an agreeable baby when he was younger. Don't get me wrong, I love Louise and Chase, but they were much harder to look after. They cried a lot more, I don't know if that's just girls, but we really want another little boy to complete our family. Oh!" She suddenly remembered something, pulling another photo from her pocket, making Greg wonder if she ambushed him on purpose as she had everything ready and waiting to show him. "This is my partner Jenna. You can't miss her; she's got a potty mouth." She chortled to herself, realising Greg was starting to get bored of her overtalking just like everyone did. "We're gay if you didn't realise... obviously you would after I showed you the pictures. Damn! There I go again insulting your intelligence. I usually don't talk this much, I'm just _really_ nervous. I always am meeting new people. This is why my partner Jenna tells me to hold off meeting new people until she's around. She's the only one who can ever shut me up."

"It's okay." Greg spoke softly, giving her a sweet smile. "I'm gay too. I live here with my boyfriend Nick."

"Oh I noticed." She nodded, making him worried that she really was spying on him. "This whole neighbourhood if fully recommended as gay friendly. There's a few straight couples in the area too which is great, like our other neighbour the other side of us... I didn't exactly make the best first impression on them either. They were out in their hot tub... well I'm pretty sure you can guess what they were doing out there with no clothes on." She smiled over at him. "Oh my god, it's like I have a disease! I'm really, really very sorry. I know you're not stupid, I can tell by the way you're looking at me."

Greg couldn't help but laugh this time. "It's really okay. I over talk all the time and I pretty much end up doing what you are. Nick's the only one who can shut me up too." He tried to comfort her even though he was starting to hate her already.

Silvia smiled in relief then gave him a curious look. "So did you go anywhere nice for thanksgiving? I saw you both coming back the weekend after, but I thought you could use some time to readjust before we came over to introduce ourselves. I'm sorry we left it so long; we got so involved with unpacking and stuff. Maybe we should arrange a dinner or something some time so we can all get to know each other..."

"Sure, I'll ask Nick. But we're pretty busy." He hurried for his door. "See you later." He waved, quickly unlocking the door then pushed it shut behind him. He grabbed the post off the floor, dropped his stuff off in the doorway then made his way off into the kitchen. He flipped through the bills and things then he found a letter from Dallas that appeared to be Nick's father's handwriting, addressed to Nick.

Nick's father had never sent him a letter before, making Greg curious as to what was inside it.

The thought of steaming it open to take a peak crossed his mind, but Greg quickly changed his mind as he found a letter addressed to himself in the pile. He pulled it open, scanning his eyes across it before he rushed off up the stairs to see Nick who was still in bed, just waking up from the way he was rubbing his eyes.

"Hey, you're home late." Nick smiled over at him.

"I know." He sighed heavily, dropping onto the bed beside him. "Why don't you ever shut me up when I constantly over talk?"

"Because I think it's cute when you over talk." Nick smiled up at him then looked at him curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"I just met our new neighbour... Silvia. She never shuts up." Nick giggled softly. "She's gonna ask us over for dinner, which we're _not_ going to accept." Greg warned him as he flipped off his trainers, crawling further onto the bed into Nick's arms. "There's no way we're going over there for dinner."

"It's called polite in modern customs." Nick chuckled softly as Greg leant down to kiss him. "Mmmm . . . she can't be that bad G." He gasped as he pulled back from his lips.

"She is, and she's a lesbian which means no other man can tolerate her either." Greg smirked, teasing his fingertips across his Texan's jaw.

Nick laughed as he wrapped his arms around Greg's body. "So how was your day at work?"

"Horrible." Greg rested his head on Nick's chest, listening to the soft pounding of his heartbeat. "Sara's gone." He sighed softly.

Nick looked down at him surprised. "What do you mean...?"

"I mean, Sara's gone Nick." Greg buried his head into Nick's neck, breathing deep breaths of that familiar Stokes scent. "She cut her name off her CSI vest, cleaned out her locker... kissed Grissom in the middle of the lab, right in front of Hodges . . . then walked straight out without so much as a goodbye."

"Aww baby, I'm sure she's not gone for good." He whispered as he gently smoothed his hands around Greg's body. "You know Sara, she can't..."

"No Nick! When I say gone, I mean gone!" Greg lifted his head to look Nick in the eye. "She threw her name tag _away_. She left her vest in Ronnie's locker... and she's . . . Gone!"

"Okay, shh baby," Nick gently pulled his head down to rest on his shoulder as Greg looked as though he was about to cry. "Greg, I'm sure she'll be back. You know Sara; she doesn't have a life outside of the crime lab. She'll be back." He whispered, gently pressing his lips to his forehead. He watched Greg inhaling a deep breath to relax himself then gently smoothed his hands up and down his back. "Hey, there isn't anythin' else wrong is there?"

"No." He sighed as he snuggled closer to Nick.

"Baby, you know I can read you like a book, so what's up?" Greg dug his hand into jeans pocket, retrieving the folded letter. He placed it in Nick's hands then rested his head back on Nick's shoulder while he read through it. "Three different publishers from LA?" Nick immediately noticed. "G this is good. A book tours a good thing; your book will get noticed more." Nick looked down at Greg curiously. "What's the matter?" He whispered softly.

"I don't wonna go to LA for two whole weeks." Greg leant up on his elbow as he looked into Nick's eyes. "For one thing you won't be there. I'll have to do interviews which you know I suck at... and you won't be there."

Nick smiled softly as he gently brushed his fingers through Greg's hair. "You can come back whenever you want Greg. It's just a couple of days. It'll fly by and you'll barely even notice." He spoke softly as he gently ruffled his fingers through his soft spikes. "You've worked so hard on this Greg. You can't quit now."

"You're not even gonna miss me a little bit?" Greg smiled at him.

"I'll miss you a lot, but I know you gotta do it." Nick pulled Greg closer to him by his t-shirt, pressing a kiss to his lips. "You have to go Greg, I forbid you to stay here and miss out on your book tour." He smiled against his lips as he slid his hands towards his hips.

"Nooo." Greg moaned as he pulled back from him. He stopped Nick's hands as he started to fiddle with his belt, looking at Nick's confused expression. "I stink. I gotta shower first." Greg snatched a kiss then scrambled off the bed, heading off towards the bathroom.

"You know I really don't mind sweaty men Greg." Nick shouted after him, hearing Greg laughing as he turned the shower on.

"How are you with sweaty men who smell like decomp?" Greg asked as he appeared in the doorway.

"You know I'm so used to it, I didn't even notice." Nick smiled over at him as he sat up on the bed.

"I think... I'll take that as a compliment." Greg cocked his head to the side as he smiled at him. "Well, did you wonna join me then cowboy?" Nick grinned widely at him as he kicked back the covers. He scrambled off the bed in his boxer shorts, immediately latching his warm lips to Greg's as they backed up into the bathroom.

Nick's hands began to roam beneath the younger mans t-shirt as he hungrily kissed him. He moved his lips down his neck as he fiddled with his belt and flies, dropping Greg's jeans to his ankles. He quickly disrobed the rest of his clothing along with his own boxers then tugged him off into the shower under the warm spray of the water.

"It always amazes me how quickly you do that." Greg giggled as they pulled back for breath.

"Well you know how much clothes annoy me." He rasped as he slid his hands down Greg's wet slippery back, pulling his warm body right against his own. "Especially on you, I can't see your beautiful body." He grinned at him then covered Greg's mouth with his own, kissing him hungry as his hands roamed across the body from his dreams.

Nick tore his lips away from Greg's, urging him backwards against the shower rail as he closed his mouth over his sensitive left nipple. Greg's moans urged him on to do the same to the other before he dropped to his knees in front of him.

Greg whimpered as his body spasmed in response to Nick's tongue on his most sensitive inches. His eyes were clamped shut; lips parted and knuckles beginning to turn white as he gripped the shower rail behind him.

Even though Nick was the one on his knees, Greg worshipped him like a god, feeling completely powerless under his touch, willing to do anything for him; especially when he was screaming his name at the top of his lungs from his release.

* * *

Nick left Greg fast asleep on their bed while he got dressed and head off down the stairs to grab himself something to eat. He stopped at the counter as he saw the stack of post, noticing the one letter addressed to him in his father's handwriting. Looking at the envelope as if it was going to explode, Nick wasn't sure that he wanted to start his morning off with the hateful words of his father as the man could never say something nice to his face, so it was highly unlikely that he had written his son a letter telling him how much he loved him and how proud he was of him for following his heart.

Only in his dreams would that ever happen, but still he wouldn't forgive him.

Nick left the envelope where it was, deciding to ignore it while he poured himself some freshly brewed coffee then grabbed some breakfast, staring at the letter from the other end of the counter while he crunched on his Cap'n Crunch cereals, soon making Nick realise that he really needed a hobby to take his mind off it.

So he got to work.

Nick cleaned the kitchen top to bottom, scrubbing each of the cupboard doors and every inch of the counters so they sparkled in the morning sun. He then cleaned every shelf of the fridge, sorting things out by the date they went off before he composed a shopping list of what he would need to buy next shopping ship.

Once that was done he mopped the floors, put on a laundry load and started hovering, still constantly thinking about the letter though, so he increased his workload to the garden. Clipping back hedges, mowing the grass, picking up dead leaves and weeding the flower beds before he stopped for a cold beer on the porch while he pet Rascal.

"Knock, knock." A voice suddenly startled him.

Nick whirled around to see Jade stood behind him. "You know most people, they knock, knock on the door before they let themselves in." He pointed out to her.

"_Most_ people don't have spare keys." Jade smirked as she waved them around. "Here." Jade dropped a DVD sized case into his lap then head over to his fridge, looking at the neatly stacks shelves of food. Nick climbed to his feet, taking a closer look at the X-box game Halo three in his hands. He watched Jade routing through his fridge with a smirk as she was always hungry whenever she came over now. "You got any PB&J?" She asked as she turned to face him.

"Nope. Greg ate the last of it." Nick reached for his shopping list, adding PB&J to it. "How's those cravings comin' along?"

"Horrible, yesterday I ate a whole jar of pickled eggs. I hate pickled eggs." Nick let out a soft snicker, shaking his head at her. "Where's Greg, sleeping?"

"Yep. By the smile on your face I'd guess that he told you."

"How proud he is of his _Detective_ Nicky." Jade grinned at him. "P-lease, he hasn't stopped bragging." Jade picked at the grapes in the fruit basket, inhaling a deep breath of the cleaning products wafting in the room. "Nicky, are you nesting?" She teased him.

"No. I was cleanin'. That's your thing." He smirked as he leant on his elbow. "I got bored, so I cleaned."

"Neat." Jade nodded to him as she looked around at the sparkling cupboards. "Greg's really domesticated you huh?" Jade reached across the counter, pulling a dead leaf from his hair.

"Hey, did you get the photographers number?"

"Yep." Jade reached into her jeans pocket, handing it over. "He's fully booked over Christmas, so make sure you call him before then because the pictures take a couple of days to print."

"Okay." Nick nodded to her then pocketed the phone number. "You haven't told Greg?"

"Nope, haven't said a word." She promised him as she shook her head. "He's gonna love it."

"I know." Nick smiled up at her. "Thanks for this too." He pointed to the video game.

"You're welcome." Jade gently pat him on the head like Nick's big sisters always did to him. She grabbed another grape, throwing it back into her mouth.

"You can take em all if you want em." Nick suggested.

"Thanks. I'll bring back the bowl later." She smirked, grabbing it from the counter. "Later."

"Bye." He shouted after, waiting for the door to close before he climbed off his stool, taking his beer and the game off into the front room, ignoring the letter still.

A few hours later Greg sleepily stumbled off down the stairs in his tartan white and baby blue pyjamas that made him look really cute to Nick. "Good Mornin' Gorgeous." Nick smiled as he saw him entering the room.

"Afternoon." Greg corrected him, dropping onto the couch beside him. He snatched a kiss from his lips then rested his back against Nick's side as he put his feet up on the couch. "What's this?" He queried as he looked towards the television screen.

"Halo three." Nick pointed to the game case on the coffee table. "Borrowed it from Jade."

"Jade?" Greg asked surprised. "You're out of work for a few weeks and already you're trading DVD's and video games with Jade."

"She's almost six months pregnant Greg. Her boss won't let her go into work anymore so she's home alone a lot of the time." Nick smirked as he lifted the controller over Greg's head to wrap his arms tightly around him, resting his hands on the younger mans chest so he could feel his heart beat. "You're not gettin' jealous that I just so happen to be hangin' out with your best friend are you?" He teased as he touched his lips to his neck.

"Second best." Greg corrected, looking up into his eyes. "You'll always be my best friend. And no, why would I be? You're gay." Nick laughed as he clutched him tighter. "Hey, what are you doing Monday?" Greg suddenly asked him.

"Um... I dunno, laundry." He smirked at his domestic lifestyle. "Why?"

"Grissom booked me for my firearms test before I leave for LA in a couple of weeks. You said you'd help me."

"Sure, I can do that. Call me when you've finished your case and I'll pick you up after work." Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's soft head of hair before turning his head back towards the game. "So you went for your cute pyjamas tonight?" He whispered against his neck.

"They're comfy, and warm." Greg nestled back into Nick's arms, giving out a soft sigh. "Did you see the letter from Dallas?" Nick nodded down at him, while concentrating on the game in front of him. "And, did you open it?"

"Nope." He shook his head.

"Why not?" Greg looked up at him confused. "You don't wonna know what he sent you?" Nick smiled at Greg's choice of words. "What?"

"You know it's my father too huh?" Nick paused the game he was playing, wrapping his arms tightly around Greg's body. "I didn't open it... because I don't want to..." Nick struggled to answer, "The last time my dad sent me a letter I had just moved here."

"That bad huh?"

"What could he possibly want to write to me so badly about anyway?"

Greg shifted on Nick's lap to sit on his thighs facing him. "That's usually where opening it comes in handy Nicky." He smiled softly. "If you want, I could read it first."

"And what, you'll screen it for me?"

"Of course I will." Greg moved in for a kiss, taming Nick's tongue under the force of his own before he pulled back, rushing off to the kitchen to grab it. He head back into the front room, curling up onto the sofa beside Nick, draping his legs across his lap as he ripped it open.

"Just read it out G, I can take it." Nick insisted.

Looking up at him with a questioning look, Greg studied Nick's face carefully then looked at the letter in his hands, slowly beginning to read it out, "Dear Pancho . . . All I ever wanted for you, since the moment you were born was for you to be happy. I never wanted you to lose that free spirit you had as a child, which I haven't seen much of over the past few years, not until Greg came into the picture." He started, glancing up at Nick to look at his reaction to the first few lines.

"It was almost easier for me to deal with you being with Greg, by pretending that he was a woman. Of course this only confused me more as I got to know him, because Greg is in fact a guy, no more or less manly then you. I have to confess, I had very mixed feelings when you first told us that you would be marrying a man. At first I thought you came up with the crazy plot to get back at me over something I had done, or neglected to do with you that made you feel left out from your brother and sisters. But now that I've met Greg, and got to know the wonderful young man that you plan on spending the rest of your life with."

"Are you makin' this up?" Nick asked as Greg paused for a breather.

"No, I'm serious Nicky. That's what it says." Greg showed him the proof.

Nick scanned his eyes over it then pushed it back towards Greg as he anxiously bit his fingertips. "Continue." He urged him on.

"I couldn't be happier to be your father. It hadn't hit me about how badly I was treating you over all of this, until I heard others talking the way I had been. Hearing the things they were saying about you, my youngest son... was a little infuriating. I found myself defending you, telling them that homosexuality was in fact not a choice; it was something someone was born into and couldn't be changed, just like your natural eye colour.

You've opened my eyes Nicholas. I never would have believed that a homosexual relationship could work out like this, until I saw how you and Greg were together. I wouldn't exactly call you a normal couple, but then again, I wouldn't call your brother or sisters relationships normal either. Now that I think of it, I don't even know what a normal relationship is.

I wish you and Greg all the happiness you deserve, and I am always here to support you no matter what. You are still my little Pancho; you've just found your true path in life and I couldn't be prouder to call you '**My Gay** **Son'.**

I'm so proud of you. What you've lived through and who you've become. I never wanted you to live in the shadows. You should be free to be who you really are underneath it all. You could never fail me as a son; the fact that you've had to hide proves that I have failed you. But I plan to make up for it all, as best I can. Love William Stokes, proud father of Nicholas Stokes." Greg finished then placed it down on his lap as he looked up at Nick's reaction.

Nick didn't seem as happy as he thought. Instead he was anxiously biting his fingertips and running a hand through his hair.

"Nicky, are you okay?" Nick nodded to him slightly. Greg caught sight of his shaky hands and a tear in his eye, proving to him that he wasn't fine. "Nicky..."

"Can you... can you read it again? Slower this time." Nick interrupted him.

Greg smiled softly then turned his body on the sofa, sitting right beside Nick so he could look over his shoulder at it as he started to read it again, "Dear Pancho, All I ever wanted for you, since the moment you were born..."

* * *

"Bill," Jillian waved her hand in front of his face, distracting him from staring at the phone. "What are you doin'? You've been sat in here for hours just starin' at the phone." She looked at his glazed expression curiously then gently brushed her fingertips through his thinning grey strands of hair. "Are you feelin' okay?"

Glancing up at one of the family portraits sat on his desk of all of his children when they were young at Christmas, Bill sighed softly as he brushed his index finger across a thirteen year old Nicky, feeling remorse for how he had made him feel. He turned back towards his wife, giving her a slight smile as he nodded. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He gave her a warmer smile, letting out a soft sigh. "We did alright, with the children... didn't we?" He queried, looking up into his wife's warm loving eyes that had never once faltered.

"Yes, we did the best we could. They all turned out alright." Perching herself on the edge of his desk, Jillian lifted her husband's hand into her own, looking him in the eye. "Are you still worried about Nicky?"

"I'm not always goin' to be around to protect him, and let's face it... I'm not the best father."

"You did the best you could." She tried to assure him. "You love your children, you've raised them right. They're all fine young men and women now, takin' charge of their own lives from what we taught them. There's always rocky roads in families. You and I weren't exactly saints." She pointed out to him. "But like us, they'll learn from their mistakes and they'll become better people, passin' these lessons onto their own children."

Bill smiled up at her then brushed a hand through his hair. "I think I have post partum depression." He suddenly stated, making his wife giggle. "I'm serious. The last child is finally tied down, and they don't need me anymore. They have no use for me anymore."

"Aww, sweetheart." She reached her arms out to clutch him tightly. "Your children will always need you, even if they don't want to admit it themselves. Your relationship with Nicky will get better over time. Trust me. And why do you think they're always comin' back here uninvited if they don't need us?"

"Because we let them keep their spare keys." He remarked.

"Not that." She snickered. "They come back because this place is home. They still need us. Just like Nicky really needed that letter you wrote him." Jillian chortled softly as Bill looked back towards the phone. "He probably just needs some time to take it all in. I told you it was better to write down your thoughts and feelin's to him, rather than tellin' him face to face because I knew you'd screw it up."

Bill nodded then rested his elbow back on the desk, staring at the phone. "I'll give him another hour."

"Then you'll what?"

Nervously biting his lip as he hadn't thought that part through, Bill gave her a shrug just as the phone rang. He quickly reached for it, putting it to his ear. "Hello?" A frown of disappointment spread across his features. "No, we don't need any double glazin'... goodbye." Bill slammed the phone down, giving out a heavy sigh. "I hate those day traders. It's a Saturday."

"He'll call honey. Just give him some time." She softly reassured him, gently rubbing her palm across his shoulder. "Let's go get some coffees or take the dogs for a walk while we wait?" She suggested, not taking no for an answer as she tugged her husband to his feet.

* * *

Gently cradling Nick's head in his lap as the obsessed cowboy read through the letter again and again, Greg kept his eyes fixated on Nick's, catching the slightest tear drizzling its way down the side of his head into his hairline. Greg gently brushed his thumb across the tear trail, making Nick look round at him. "Is it really that hard to believe that your daddy finally loves you for who you are?" He queried, gently brushing his fingers through his hair.

"Not _my_ father." Nick shook his head, finally putting the letter down. "You don't understand because you've _always_ had the love and support from _your_ father." He snidely put.

"You don't have to talk to me like that." Greg grumpily folded his arms across his chest, leaning back against the sofa cushions.

"I didn't mean it like that." Nick rushed to apologise as he sat up straight. "Aren't you mad at him? He practically called you a girl."

"No he didn't. He said at first it was easier for him to think of you being with a woman. I don't get why you're so mad at him. He apologised for everything he did, and he says he's proud of you."

"That doesn't make it alright!" Nick climbed to his feet, dropping the letter on the table then trudged off through the house towards the kitchen.

Greg rolled his eyes as he threw his head back against the sofa cushions. He couldn't believe how complicated Nick was being after everything that had happened. It must have taken his father a lot of courage to write that letter to Nick, and instead of making him feel loved, it sent him off the deep end with anger.

"Nicky," Greg softly spoke as he padded his way across the kitchen floor towards him. "What is it about his letter that got you so mad?"

"Everythin'! It's completely phony." Nick took a swig of his beer then leant against the counter. "All my life he made me hate myself for bein' the way I am. He ruined everythin'. If you weren't a tough macho boy, you were a little fag to him. He can't make up for all that by apologisin' to me now in some phony letter. He didn't want me to be a free spirit. He wanted me to be just like him." Nick practically shouted as tears freely streamed down his face and his hands violently shook. This was by far the biggest break down Greg had ever witnessed from Nick, so for now he just let him spill it all out to get it out of his system. "He made me afraid to be myself Greg! Does that sound like somethin' a lovin' father would do? What about his stupid line about people insultin' me, making him feel a _little_ infuriated. What about all the crap he said to me? Some stupid phony letter isn't gonna make up for all of that." Nick suddenly grabbed his beer bottle and slammed it down against the counter in anger, shattering the glass into his hand and across the floor.

"Nick!" Greg rushed around the counter, not caring about the glass on the floor against his bare feet.

He pulled Nick's bleeding hand over towards the sink, running it under the cold tap, washing away the blood from the wound so he could see the broken glass. From the looks of it, Greg could only see two or three bits in his hand and they weren't in too deep.

"Don't Greg." Nick tugged his hand away from Greg as he attempted to slow the bleeding. Nick pulled away from Greg then dropped to his knees on the floor, crawling into the corner of the cabinets where he rested his back against the cupboard door. He pulled the glass out with his fingers then pulled his knees close to his chest, not caring about the bleeding.

"Nicky, you could hurt yourself even more." Greg dropped to the floor in front of him, wrapping a towel around his hand as the older man sobbed into his knees. Greg snaked his arms around his body, burying his face in his hair as he clutched him tightly in an attempt to comfort the shaking man sat before him.

Greg had never seen him this bad before, it was as though the final wall around the really Nicky came crashing down, tearing down all the barriers he put up to protect himself from things like this happening to him.

Greg clutched him tightly for two hours straight, allowing Nick to feel completely vulnerable in his arms.

About an hour later, Nick's body slowly started to settle from his shakes. He nuzzled closer to Greg, taking in slow deep breaths of his strong masculine scent. "Nicky, babe are you okay?" Greg whispered softly, still clutching him tightly. Nick sniffed back his tears, circling his arms around the warm body beside him. "Talk to me Nicky."

"Greg... your feet are bleedin'." Nick noticed a few seconds later. Greg took a look for himself as he couldn't actually feel any pain. Nick wrapped his arms around him and lifted him as he climbed to his feet so Greg's feet wouldn't touch the floor. He lifted him up onto the counter, taking a closer look at the little bits of glass in his skin. "Can you make it to the car?"

"No! I'm not going to the hospital." Greg protested, shaking his head at him. He reached into one of the cabinets above the sink, retrieving a first aid kit.

"You've _got_ to get over this fear of hospitals G." Nick opened the first aid kit in his hands, patching Greg up for himself.

"Well you've _got_ to get over your thing for breaking bottles when you're angry. I think I preferred it when you just hit stuff." Nick gave him a half smile through the slowly drying tears on his cheeks. "Nick . . . why didn't you ever tell me before?"

"I never tell anybody anythin'." Nick pointed out to him as he carefully pulled a piece of glass from Greg's foot with a pair of tweezers.

Greg flinched then looked up at the man he loved. "But why didn't you tell _me_? I love you."

"You really want to know how pathetic your fiancé is?"

"Nothing about you _is_ or could ever be pathetic." Greg assured him as he reached his hand out to gently brush away his fiancés tears. "You're the strongest, bravest man I know." Nick gave him a half smile, sniffing back the tears that remained in his eyes. "Ow."

"Sorry baby." Nick winced as he looked up at Greg. "Next time, don't walk through the glass."

"I did it for you." Greg flinched as Nick pulled the last piece of glass out. "I'd walk on fire if you were in trouble."

"That's adorable hun." He smiled as he pressed a kiss to his lips. "But you know your mom would kill me if I ever did anythin' to cause you pain." Nick grabbed the bandages from the first aid kit, stuffing them into his back pocket. He snaked his arm underneath Greg's legs, lifting him from the counter and carrying him over the broken glass off towards the living room. Setting Greg down on the sofa, Nick knelt down in front of him and carefully started to bandage his wounds so they would heal faster. "I'll call Grissom and tell him you can't make it in tonight."

"Nicky..."

"No, I'm not takin' no for an answer G. You can't walk on these. You have to keep the weight off." Nick insisted as he secured them in place. "Lucky you're already in you PJ's." He winked as he climbed to his feet, pressing a kiss to the younger mans forehead. He then head back to the kitchen to clean up the glass before Rascal stepped through it and hurt himself too.

Nick washed the blood from the floor before he cleaned and bandaged his own hand, returning to Greg on the sofa.

"Will you talk to me now?" Greg asked as Nick sat down beside him. "I've never seen you lose it so quickly, so it must have been something pretty awful."

"I don't wonna talk about it." Nick dismissed him, lifting Greg's legs up onto his lap so that his feet didn't touch the floor.

"But I gotta know Nicky. I love you more than I've ever loved anything in my whole life. I can't stand to see you like this. I'm scared for you." He spoke softly, looking into Nick's eyes. "I want to know all of you. Why won't you let me in?"

Leaning back against the pillow beside Greg, he laced his good hand with one of Greg's, preparing to open the doorway to the memories locked deep inside of him. "When I was a kid, I used to think . . . that maybe . . . that I wasn't meant to be a boy." He started slowly, avoiding direct eye contact with Greg. "I wasn't like my big brother or my father. I didn't want to play sports or do all the macho things they were doin'. And when I didn't, they'd call me a fag or a little fairy . . . especially when I cried. My sisters always got to cry, just because they were girls. They got to curl up on the sofa with our parents and receive hugs and kisses all the time. Can you forgive a man who makes you feel like you're wrong inside?" He queried as he looked into his partners eyes.

"No." Putting his arms around Nick, he clutched him tightly in his warm embrace. "Did you ever think... that maybe you were..."

"No." Nick shook his head before Greg even finished speaking. "I wasn't a transgender . . . but he made me feel like I wasn't meant to be a boy because I wasn't like them." Greg gently ran his fingers through Nick's hair, holding his head against his shoulder. "That stupid babysitter didn't help. She just proved to me that I wasn't..."

"Boys can be vulnerable too Nicky." He spoke softly, grazing his fingertips across his jaw line.

"I know that now. It was only my father who made me think boys were supposed to be all macho like that." Wiping his hands across his cheeks, Nick nuzzled closer to Greg, feeling safe wrapped up in his strong secure embrace. "I never . . . you know . . . dressed in girls things or anythin' like that. I just thought that I was meant to be one . . . because I wasn't enough of a boy on the inside to match my outsides. I even confused the fact that I liked boys with me bein' wrong, so him sayin' he's proud to call me _his_ gay son . . . it just makes me feel so angry for everythin' he said to me growin' up. He thinks with one stupid letter I'll just forgive him for makin' me feel wrong my whole life." Nick confessed, making tears form in Greg's eyes. "Your parents are supposed to love you for who you are, not bully you into becomin' somethin' you're not meant to be."

Greg just clutched him tighter, deciding not to talk in case he started to babble and made things worse. He knew the letter would upset Nick well before he even opened it, anything about Nick's father upset him, and now Greg felt as though he finally understood why after all this time.

"Do you still love me after findin' that out?" Nick queried as he looked up into Greg's eyes.

Greg looked down at him shocked. "You think I wouldn't?"

"Well, I've never told anyone before."

"Nicky, I just told you that I love you more than I've ever loved anything in my whole life. That will never change, no matter what. My heart and soul belong to you forever." He assured him.

"Why though?" Nick suddenly questioned him. "Why do you love me? I'm so screwed up."

"Name one person you know that isn't." Greg smiled as he cupped his cheeks in his hands. "This whole wedding thing is for our families really. They need proof that we're forever, but as far as I'm concerned we already are. I'll never love anyone or anything more than I love you." He assured him, closing his mouth over Nick's to prove it with a passionate kiss. He then pulled back and gently wiped Nick's tears away with the sleeve of his pyjamas. "And you thinking that I wouldn't after you tell me this, it breaks my heart Nick. It's like you're determined to push me away because you believe that no one can ever love you for who you are. But I do. I love you more than anything Nick."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, just listen to me Nick. I love you. I never want you to change. Ever. I never want you to be anything you're not. There's nothing about you that I would ever want to change for as long as I live. I love you." Nick nodded to him, gently brushing his thumb across Greg's cheek to catch the tear he caused. "Don't say you're sorry." He warned him.

Smiling softly, Nick pulled Greg against his chest, clutching him tightly. "My heart, soul and craziness belongs to you forever too G." He whispered as he smoothed his hands around his body. "I guess you finally figured out my daddy issues huh?"

"Maybe a little." He nodded. "At least we know how not to screw up our kids. Me with my over protective mother and you with..." Greg looked up at him, not wanting to say it out loud.

"I got what you meant, don't worry." Nick smoothed his hands down to Greg's hips, looking him in the eye. "You have no idea how lucky I feel to have you."

"I think I know." Greg swung one of his legs over Nick's so he straddling his thighs then threw his arms tightly around him, clutching him tightly. Nick pulled him closer so their chests were against one another, returning the tight embrace as their heart beats pounded together. "There's nothing you can tell me that would ever make me feel different about you Nick. Nothing." He assured him.

Nick nodded as he closed his eyes; he slid his hands beneath the fabric of Greg's pyjamas, feeling the delicate skin underneath. "I love you too Greg. I'll try not to hurt you next time I have a break down." He whispered against his neck.

"It only hurt to see you like that. I've never seen anyone get under your skin like that." Greg pulled back, sitting on his thighs as he looked him in the eye. "I hate seeing you hurt like that because there's nothing I can do to make it better or to protect you from it."

"You don't have to protect me."

"I do!" He shouted slightly annoyed. "When you hurt I hurt. Is it really that hard to believe that the dorky ex-lab rat loves you more than anything in the world? Have I not proved myself enough? I _want_ to protect you because I love you. You really are _unbelievably_ annoying Nick."

"Wait." Nick stopped him before he climbed off him. "Don't storm off; you'll hurt your feet."

"Fine." Greg huffed in frustration, folding his arms across his chest as he stared at the wall behind Nick.

"What are you doin'?"

"I'm doing what I would be doing if I _had_ stormed off." He explained, still avoiding eye contact with him.

"Okay." Nick struggled not to laugh at how adorable he was. "So this would be the part where I rush after you to apologise and then you love me again?" Greg nodded, keeping his eyes fixated on the wall behind him. "I'm sorry I'm _unbelievably _annoyin'... but you know how screwed up I am, and you look so cute right now."

"Nicky." He groaned, looking down into his eyes. "Focus, you're supposed to be apologising to me here."

"I'm sorry, but you do. The adorable poutin' looks so cute with those PJ's." Greg responded with an eye roll. "I really am sorry Greg. You do make me feel better though. You listen to me and you never judge. Knowin' that you always have my back is protection enough Greg. After this weddin' we never really have to see my father again."

"Is that the way you really want it?"

"Well I still wonna see my Mama, and my brother and sisters. I wonna see my nieces and nephews grow up too. But I'm never gonna have a relationship with him. I don't want to either. He feels like poison in my life Greg. You always had the love and support a child deserves from their mother and father. My Mama let him do that to me because I was supposed to turn out like him."

"Okay." Greg wrapped his arms around his shoulders, looking him in the eye. "I support your decision, one hundred percent. And I accept your apology." He snatched a kiss from his lips then slid his hands down Nick's chest to rest on his hips. "So we've got the whole weekend off together and we started it off with an emotional meltdown huh?"

"Of course, it wouldn't be a Nick and Greg weekend together if we didn't have one." Nick smirked. "At least we have it out of the way though." He rasped as he moved his hands down past the small of Greg's back.

"What is it about these PJ's that always gets you in the mood?" Greg giggled against his parted lips.

"I bought them for you and I love them on you." He smiled as he joined their lips together, sliding his good hand down the front of Greg's chest towards his waist. "Greg, I really don't mean to keep doin' that..."

"Just stop doing it then. I love you. Believe that I love you by hearing me say it to you and the way I let you touch me. I've never let anyone do the things you've done to me. I mean would I be sat here with a raging hard on if I didn't?" He asked him, making Nick grin widely at him.

"Well I dunno. I might have to check for myself." He winked, sliding his hand lower. Greg arched himself into Nick's hand, allowing the older man to dominant his tongue inside his mouth, sensing that Nick needed a little control in his life right now. "I really am sor..."

"Don't." Greg stopped him there, panting his hot breath across his lover's lips. "Just know that I love you. That's all I want you to do, that and to please, please screw me senseless." He whispered before he inched closer to him, covering his mouth with his own as he started to grind his hips against the older mans.

Nick pulled back from his lips, giving him a wide smile. "You're the boss."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Nick needed an emotional meltdown to get over his father issues, so I hope you enjoyed it along with the new character additions at the beginning. Silvia Newman and Jenna will be in a couple of future chapters, not sure how many yet so I hope you enjoyed Silvia Newman's entrance :D**

**Thanks for all your reviews on the last chapter. Please Review.**


	65. Chapter 65: Centre of my World

**Chapter Sixty Five: Centre of my World**

Frantically poking Nick in the stomach, Greg giggled even louder as he tried to distract him from trying to beat him in the race. "Hey!" Nick pouted like a child as he jabbed Greg in the side with his elbow. "Nooo!"

"Yesss!" Greg squealed, straddling Nick's hips as he leant over him to kiss him. "That settles it then. If they perfect the male pregnancy, you're carrying the baby."

Nick threw his head back in laughter then pulled Greg closer against him. "Okay done, next... I think we should bet on who's gonna take a year off from work to take care of it."

"A year?" Greg frowned at him.

"Yeah, what? Too long or not long enough?"

"Not long enough." Greg sighed softly as he wrapped his arms around Nick's shoulders. "My mom quit her job when she had me. Obviously we don't _have_ to do that. But I really missed my dad. I feel like I grew up without him around because he was always working. I don't want our kids to be more attached to one of us then the other."

"You have a great relationship with your dad though."

"Hardly, I barely know him. I know everything about my mom, but my dad feels like a stranger. We do hug, but that was always our thing. He got home late at night and he'd hug me while I was in bed. Then while I was eating in my breakfast in the morning he'd hug me on the way out of the door. I only knew my dad as the man who gave me lots of hugs." Greg explained to him. "Do you want our kids to only know one of us through hugs?"

"No." Nick shook his head, wrapping his arms around Greg. "I always thought you had a great relationship with your dad though."

"Only through hugs. Less than a year ago I found out he's bisexual and he's had a relationship with a man."

"Okay, we'll figure it out when we get to that stage Greg. How about we don't bet on things in our future now?" He suggested.

"Oh my god." Greg suddenly gasped.

"What?"

"I have daddy issues too."

Nick couldn't help but laugh, making Greg scowl at him. "You don't... not that bad anyway. Your daddy issues aren't as bad as mine, and at least your dad makes up for it by bein' there for you, huggin' and kissin' you every chance he gets. Now can we please move onto somethin' happier, I don't need an emotional meltdown a day before I go to work." Nick pointed out to him.

"Sorry." Greg sighed heavily then dropped his head onto Nick's shoulder, clutching him tightly. "I think I was a girl in a former life. It's a shame our neighbours are girls, they could play with us and make this more entertaining."

"You think girls don't play video games?" Nick laughed, shaking his head at Greg who was still relaxing in his arms. "I borrowed this game off Jade." He reminded him.

"Girls do, our new lesbians don't. I never saw them unpacking a TV." Greg smiled up at Nick before he pulled back out of his arms, listening to something in the distance. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"_Fuck!" _A female's voice groaned from the neighbouring house.

Greg looked up at Nick with a cheeky smile on his face. "See, told yah. They use other things to entertain themselves rather than computer games."

"That sounded more like pain... then happy noises." Nick chuckled.

"How do you explain the banging then?"

Nick shrugged to him, pulling Greg back into his arms as he started up another game. "They just moved in, they're fixin' up their house." Nick surmised.

"You have no imagine." Greg rolled his eyes at him as he had no imagination at all.

"I highly doubt they're over there havin' sex at this time of the day G. They've got three kids."

"Does that mean when we have kids when can't have sex anymore?" Greg looked at him open mouthed. "Maybe we should reconsider this whole kids things... at least until we're past our prime and can no longer get it up."

Nick just laughed, shaking his head at him. "Parents do have sex Greg. I just meant not at this time of the day with those three kids runnin' around."

"I don't believe you."

* * *

"Oh fuck, oh fuck. Fuck!" Jenna shouted at the top of her lungs.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Silvia asked as she ran up the stairs into the bedroom where Jenna was attempting to hang some pictures.

"I just hit my fucking thumb with the fucking hammer!" She shouted, waving her thumb around. "I can't look, is there blood?" Squinting her eyes together, she held out her thumb to her partner.

"No." Silvia checked her throbbing thumb carefully. "It's fine. Let's go run it under the cold tap and put some ice on it though." She suggested, leading her off down the stairs towards the kitchen. "You shouldn't swear so loud babe, our neighbours are gonna think we're a bunch of sinners."

"You worry too much." Jenna snickered, flinching as her thumb came in contact with the ice cold water. "Ow fuck!"

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" Eight year old Oscar screamed as he ran down the stairs.

"What?" Silvia groaned as she retrieved some ice from the freezer.

"There's water all over the bathroom!" He shouted, making the two women look round at the dripping wet little boy.

"Oh shit!" Jenna shouted, rushing off up the staircase to take a look for herself. "Bugger! We have to call a plumber or something Silvy!" Silvia ran into the room watching Jenna trying to stop the tap from spraying water everywhere with a towel. "Fuck, what are we supposed to do?"

"Turn the tap off!" Silvia squealed making Jenna roll her eyes round at her.

"The fucking tap fell off, how do you propose I turn it off dimwit?" Jenna shouted at her as if she was stupid.

"Oh," Silvia handed her another towel then looked around the room anxiously. "Hold on, I'll be right back."

"Where could you possibly be going?" Jenna screamed after her, but Silvia was already off down the stairs and out the front door so she couldn't answer.

* * *

Nick pecked a kiss to Greg's forehead then scrambled off the sofa, heading off towards the front door as he heard a frantic knocking. He pushed Rascal back from the door with his foot then pulled it open to see a woman with shoulder length brown hair and a soaked pink blouse. "Um... hello." He awkwardly answered.

"Hi, you don't know me. I'm not some crazy stalker or a freak or anything weird like that." The woman rushed to explain, making him only frown at her even more. "I'm Silvia Newman your new neighbour; I met your partner Gary or something the other week."

"Greg." He corrected her, hearing Greg laughing in the background.

Silvia burst into giggles, shaking her head at herself. "Sorry, I have a terrible thing with names. Anyway, more to the point of why some strange woman is knocking on your door." She giggled. "Do you happen to know anything about plumbing?"

"Um... not exactly." He shook his head slightly as he ran his hand through his hair. "What's up?"

"Oh, our son somehow managed to knock the tap off and there's water spraying everywhere."

"Oh, well you need to turn the water off then." Silvia tilted her head to the side as she looked at him confused. "I'll be back in a minute Greg." He shouted to him then grabbed his house key off the side table then stepped out the door, pulling it shut behind him to help her out.

Nick head straight through to the kitchen, pulling open the cupboards under the sink. He looked at all the pipes under there then found the shut off valve, turning it off for her. "There you go."

"Wow! It's really that simple?" Silvia gasped then ran to the foot of the stairs. "Did it stop Jenna?" She shouted up the staircase.

"Yes!" A voice shouted back. "Thank the fuck."

Silvia giggled then head back into the kitchen. "Thank you, Nick isn't it?"

"Yeah," He nodded, shaking her hand. "Nick Stokes." He properly introduced himself, looking at the mess of their house. There were boxes stacked in every room along with toys and bubble wrap all across the floor.

"Thank you so much Nick." She smiled as she led him off towards the front door. "I'll try to visit when I don't have a crisis next time." As she giggled her wavy hair bounced on her shoulders.

Nick nodded to her as he stepped out the front door. He could feel her eyes burning into him as he walked off down the drive, around the fence and back up his driveway towards his front door. "You weren't kiddin'." Nick stated as he head off back into the front room where Greg was still sat.

"Huh?" Greg looked at him confused.

"That Silvia, she does talk a lot... and not in the cute Greg Sanders way." Nick smirked as he dropped to the sofa beside Greg, pulling him back into his arms.

"I told yah." Greg giggled, leaning back across Nick's shoulder to kiss him. "See, Jade's a cool girl. But those two... I haven't actually met Jenna yet, but Silvia is _so_ annoying!" He declared, making Nick nod in agreement. "I'm hungry, are you hungry?"

Before waiting for an answer, Greg dropped his controller onto the sofa then rushed off to the kitchen to find something to eat.

Nick checked his watch against the clock on the wall then turned the computer game off, following Greg into the kitchen. "I'm gonna stay up all night tonight so I sleep tomorrow ready for my first shift..."

"As Detective Stokes?" Greg finished his sentence, smiling round at him proudly. "The glorious hot and studdly Detective Nicholas Stokes. Can I be your first strip search?" He asked with a wide luscious smile plastered across his lips.

"Detective's don't strip search." Nick laughed as his adorable lover.

"I'm sure you can make an exception for me." He grinned, tilting his head to the side as Nick continued to laugh. "I'll have to do something very bad to get you to tie me up."

"You're lovin' this way too much." Nick smirked. "Technically it's just a drive around, but yeah. You should get some sleep though. You were up all night from your shift then you've been hangin' out with me all day, you're gonna be exhausted for your shift tonight."

"It's only _just_ hit noon." Greg pointed out to him. "I've got plenty of time to sleep. And I'm starving." Greg grinned at him as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Mmmm, what's the smell?" The Texan suddenly noticed.

Greg pointed to the oven. "Cinnamon and Almond croissants, you want one?"

"Yes please." Nick nodded, reaching for a coffee mug for himself to fill it up while Greg got the croissants out of the oven. Greg dropped a hot croissant onto a plate for Nick, quickly blowing his fingers as he realised it was hot. "That's why most people use gloves." Nick pointed out to him, pecking a kiss to his neck as he took the plate from him. "Thanks. Did you make em?"

"Nope, store bought. I just heated em up." Greg put his palms up on the counter, pulling himself up to sit on it while he ate his own.

"You never make me anythin' anymore."

"I did... fajitas." Greg remembered, making Nick frown at him. "I made them from scratch."

"You made _me_ chop the vegetables and things; you just stirred and put it together." Nick chuckled, sitting down on one of the stools in front of Greg. "You used to make cookies and muffins and..."

"Stuff you don't allow me to eat because of your new diet." Greg interrupted him. "I'm surprised you're letting me eat these." He grinned down at him as he took another bite of the croissant.

"These are delicious." Nick finished his off then jumped to his feet, snatching a kiss from Greg's lips. "I really do wish you'd stop sittin' on the counters too, you're settin' a bad example for our kids."

"What kids?" Greg grinned as he looked around the empty room. "Will you punish me for it?"

"No." He laughed, shaking his head as Greg gave him an adorable pout. "Now if you don't mind yah horny lil perv, I've got laundry to do." Nick smiled at him then loaded his plate into the dishwasher before he head off into the utility room to start on the laundry.

"What did Silvia want then?" Greg suddenly queried as he jumped off the counter, leaving his plate on the side as he rushed into the utility room after Nick.

"She didn't know how to turn the water off. They got a burst tap or somethin'." Nick loaded some things into the dryer then looked round at Greg. "You got anythin' to go in the wash?"

Greg gave him a shrug then looked down at the clothes he was wearing, noticing a peanut butter stain from yesterday. "These."

"Take em off."

"Why Detective Stokes, I thought you'd never ask." He cheekily grinned at him, grabbing the rim of his t-shirt and slowly slid it up his chest.

"Quicker than that G." He laughed. "I've got other things to do."

"I love it when you're so demanding." The younger man rasped, quickly sliding his t-shirt up over his head and throwing it towards Nick who smiled back at him, rolling his eyes as Greg did a quick strip tease, throwing him his clothes.

"You're so adorkable Greg." He laughed at him, loading his things into the washer.

"Hey, who's supposed to do the laundry when you go back to work?" Greg suddenly asked him as he realised his domestic Nicky would be going back to work again.

"I can still do it." Nick tugged Greg closer by the rim of his jeans, tugging them down the rest of the way as he was taking so long. Greg gave him a wide grin as he hooked his thumbs into his boxers, tugging them down off his legs. "Jeez Greg, is sex all you ever think about?" He laughed.

"Of course. Who wouldn't if they were here... all alone, with you." Greg flashed him another grin then whirled around, grabbing an ironed pair of pyjama bottoms to put on while Nick searched his jeans pockets before loading them into the washer too.

"You know, you could help out every once in a while too G." Nick pointed out to him then head off into the kitchen, noticing Greg's plate was left on the side. "Like this for instance!" He shouted back to him.

Greg quickly ran round the counter and picked it up, giving Nick an innocent smile as he loaded it into the dishwasher. "See, already helping."

"It's a start." Nick smiled at him, straightening the plate in the dishwasher as Greg put it in at an angle.

"So, do Silvia and Jenna have the perfect family life with kids and all?" He queried, grabbing his coffee off the side.

Nick gave him a shrug as he wiped down the crumbs off the counter. "I didn't see the kids. I saw toys... and mess."

Greg giggled as he knew how much he hated mess. "You know Jade took a plumbing course in college if you wanted to be a good neighbour."

"Jade hates people." Nick smirked. "She won't be able to tolerate Silvia and she'll hate me for givin' them her name."

"O-kay." Greg smiled up at him as he took a few steps closer towards him. "You going to group therapy today?"

"Yep, same time you leave. You wonna lift?"

"Yep, and I'll call you after for the firearms training." He assured him. "Just don't tell my mom, she'll call off the whole wedding and completely deny your existence."

"Okay." Nick smiled at him. "Speakin' of, you haven't called your mother today Greg, and you know how she gets." He warned him, gently tickling his sides as they both head off towards the front room to sit on the sofa again. "Call your mother then you have to go to bed."

"Okay." Reluctantly, Greg reached for the phone, licking his sticking fingertips before he hit her speed dial, dropping onto the sofa behind him, setting his coffee down on the table in front of him. "You don't mind if I tell her that you refused to strip search me do yah?"

"Don't you dare." Nick warned him, laughing as he said it. "Detectives don't strip search, but you know I'll do you whenever you like."

"Oh... is that a promise?" Greg rasped, leaning back into his embrace.

"No more computer games for you, they make you too horny." Nick laughed then set the phone on speaker so he could hear what they were saying about him.

"_Hello Gregory, I was just about to call you."_ Jeans voice rang through the phone.

"Hi mom, you're on speaker so don't embarrass Nick." He warned her.

"_Hello Nicky, and I have no idea what you're talking about Gregory. I never embarrass him." _Greg rolled his eyes as he looked up at Nick.

"Hi Jean." Nick finally answered.

"_Hello dear, so what's new with you two?"_

"Nick's pregnant." Greg teased, getting tickled by Nick. "I was kidding. He just has this warm glow because he helped out our lesbo neighbours in a crisis."

"_You have lesbian's neighbours?"_ Jean gasped surprised.

"I know. They're letting all sorts move in this place now." Greg joked, reaching for his coffee. "Hey mom how's Nana, wasn't her doctor's appointment today?"

"_Yes, good memory. It's not Alzheimer's, no need to worry sweetheart, she's just getting old. She's going in for another hearing check up at the end of the week. The doctor recons she needs a new hearing aid, but she's otherwise okay."_

"Good." Greg sighed relieved.

"_Did you give Nicky his present yet? He leaves for his group meeting soon doesn't he?"_ Jean queried as she checked her watch.

Greg quickly scrambled off the sofa as he had completely forgotten. "You got me a present?" Nick asked surprised as he watched Greg rifling through the cabinet draws the TV was set on.

"_I guess he forgot then."_ Jean chuckled, shaking her head at her little boy through the phone.

Greg head back over to the sofa, handing Nick a rectangular object in a brown paper bag as he sat down beside him again. Nick looked at it curiously then unravelled the bag, pulling out a book. "You bought me a book?" He asked surprised. Greg nodded, looking at Nick's expression as he studied the cover. "I can't get over it. A handbook for trauma survivors." He looked back at Greg once he had read the cover.

"Don't look at me like that. I thought it might help you. It's supposed to be the best PTSD book around. Instead of dictating the symptoms and stuff, it lists exercises and things of stuff you can do when you're having a panic attack or suffering from the symptoms. I read it shortly after I got out of the hospital because my mother bought it for me," He smiled softly. "But I never actually bothered to finish it since I wasn't all that hyped up on living." Nick looked up at Greg surprised. "That's all changed now though." He smiled as he wrapped his arms around Nick's shoulders. "I have you . . . and I love you so much."

"You mean if I wasn't here with you . . . you'd off yourself?" Greg responded with a shrug, almost bringing a tear to Nick's eye. "That's awful Greg; I can't believe you'd do that."

"I'm not as bad as I was then though Nicky. You saved my life in so many ways. I'm better than I was. You completely changed my life." Greg snatched a kiss from Nick's lips, gently caressing his cheek as he stared lovingly into his deep dark eyes. "I love you Nick."

"_This is all very romantic and all,"_ Jean's voice cut through the silence. "_But more to the point, did you just say what I think you said Gregory?"_

"I fully intended to finish reading it." Greg assured her.

"_No, no... not that part."_ Jean shook her head into her phone. "_The other part..."_

"Oh look at the time, must go." Greg rushed to end their phone call.

"_Gregory you hang up on me and I swear I'll fly right over there and ask you face to face."_

"I should leave you two alone a moment." Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's forehead then quickly made his way off out the room to go and check on Rascal.

"Mom, I didn't mean it. Besides, you have no idea what it's like to be hated by everyone when I was only trying to do the right thing." Greg complained to her. "I never actually did it or planned on doing it, I just felt kinda like it."

"_I understand honey."_ Jean spoke softly. "_It hurts me more then you'll ever understand to think of you in that much pain."_

"I know mom. I really gotta go though. I love you."

"_I love you too honey."_

Greg hung up the phone then climbed off the sofa to look for Nick. He found him sat on the back doorstep, flipping through the first few pages of the book Greg had just given him. Greg leant over him to press a kiss to the top of his head. "Do you like it?"

"Uh huh," Nick turned around, gently tugging Greg closer to him to give him a more passionate kiss. "I love you Greg." He pulled him into his arms, clutching his warm body tightly against his chest. "I don't know what I'd do without you baby." He whispered against his neck.

"Does that mean I _don't_ have to go to LA?"

Nick shook his head. "There is no way in hell I'm lettin' you miss that." Cupping the younger mans cheeks in his hands; he gave him a tender kiss then gently brushed his fingers through his hair as he looked him in the eye. "I can't wait to marry you."

"Does that mean I get sex before bed?" Greg grinned widely at him.

"Only because you're so incredibly cute." Nick smiled at him then tugged him to his feet. "No time for strip search or anythin' kink either. I gotta take Rascal for a walk. He's been desperate for one for hours but I was hangin' out with you."

"Just enough to put me to sleep." Greg smiled as he led the way off up the stairs to their bedroom. Greg dropped to the bed first, spreading his legs as he grinned up at Nick.

Nick smiled back at him then tugged up his own t-shirt, leaning between Greg's legs to join their lips together. He abruptly pulled back as he heard someone knocking on the door, leaving Greg to look up at him confused. "I'll be right back baby."

"Nooo." Greg complained, dropping back to the bed as Nick grabbed his t-shirt then rushed off down the stairs, opening the door to Silvia.

"Hi, I'm really sorry to bother you again Nate."

"Nick." He corrected her, making her giggle in hysterics again.

"I'm so sorry, I told you..."

"You have a thing with names." Nick finished her sentence for her, making her laugh again. Nick frowned at her slightly annoyed, folding his arms across his chest to show his annoyance.

"Sorry. I know this is a lot to ask since I've only just met you. But I've gotta rush Jenna off to the hospital..."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she hit her thumb earlier with a hammer, and she just did it again and there's a bone sticking out... not to go into too much detail, but it looks pretty gross. So I have a really huge favour to ask of you. And I know I just met you, but I don't normally do this." She tried to assure him. "Can you please look after the kids for a couple of minutes?"

"Your kids?" He asked surprised.

"Yeah, Oscar, Louise and our little baby Chase." She indicated towards them. "Just for a few minutes while I get Jenna off to the hospital. I would take them with me, but they're a real pain in the... I mean they're very behaved, but not in public places." She quickly corrected.

"I understand." He nodded to her. "I could do that."

"Seriously? Oh my god thanks so much. You're a star. If you ever need a babysitter or anything, the answer will always be yes." Silvia suddenly whipped her head around, calling her kids up the driveway. She ushered the three kids into Nick's house, hugging Nick before she rushed off down the drive to where her partner was waiting in the car in agony. "You're a life saver Nigel!" Silvia shouted up the drive, making Nick roll his eyes at her again.

Closing the door once their crazy mother was gone, Nick looked at the three children stood before him who each had a toy in their hands, staring up at him with their big curious eyes. "Hi, I'm Nick." He introduced himself to them, watching them blinking a few times as they continued to stare. "Um... you can go through to the livin' room. I'll be right back." Nick watched the three of them wandering off into the front room, the youngest two year old one being dragged along by Oscar before he rushed up the stairs to talk to Greg.

"I'm really sorry babe. Silvia had to..."

"I heard." The grouch moaned, crawling under the covers. "I'll just have to visualize one of our other times together and hope it sends me off to sleep."

"Okay." Nick pressed a kiss to his forehead giving him a soft smile. "G'night G." He whispered before he slowly head off out the room, closing the door behind him before he head back down to the front room, noticing Oscar had managed to turn on his computer game, Louise was sat on the floor brushing her dolls hair and . . .

"Where's Chase?" Nick asked them both as he saw the teddy she was holding on the floor, but no sign of the little girl. Both children shrugged to him before they continued with what they were doing.

Nick searched everywhere in the front room then head off into Greg's office, the dining room, lobby and kitchen before he spotted her wandering off into the utility room. He quickly rushed in after her, noticing she had followed Rascal in as he was thirsty.

"Where you goin'?" Nick whispered to her as he swept her up into his arms, admiring her little pink ribbons in her hair, tying back her locks of black hair into pig tails. Nick carried her back off towards the front room, grabbing her teddy off the floor as he took her over to the couch to sit down with her on his lap.

Nick soon found out that they were very well behaved kids, and very quiet too. Five year old Louise talked to him occasionally, explaining that her doll was going into a fashion show and she needed help with the hairstyles for each outfit change, but Nick only knew how to do pig tails or a pony tail so he wasn't much help.

Greg struggled to sleep for ages so he soon decided to get dressed and join Nick, noticing he looked like a natural parent with Chase on his lap, Louise sat one side of him and Oscar the other. "Hey Greg, you're supposed to be sleepin'." Nick smiled up at him.

"I can't sleep." He complained.

"Okay . . . Greg, this is Louise, Chase and Oscar. Louise, show your doll to Greg, I'm sure he knows how to do some hairstyles for you."

Louise looked round at Nick then jumped off the sofa with her doll in hand, heading over to Greg. "Dis is Cynthia." She showed him her doll. "Say hewwo Gweg."

Greg smiled in awe, glancing up at Nick before he crouched down to her level. "Hello Cynthia. That's a very pretty gown she's wearing Louise."

"She's going in fashion show." Louise handed Greg a small plastic brush that had pearls on the handle. "Can you brush her hair?"

Nick smiled as he watched Greg showing Louise how to tie the dolls hair into braids, making her look more stylish for her fashion show. Greg had always thought he wouldn't make a very good father, but watching Greg with Louise, he seemed like a natural.

Silvia soon returned from the hospital alone, letting her mother in law into her house before she rushed over to Nick and Greg's to check on her children. Nick had fallen fast asleep on the couch, leaving Greg to look after them for the past three hours, having a great time. He was a little sad to see them go, but Silvia assured him whenever they needed a babysitter he'd be the first one they call.

Greg quickly woke Nick up before he got too much sleep, giving him a wide grin as he looked up at him. Nick rubbed his eyes then looked around the room, immediately asking, "Did Silvia come back for them?" just in case Greg had lot them while he was asleep.

"Yep." The younger man nodded.

"Now I feel old." He complained, rubbing his eyes open.

"Why?" Greg queried, relaxing on the sofa beside him.

"Afternoon nap while playin' with the kids, I rarely ever just pass out on the sofa like this." Nick yawned then turned his body slightly so he could hug his lover beside him. "You have lipstick on your cheek." He noticed.

"Silvia kissed me." Greg raised his hand to rub it off, moving his hand as Nick pushed it aside to do it for him. "She wanted to thank us for doing this for her, so she decided to kiss me."

"Because you flirt so much." Nick snickered, tugging Greg to his feet. "You really _have_ to get off to bed. You're gonna get a three hour sleep tops before you have to go into work." Nick led him off up the stairs towards the bedroom, quickly removing his clothes and pushing him back onto the bed. "You're really good with kids Greg."

"You think so?"

"Yeah." Nick softly tickled Greg's exposed stomach as he lay down beside him. "Maybe you can flirt us up a woman who'd be willin' to be our surrogate?"

"I wasn't flirting. Can I help it that they find me so attractive?" Greg cheekily grinned up at his jealous fiancé. "They're just so hot for my body." He rasped as he slid his hands across his chest, taunting Nick into touching him. "Even Otis, he's always checking out my arse when I bend over to get the paper in the morning." Greg rolled over, wiggling his butt up at Nick to taunt him even more. "I recon one morning he's just gonna hop right over the fence and..."

"Stop it." Nick laughed, tickling him furiously again, making his lover giggle and squirm beneath him.

"Can I help that they want me so badly?" Greg deviously snickered. "I suppose it doesn't help that I was wearing those... tight... short... cotton briefs." He teased him in a sexy rasp.

"Right, that's it." Nick grabbed Greg's thigh to turn his body over so he was facing away from him, slipping his hand beneath the soft cotton fabric of his underwear. Greg girlishly giggled as Nick did, feeling his possessive hand squeezing his butt cheek as his other arm slipped around his chest, pulling him against his body, gently starting to nip and suck on the younger mans neck before he softly bit down on his shoulder. "You're mine Sanders." He rasped against his ear, swirling his tongue behind it as his hardened groin entered the younger mans tight body.

"Oh Detective Stokes!" He cried, gasping as Nick slid all the way inside with a slight burn of pain. "Mmmm, don't stop." He whimpered.

"You've been a very bad boy Greg Sanders." Nick whispered as he softly bit Greg's earlobe. "And you know what happens to bad boys."

"God yes." The younger man gasped, leaning back against the jealous man's body behind him, ready to take his licks.

* * *

Catherine watched as Greg dropped into his seat at the conference table then quickly leapt up as if he had just sat on a nail. He readjusted himself, trying to reduce the pressure on his bottom then looked up at Catherine who was staring at him funny. "What?"

"Are you okay Greggy?"

"Uh huh... I... I fell down the stairs. On my arse." He lied, unable to hide a cheeky grin as Catherine caught sight of the gentle bruise of teeth marks on his neck. "So, what did you wonna see me about?" He causally asked her, lifting his hips again as he slightly winced and pulling his shirt collar up higher to cover Nick's teeth marks.

"Well, for starters you and this cheerleader victim have something in common."

"Really, like what?"

"You were both attacked by a wild animal." She snickered just as Warrick and Grissom walked in to join the meeting. Greg tried not to laugh, but it just managed to escape his lips, making Grissom and Warrick wonder what was going on.

Greg gulped hard, leaning back in his seat as much as he could from the pain in his backside.

* * *

"Nicky! I'm so gonna punish you, I've been walking like a cowboy all day and my arse is..." Greg stopped talking as he saw his mom and dad sat in the kitchen with Nick. "Fuuuccck!" He cringed, looking at the wide smile on his mothers face. Nick was blushing bright red and his father was sipping his coffee, pretending he hadn't heard anything. "Hi Mom. Hi Dad. Yeah so Nicky, don't iron my jeans again!" Greg scolded him, nervously trying to cover what he had almost said, but they all knew what he really meant, leaving the room in an awkward state of silence.

"So Gregory, how was your day at work?" Jean finally broke through the silence, giving him a devious smile.

"Fine." Greg nervously smiled at her, making his way to the counter, desperately trying not to walk like a cowboy. "So, what are you guys doing here?" He asked, starting to hate these drop by visits more and more.

"Well, your father and I came over to invite you over for Christmas. We've invited Nick's parents already. They'll be staying for a couple of days and I want you two there too." Jean explained.

Greg nervously bit his lip as he looked towards Nick. "Well, I'd love to mom. But they're rescheduling my book tour..."

"You're going to be away on Christmas?" Jean practically screamed at him then looked towards Nick who seemed to already know about it. "What day do you get back?"

"Um... day before Christmas."

"Where is it?" She demanded to know.

"LA." He quickly answered, making Nick roll his eyes at him as he always broke to his mother.

"Well then that's settled. Nick can drive down the same time his parents are flying over and you can join us once your book tours over." Jean reasoned with him, watching him nodding as he gave in again. "Good, we'll see you then. C'mon Daniel, we've got a lot to do." Jean pecked a kiss to her son's cheek then went to grab her purse and coat. "Safe sex honey." She cheekily winked to him.

"Wasn't my idea." Daniel defended himself as he went to hug his son.

"That's okay dad." Greg smiled at him, hugging him tightly. He spotted Nick giving him a look as he clutched his father tightly, a look that could mean 'Lucky' for even being able to hug his father. Greg felt guilty for hugging his dad in front of Nick so he quickly pulled back, giving him a wide smile.

Daniel caught onto the look in his son's eye, somehow managing to interpret what he was thinking as he turned round to hug Nick. "See you later Nick." He gave him a pat on the back then made his way back over to his son, giving him another quick hug before he pecked a kiss to his forehead and rushed out after his wife as she was calling him to hurry up.

Greg watched them both leave then turned to look at Nick, giving him a soft smile before he wrapped his arms around him, clutching him tightly. "Are you okay Nicky?"

"They weren't here that long." Nick pulled back to give him a passionate kiss. "Does it really hurt that much baby?" Nick immediately asked as he remembered what Greg had said when he walked in.

"No." Greg grinned widely as Nick wrapped his arms him, placing his hands on the younger mans tender bottom. "Just no going near my back door for at least a week and a half." He snickered softly as he knew that was Nick's favourite thing to do.

"Greg, I really wonna talk to you about somethin'."

"Sure, what is it?" Greg winced as he sat himself down on one of the stools.

"I want kids." Greg widened his eyes slightly as he looked up at him. "I'm thirty seven years old Greg. I'm gonna be forty before I know it, meanin' I'm gonna be in my sixties when our kid leaves for college."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but I don't have a uterus."

"Greg please, no jokes." Nick stopped him there. "Call me a woman or whatever, but I really want kids. And seein' you with Silvia and Jenna's kids, I know you want them too."

"I thought we agreed not until after we're married?"

"Less than four months Greg." He pointed out to him. "And you said nothin's written in stone. Make me a promise. I really want kids."

"Am I not good enough for you?" Greg asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Of course you are. You know how much I want kids though Greg. I wonna be with you for the rest of my life, but I also want to have kids to care for and watch them grow up."

Greg gulped hard then tugged Nick closer towards him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. "Okay. Surrogacy or Adoption?" Nick looked at him surprised. "You think I _don't_ want kids? They're cute, loveable... they're a lot of responsibility, and hard on marriages because we'll always be tired... but I do really want to experience parenthood. I just want us both to be ready. Don't you want that?"

Nick nodded to him. "Of course I do. If you didn't want them I'd learn to live with it. I love you more than anythin'. I just want a promise that one day we'll have kids."

"So we can at least experience our marriage before we start, at least for about... a year or half a year before we start popping out kids?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around Nick. "You're not old Nicky. You're never gonna _be_ old. And you're far too young to have a midlife crisis. But I promise you . . . one day in our not too distant future, _we_ will definitely have kids."

Nick smiled softly then wrapped his arms around Greg, clutching him tightly. "This is why I love you."

Greg smiled wider as he gently ran his fingers through Nick's soft hair. "Is this because Warrick was accused of murdering that stripper girl the other week? Because he was cleared."

"I know. But his life's such a mess." Nick closed his eyes against Greg's shoulder, circling his hands around on his back. "I still find it hard to believe that we're together. Nothin' has ever gone right for me before, which is why I don't wonna waste a single moment of it."

"Me either." Greg agreed then pulled back to look Nick in the eye. "But we don't have to cram everything into one year. We'll definitely have kids before your... forty five at the latest, but we've got plenty of time until then to just be... us."

"Done, now getcha arse upstairs." Nick instructed him as he pulled back from his arms.

"Oh no Nicky, I don't think I could take anymore."

"Not for that." Nick laughed, shaking his head at him. "Someone needs a nice relaxin' massage. Next time tell me when I'm goin' too hard."

"I love it when you're hard though." Greg cheekily giggled then led the way off up the stairs to the bedroom for his relaxing massage.

* * *

**So sorry for the wait! I had a mad case of writers block for this story. I couldn't think of a thing to write but I managed to whip this up in one afternoon. I hope you enjoy it! Please Review**


	66. Chapter 66: Framed

**Chapter Sixty Six: Framed**

"Calm down!" Vartann snapped at the man in front of him. "We received a report from one of the neighbours about your daughter. They said they heard screaming, so they called us in to check it out." Vartann paused to check on Nick who was looking around the house curiously like the CSI he used to be. "Now just let us see her and see she's okay then we'll leave." He instructed, trying to persuade the hostile man into letting them look around.

"I don't know where she is!" The man clearly lied as he anxiously watched Nick looking through his things. "Hey, don't touch that!"

Nick raised his hands, slowly backing away from it. "I'm sorry, just there's blood on this lamp shade." He indicated towards it.

"So?" He snapped at him. "What's that gotta do with anything? It's my house, I cut my finger."

"Sir, your daughter?" Vartann asked again, worrying about her even more now that Nick had found blood.

"She's always going out and she never tells me where she's going."

"Okay sir, mind if we look around?" Nick queried in a calm tone of voice even though he could clearly see that the man was lying and to top it off there were fingernail scratches up his right arm.

"Unless you got a warrant," Folding his arms across his chest, the stubborn man gave them both an evil smirk. "Then there's no chance in hell. Get the hell outta my house before I file a complaint."

"Go ahead." Vartann threatened then listened carefully hearing a female voice. Vartann watched the blood draining from the man's face then looked towards Nick giving him a slight nod.

Vartann slowly reached for the clip of his gun instructing the man, "Stay here with me. Nick, go check that out."

"Hey, you can't do that!" The man protested. Nick looked up as he heard a banging noise coming from deeper inside the house. The man was looking more and more like a suspect now as he looked very anxious at hearing the banging. "It's just the dryer, it bangs about a bit."

"Mind if I take a look." Nick made sure that Vartann was staying with the suspect then placed one hand on his holster while he head off through the house towards the daughter's bedroom, hearing the banging getting louder and her screams more desperate.

Nick unbolted the locks on the outside of her door then carefully pushed the door open to the dark, icy cold room inside.

Slowly rounding the corner towards the bathroom, he saw a young girl, bloody and bruised chained to the taps of the bathtub, kicking the wall with her bloody feet which was causing the banging noise. "Vartann, call the paramedics!" Nick shouted out to him, holstering his weapon while he rushed towards her to help her.

Vartann quickly got on the radio for paramedics and CSI's while Nick helped the young girl out of the bathtub. He was furious when he saw the blood dribbling down her thighs and the bruises on her neck. More than anything right now he wanted to march right out there and put a bullet between the father's eyes for doing this to his fifteen year old daughter.

But his priority right now had to be to help her.

* * *

Nick watched as the nurse drew the curtain around his teenager's bed. He turned to lean back against the wall, feeling his lower lip trembling as that poor girl had to have another human being looking and touching her fragile body that had already been exposed and torn apart by her own father.

Nick looked up as his best friend Warrick slowly made his way down the hall towards him with his CSI kit in hand. "Nick, what are you still doing here?" Warrick immediately asked. "CSI's have got the case now."

"Um... I promised Ashley I wouldn't go." He pointed over his shoulder into the room. "She asked me to stay with her."

"Oh." Warrick nodded, knowing how much Nick always bonded with child victims. "You know that you can't collect evidence though right?"

"Of course I know that." Nick snapped at him. "Ashley asked me to stay with her because she was scared, so I'm stickin' to my word." He simply told him then saw Greg making his way through the hall towards him behind Warrick. "You both got assigned this case?" Nick queried.

"Nope, Grissom put me on this one. Greg's victims in surgery." Warrick turned to look at Greg as he stopped beside his fiancé, wrapping his arms around him for a brief hug. "Greggo, Griss is gonna kill you if he finds out you stopped by for a social visit with your boyfriend." He warned him.

"That's _fiancé_. And I asked Grissom before I did." Greg informed him then snatched a kiss from Nick. "Are you okay Nicky?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Nick nodded to him, smiling softly to him as he wrapped one arm around him. "You should get back to work though G. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

"I will. I just wanted to check on you first." Greg leant forwards again, stealing a passionate kiss from Nick's lips before he turned around and walked back out the hospital to his car outside. Nick watched him go, waving after him as he turned back to look.

"What are you gonna do without each other?" Warrick chuckled softly to him then turned more serious as a nurse came out of the girl's room, handing the sexual assault kit over to Warrick. "You documented her injuries too?" He queried.

"Yep," The nurse handed everything over to him then looked towards Nick. "She's wants to see you now Detective Stokes."

Nick nodded to her then watched her walking away back to her nurses station before he looked towards Warrick. "Five minutes. I'll tell her that she has to tell you everythin', and I won't invade on your case I swear."

"Where's Vartann anyway?" Warrick queried. "Aren't you supposed to be shadowing him?"

"I was. He had to go and do a hit and run on the other side of town, so he told me to stay here. I won't interfere I swear." He assured him again.

Warrick gave out a heavy sigh then nodded to his friend. "Go ahead, five minutes then I wonna talk to her. If she wants you in the room though that's okay."

Nick gave him a slight smile then head off into the room, carefully clicking the door shut behind him before he walked round the curtain, looking at the young girl sat on the middle of the bed with her knees pulled close to her chest. Nick cleared his throat to get her attention then slowly made his way round to the side of her bed. "Hi Ashley," He spoke softly. "You wanted to see me?"

"You said I'd have to talk to some CSI's about what happened to me?" Her voice was shaky and her lower lip quivered from her fear.

"I can be in the room if you want. They just need to know what happened to you so they can send your dad away so he can't hurt you anymore." He explained to her, resting his hands on the railing of her bed. "I know it's hard Ashley..."

"It's okay." She interrupted him, inhaling a deep breath as she sniffed back the tears in her eyes. "I can do it."

"Okay, he's right outside. He's a friend of mine so I know he'll go easy on you." Nick assured her then slowly head off towards the door to call Warrick in so he could start asking her some questions about what had happened to her.

* * *

Exiting the hospital, Greg head off towards his car with his kit in hand. He walked slower as he spotted a suspicious looking man sat in a car across the parking lot from his, watching it like a hawk. The car seemed to be quite new, but the shiny blue surface was smeared with mud. Greg stopped walking as he felt his phone vibrating against his hip, quickly lifting it before it started to ring, but the driver already looked up at him, giving him a curious look. "Yeah?" Greg spoke softly into his cell phone.

"_Greg its Brass, we got a make and model on that car."_

"Lemme guess, navy blue Honda Civic?" Greg queried, looking at the man staring right back at him.

"_It always creeps me out when Grissom does that,"_ Brass involuntary shivered, giving the young CSI a smirk. "_Okay, how did you do that Sanders?"_

"Because it's sat right in front of me watching my car." Greg's stomach churned as the man with piercing dark green eyes climbed out of his car. "He's at the hospital parking lot right now." Greg dropped his kit to the floor, slowly taking a few steps back. He didn't want to over react in case it was nothing, but the man was walking right towards him and Greg was still unarmed as he had yet to take his firearms training.

"_Hold on Greg, I'm coming out. Don't engage."_ Brass warned him, rushing off down the staircase of the hospital so he could get to Greg in time.

Greg's breathing suddenly became heavier as the man got closer and closer towards him. He dropped his cell phone holding hand to his side, gulping hard as the man stopped dead in front of him.

Greg could no longer move as the man stared into his eyes, turning him into stone from his fear.

"Excuse me," The man spoke in a scratchy voice. "Are you the CSI working on my sister's case?"

"S-sis-ter?" Greg's voice croaked as he looked up at the tall monstrous man towering over him.

"Cassie. I saw you at the house right?" The man looked at Greg, wondering why he was so nervous. "My sister, she was stabbed three times. The cops told me she'd be taken here, you were the CSI right?"

"Freeze!" Brass' voice suddenly shouted, making both Greg and the brother jump. "Don't move!" He warned him then turned to Greg with his gun trained out in front of him, pointed directly at the suspicious looking mans chest. "Are you alright Greg?"

"Y-yeah, h-he's her brother." Greg stammered, struggling to find his voice after being completely scared to death over nothing.

Brass looked at the young CSI then lowered his gun as he approached the other man. "You got some ID pal?" The man nodded, quickly pulling his wallet from his back pocket and handing it over to the Detective. Brass looked at it then lowered his gun back to his holster. He looked at the car behind him then noticed the still terrified look in Greg's eyes. "That your car?" Brass pointed to it.

"No, it's Cassie's boyfriends. We've been friends since college though; he always lets me drive it."

"Okay, Greg." Brass cleared his throat to alert the young man's attention. "You alright to head back to the lab now?" Greg gave him a slight nod then went to retrieve his kit from the floor where he had dropped it, quickly heading off towards his car. Brass watched him go then turned back to the brother. "We'll need your statement of where you were before we let you see your sister, and we'll need a contact number for her boyfriend."

"Sure." He quickly nodded, pulling his phone from his pocket to give Brass the number.

* * *

Warrick and Nick watched the young girl cautiously as she slowly started to explain everything from the very beginning. "I-I told my mom when I w-was ten. Do you know what she... what she said to me?" Nick shook his head as he looked into her scared eyes, filled with tears threatening to spill. "S-she said that I... that I was a sick and twisted disgusting little girl for ever suggesting that my own father would do something like that to me." She started to cry into her knees again. "My brother told me I was lying too. No one would believe me; they all thought I was making it up." A shaky breath escaped her throat as she looked up at Warrick. "Why would a ten year old make something like that up?"

Warrick gulped hard then looked towards Nick whose eyes were slightly glazed over. "Thanks Ashley." He spoke softly. "Your fathers going away for a long time." Warrick tried to assure her.

"Won't I have to stand up in court and testify?" She asked him, looking towards Nick as Warrick didn't answer.

"It's likely." Nick nodded to her. "But the CSI's have enough evidence to prove that he was hurtin' you Ashley." Nick assured her then gave her a soft smile. "Get some sleep. I'll call your aunt in Miami and let her know that you're okay."

"Don't tell her about it, she always gets really worried. I'll tell her when she gets here." Ashley gave Nick a slight smile then settled back against the pillow behind her to go to sleep. Nick and Warrick slowly left the room then parted way to get on with the rest of their jobs.

* * *

Dropping heavily to the break room sofa, Greg closed his eyes as he lent back against the sofa cushions, inhaling slow steady deep breaths. "Greg," Catherine spoke softly as she took a seat beside him. Greg snapped his eyes open, looking up at her. "Hey, you okay? You've been quiet since you got back. How'd it go at the hospital?"

Greg gave her a slight shrug. "Cassie went into surgery. They're not sure she's gonna make it though. Brass managed to get the vehicle description from her before she went in. And the brother showed up in the same car, but he says it's her boyfriends."

"Oh." Catherine nodded to him. "Is everything else alright?"

"Yeah," Greg gave out a soft sigh as he sat up straight. "I've gotta take my firearms training is all." He smiled at her then climbed to his feet. "I'll go check in with Brass, see if he found the boyfriend yet."

"Okay, I'll go to the hospital and check on Cassie." She gave him a soft smile then watched him walking away, wondering why he was so nervous about taking his firearms training.

While Greg, Grissom and Brass were talking to Cassie's boyfriend, Warrick head back to the lab to process his evidence while Nick head off down to the station to look for Vartann again. Vartann got orders from Brass to get the judge to issue a warrant for Cassie's boyfriend's house where Nick got to watch Greg in action. He had never before stood back and watched the younger man collecting up evidence they would need to relate their suspect to the crime scene, but watching him now, he did look very professional.

Greg managed to find a knife wrapped in a bloody towel in the trash, noticing the knife was the same brand as the knifes he collected back at Cassie's house where their original crime scene was. He called Catherine to update her, hearing the news that Cassie didn't make it through her surgery so they could now pin the boyfriend with murder if the blood on the knife matched Cassie's, which he had no doubt that it would.

Nick followed Greg outside to his car, watching him a moment as he leant against the door, taking slow steady breaths. "Hey, you okay?" Nick stepped up beside him, watching Greg quickly wiping his eyes.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay." He nodded to him, sniffing back his tears. "Cassie died. She lost too much blood and they couldn't save her. She was still alive when we got there; I held her hand in the ambulance." Nick looked at the shirt Greg was wearing, noticing the blood stains beneath his vest that he didn't notice before when they were at the hospital. "So your first day on the job and you get a case with me?" He smiled up at him, changing the subject.

"Stokes." Vartann called over to him, tapping his phone before Nick got the chance to answer Greg.

"Yeah, somethin' like that. We've gotta head back to the hospital." Nick gave him a soft smile, not wanting to leave him when he was almost in tears, but he had promised that his relationship with Greg wouldn't get in the way of the job, so he wasn't going to let it happen. "I'll see you back at the house later baby." Greg nodded to him as he leant back against his car.

He watched Nick and Vartann driving away then turned towards Grissom as he walked down the drive towards him. "We got everything we need. You ready to head back to the lab?" Greg gave him a slight nod. "What's the matter?" Grissom queried.

"Catherine just called." Greg spoke softly. "Cassie didn't make it. She died in surgery."

Grissom gave out a soft sigh, realising why Greg was so down. "This doesn't change things Greg. We can still get him, just on more charges now." Greg gave him a nod then pulled the back door of his car open so Grissom could set the box of evidence down on the back seat. "You okay to drive this stuff back to the lab? I'll head off to the hospital with Catherine and meet you back at the lab." Greg gave him a nod then closed up the back door of his car and head off round to the driver's seat. "Greg, if he's guilty... there's no way he can get out of this."

"I know." Greg gave him a half smile then climbed into his car and drove off back to the lab, distributing the evidence off to the right labs before he head off to the break room, grabbing himself a coffee.

They managed to finish the case pretty quickly once they had everything they needed to nail the boyfriend for the case. The only thing left to do was file all the paper work away then Greg could go home and get some sleep.

Three hours later Greg awoke in his bed from a bad dream. He instinctively reached out for Nick, but he found himself completely alone in bed. Greg climbed out from under the warm covers, pulled a t-shirt down over his head then checked the bathroom to make sure Nick wasn't in there. Heading off down the stairs, Greg spotted Nick sat on the sofa. "Nicky?" Sleepily rubbing his eyes open, Greg made his way into the living room towards him. "Why didn't you come to bed?"

"I couldn't sleep." Nick opened his arms as Greg climbed onto the sofa beside him, gently pulling his head down to rest on his chest. Nick clutched his warm body tightly, pressing a kiss to the soft hair on his head. "You're nice and warm." He smiled as he wrapped his arms around his warm slender frame even more. His hands slowly began to explore his shoulders, back and hips as Greg slowly started to fall asleep against him. "You okay babe, you feel really tense?"

"I'm fine." He whispered, listening to the slow steady beat of Nick's heart. Greg turned his body to straddled Nick's thighs, resting his head against the older man's shoulder. "Whatsup with you baby?"

"I was just thinkin'." Nick gently ran his fingers through Greg's hair, looking at all the different coloured strands. "Ashley's fathers goin' away for fifteen years after what he did to her. Ashley's goin' to live a life long sentence of nightmares, failed relationships and probably some kind of mental disorder. Then he'll be out by the time she's thirty, makin' the poor girl even more screwed up."

Greg lifted his head to look in Nick's eyes then turned his body again so his back was against Nick's chest, resting his head back against his shoulder. "Baby, there's nothing you can do to make it right."

"No, but I should be able to. This whole systems so fuckin' screwed. We protect the freakin' criminal more than we do the victim." Nick wrapped his arms tightly around Greg's warm body, resting his head against the side of Greg's. "It got me thinkin'... about the babysitter." He spoke softly. "I never told anyone... there's no tellin' who else she hurt. I might not have been the only one."

"You were nine Nicky." Greg reminded him before he started blaming himself. "You were just a baby, you couldn't have known. Children that young aren't meant to know about things like that."

Nick nodded to him, readjusting his hands on Greg's chest. "Bein' molested by a stranger is bad enough, but bein' molested and raped by your own father..."

"I know Nicky." Greg rested back against his shoulder, touching his lips to Nick's cheek as he didn't know what to say to comfort him.

"You're such a little fidget Greg." Nick smirked as Greg moved again. "Greg, are you cryin'?" Nick looked down at him, watching him quickly wiping away a tear drizzling down his cheek. "Why are you cryin' baby?"

"Because I'm a big girl." He smiled as he wiped his cheeks again. "I love you, I'm supposed to say something that will comfort you and make you feel better, but I can't even do that."

"I'm not askin' you to."

"You're not meant to; I'm just meant to be able to do it." Greg smiled slightly as he wiped his cheek again. "I'd do anything to carry your pain for you Nicky."

"I wouldn't want you to. You bein' here with me right now is comfort enough. Really I'm the big girl; I get upset about these things for days at a time."

"You have a reason to. I'm just crying because I feel pathetic for not being able to comfort you."

"You are." Nick assured him, wrapping his arms tighter around the warm body on top of him. "I feel better already with you here." Greg closed his eyes against him, slowly beginning to fall back to sleep in the arms of his lover. "Hey, are you okay? Everythin' doesn't always have to be about me yah know."

"I'm okay." Greg assured him, moving again to get comfortable in Nick's arms. Once he got comfortable on his lap again, Greg steadily dozed off to sleep in his arms. Nick gave him a wide smile then closed his eyes too, gradually beginning to fall asleep too.

* * *

Slowly awakening from his slumber a few hours later, Nick smiled as he saw Greg sat above him, flipping through the channels on the TV. He readjusted his head on the younger mans lap, noticing a blanket was draped across his body keeping him warm. "Morning." Greg smiled down at him, brushing his fingers through his partner's messy hair. "Warrick's coming over in an hour or so."

"For what?" He sleepily asked.

"I don't know," Greg shrugged. "I was kinda sleepy when he called, but he said he really wants to talk to you about something." Nick nodded up at him then rested back against Greg's lap, turning his head towards the TV while Greg gently ran his fingers through his hair. "After work tomorrow I need you to help me with my firearms training." Greg suddenly announced.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Nick turned his head to look up at him. "Call me when you're done. I'm not workin' tomorrow. Vartann has a day off. But I'm gonna be workin' while you're away in LA."

"Be careful." Greg warned him, placing one hand on Nick's chest as he looked down into his eyes. "I don't know what I'd do without you Nicky."

"I'm not goin' anywhere." He assured him, leaning up on his elbows to press his lips to Greg's. He gave him a warm smile then climbed to his feet, rubbing the ache in his spine as he head off towards the stairs. While Nick was upstairs in the bathroom, Greg heard a knock at the door. He checked to see if it was his annoying neighbours before he opened it this time, but thankfully it was only Warrick.

"Hey Greggo, I wake yah?"

Greg shook his head to him, taking a step back as he let him in. "Nick's upstairs if you wanted to talk to him." Greg pointed, closing the door once Warrick was inside.

"I wanted to talk to both of you actually." Warrick knelt down as Rascal rushed towards him to greet him. The excited pup tried to jump up at his face as Warrick stroked him, but Warrick held him back by his collar, not wanting to be slobbered on by him again. "He's getting bigger."

"It's all the health food Nick has him on." Greg smirked, kneeling down the other side of him. "Nick taught him to sit, roll over and things the other week but he only does it for Nick."

"Because you're not forceful enough with him." Nick spoke up as he came off the stairs. "Hey Warrick."

"Nicky." He smiled at him, climbing to his feet. "I kinda wanted to talk to both of you."

"Okay," Nick pointed off towards the front room then tugged Greg to his feet, holding his hand as he led him off into the front room. "What did you wonna talk to us about?" Taking a seat on the sofa, Nick tugged Greg down beside him then watched as Warrick nervously scratched his chin before he sat on one of the other chairs.

"I have to tell you guys something... and I need you to be cool about it, okay?" Nick poked Greg in the side as he was sensing a joke was coming on. Greg kept his mouth shut, giving Nick an innocent smile. "Okay, I eh... I never exactly meant to hide this from you... but it sorta just happened." Nick clamped his hand over Greg's mouth as he went to open it, keeping him from saying anything again. "Please don't get mad. I know you're probably gonna think I'm a total hypocrite after I show you this."

"Just tell us Warrick." Nick insisted. "We're not gonna get mad."

Warrick pulled his wallet out his back pocket then tugged a photo from it, handing it over to them. "I have a four year old son." Nick and Greg looked at him completely surprised. "Okay, so you took that better than I expected."

"Hold on." Nick raised his finger to him, looking at the picture in his hands. "Four years old, you've had a son since..."

"Since you got out of the coffin, pretty much." He nodded, nervously biting his lower lip as he watched their reactions. "He's just turned four actually."

"He's so cute." Greg immediately noticed as he took a look at the picture. Nick scowled in his direction as that wasn't the point. "I mean, how could you lie to us... and stuff." Greg changed his tune to back Nick up.

Warrick smiled in his direction then nervously looked towards Nick who wasn't taking it as well. "His names Eli. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about him sooner. I didn't know if he was... well if he was mine at first. Now I know. The divorce settlement includes him, so we had to take a DNA test to prove we were the biological parents before they would even discuss custody."

"So... why are you tellin' us now?" Nick queried, handing the picture back over to him.

"Well," Warrick inhaled a deep breath then looked at them both. "As weird as this sounds, you two are the closest thing I have to brothers."

"Now I know you're desperate." Greg cheekily smiled at him.

Warrick gave him a frown then smiled to Nick as he poked Greg in the side, making him squirm. "Anyway," Warrick swiftly moved things along. "Tina has her family, you know if anything ever happens to her... but technically, I don't have a next of kin." He looked into Nick's eyes then towards Greg's. "I'm not asking you to do anything if that's what you're worried about..."

Nick shook his head. "No, I think we're just a little..."

"Shocked." Greg finished for his fiancé. "You think Nick and I will be terrible fathers, and you have a son for four years that you never tell anyone about. Dude, what's your deal?"

Nick looked at Greg surprised then turned towards Warrick. "You think we'd make terrible fathers?"

"No. No, I never said that." He shook his head.

"Yes you did." Greg complained.

"Okay, maybe I did... but that was then, and we're not talking about that anyway." He snapped at them both. "May I remind you that you two got involved with one another and didn't tell me until I caught you in the shower together?" He pointed out. "You broke the trust between us so don't go blaming me."

"Eli was born well before Greg and I got together." Nick retorted back to him. "You broke the trust first."

"What are you twelve?" Warrick frowned at him.

"Guys!" Greg shouted over the top of their voices, stopping their child like battle. "I believe Warrick came over here to tell us something important. So we're gonna listen, right Nicky?" Nick grudgingly stopped his argument then folded his arms across his chest, leaning back against the sofa cushions ready to listen. "So we all lied to each other, we all broke the trust but you don't need to fight about it like little kids." Greg argued, looking between the two of them. "Okay?"

"Okay." Nick grunted.

"Okay." Warrick agreed with him, slumping his head in his hands.

"So, what's your point Warrick?" Greg asked, looking towards him.

"My point is, Eli doesn't have anybody from my side of the family . . . and us CSI's don't exactly have a long healthy life span with all the shit people put us through. And I really didn't mean what I said about the father thing." He apologised again, taking note of Nick's hand resting on Greg's thigh as they sat together. "Now you totally don't have to, if you don't want to. But I've talked it over with Tina, and she agrees with me..."

"What?" Greg snapped at him, hating to wait in suspense.

"Well Tina's an only child. She's only got her dad who still lives in LA. She's got cousins and aunts all over the world, but they all have kids of their own. And I don't want Eli to grow up how I did." He explained to them. "I want you to be... his god parents, so to speak. I can't think of anyone else I would ever want to do it. But if anything ever happened to me, or Tina... I want Eli to grow up in a happy home, like this."

"Warrick... nothin's ever gonna happen to you man." Nick spoke up first. "But you know we've always got your back."

"So, you're not mad about the whole keeping it a secret from you?"

Nick gave him a slight shrug. "I lied to you about..." Nick looked towards Greg. "Even before I was with Greg, I never told you that I was gay or in love with a certain lab tech." Nick put his arm around Greg's shoulder as he said it.

"Yeah, but you had a reason." Warrick defended him. "I didn't exactly have a reason for hiding my son from you. Either of you guys."

"It's okay," Greg smiled to him. "I understand."

"Me too." Nick added, gently elbowing Greg in the side. "You're totally forgiven for this. We understand if you wanted to hide it because you weren't sure he was yours." Warrick smiled at the two of them, glad it all turned out this way. "So, when do we get to meet him?"

"Um... I dunno. Tina's got sole custody at the moment. Once the divorce is through we should be able to get joint custody. I think Tina wants to go for alternate weeks between the two of us, but I'm really worried how it's gonna affect Eli."

"Yeah, it's rough never spending time with your father." Greg agreed with him. "I mean my dad was never completely out of the picture, but I only ever got to see him on weekends or late at night. But moving from parent to parent might be a little difficult at first, but I'm sure he'll like that more then never being able to see you. One week with mom and one week with dad won't be too bad. I'm sure he'll let you know if he didn't like it." He started to babble then gave out a heavy sigh, leaning back in Nick's arms. "You're supposed to stop me when I do that." He whispered to him.

Nick chuckled, gently tickling his side. "I love it when you do that."

Warrick looked between the two of them enviously as he had never had that with Tina. "So, is that a yes then?" He asked the both of them.

"Yes." They both chimed in together.

"You can always count on us." Nick assured him, giving him a reassuring smile. "But Warrick, nothin's gonna happen to yah. You're always careful. You've never been abducted, and you know how to take care of yourself. Nothin's gonna happen."

Warrick nodded to him, giving out a soft sigh of relief. "Thanks guys, this means a lot to me." He smiled as he climbed to his feet. "I'd love for Eli to meet his uncles, just as soon as I get custody." Both Nick and Greg gave him wide smiles.

"Now who's hungry?" Greg announced, climbing to his feet. Nick climbed to his feet after him, giving him a nod. "Warrick, you staying?"

"Uh... yeah, I could eat." He nodded, following them off to the kitchen. Warrick sat at the counter while Nick and Greg prepared dinner together, all laughing and joking together as if nothing had ever happened between them.

After they all ate dinner together in their brand new dining room, Greg rushed off up the stairs to shower and change while Warrick and Nick sat together talking, just like old times. Once Greg was ready, Warrick offered to drive him into the lab, waiting at the door while Nick kissed and hugged Greg goodbye.

Warrick drove them both off into the lab after, waiting in the break room for Grissom to give them their assignments.

Greg's shift thankfully seemed to breeze by which he was grateful for since he had some packing to do before he left on his flight to LA. He was both nervous and excited about it, but he really didn't want to leave Nick alone after everything he had been through, especially now that he was going to be working as a detective on the dangerous streets of Las Vegas.

Nick head off towards the crime lab after his group session to talk about a permanent position once he past his detective's exam. They all agreed to it as he was very experienced and they had been down one detective for a while.

Before Nick head off home, he walked off through the crime lab, adjusting his jacket around his shoulders. He stopped as he spotted Warrick sat in one of the layout rooms, deciding to talk to him before he head off to find Greg to say goodbye before he head off home.

Still being the curious CSI he was, Nick spotted a bottle of pills sat on the table beside his best friend. He squinted his eyes to try and read the label, widening them as he realised what they were.

Standing back against the doorframe, Nick watched as Warrick emptied a few pills into his hand then reached for the water bottle sat in front of him. He watched him a moment longer as he swallowed them back then pushed the door open, trying to keep his cool as he casually greeted him. "Hey man."

Warrick looked up, giving him a half smile. "Hey Nick, here to pick your man up from work?"

"No, not yet." Nick looked at the photos in front of Warrick, watching him rifling through his case notes. "Wassup?"

"Oh, I'm trying to get this warrant for Gedda's property." Warrick reached for another photo as Nick's eyes scanned across the pictures in front of him. "I'm getting close though. Check out these bruise patterns." Warrick picked up a photo and slid it across the table towards Nick.

Nick glanced at them briefly then looked at the pill bottle beside Warrick, hesitant to ask, "Hey, what are those?" He indicated towards them.

"What?"

"Those pills." Nick pointed.

"Oh, they're supposed to keep me alert." He groggily answered.

"Really," Nick looked at his friend anxiously, trying to keep his cool before he suddenly snapped at him like he was always prone to doing. "How long you been takin' those?"

"On and off for a couple of months."

"But aren't you... aren't you still takin' those sleepin' pills too?" He curiously asked.

Warrick groaned as he really didn't want to discuss it right now. "What's it to you Nick?" He sighed with annoyance.

Slowly, Nick made his way around the table towards where Warrick was sat, leaning across the table to look at the pill bottle in more detail. "So now," Picking up the pill bottle beside Warrick, he continued, "You're takin' uppers and downers?"

Warrick shook his head, "Give me a break man."

"No, you need to give yourself a break Warrick."

"Nick, let it go bro." He spoke softly as he groggily rubbed his eyes again.

"No. No I'm not gonna let it go." He protested.

Warrick watched surprised as Nick uncapped the pill bottle then charged off towards the trashcan behind him. He angrily threw the contents of the bottle into the bin, not even noticing Warrick standing up from the table.

"You need to take a look at yourself Warrick!" He snapped, giving him a slight shove as his voice started to break with emotion. "You gave us that shit speech about you not bein' here to support your kid! This isn't gonna help you any. Do you want your son to have a father like you?" Nick's lower lip started to quiver as he looked into Warrick's eyes. "And I care because I'm your friend."

Warrick stared right back, looking at the expression in Nick's eyes. He always thought of the man as a strong exterior who only ever bared his emotions at breaking point, but seeing the compassion in his eyes he realised he was strong throughout. He was willing to do whatever it took to save someone's life, something he himself was afraid of doing.

Warrick gave him a nod, giving him a buddy slap to the arm as he continued to nod.

"A'ight?" Nick asked him as he tried to hold back his emotions.

"Yeah." Warrick nodded, giving him another buddy slap to the arm. "Yeah." He repeated. "I'm sorry man."

"Okay," Nick wiped his eye as he turned back towards the table. "Okay, so what are you workin' on?" Warrick explained the bruise patterns and his case to Nick, knowing he could trust him since he knew the drill of being a CSI. Once they were done talking, Nick head off to find Greg to say goodbye to him before he left, but Catherine found him first and told him Greg was out with Grissom, working on getting a warrant for his case, so Nick head off home again, waiting for the call from Greg to help him with his firearms training.

Once Grissom and Greg had finished with their first case, they both head off back to the lab to fill up on coffee and clean out their kits. Grissom head off out after he got a message from Brass then sent a text to Catherine and Greg to get their kits and meet him at an address.

Pulling his car up to the next crime scene, Greg looked around curiously before he reached for his kit off the back seat. He sat still a moment as he watched the officers on scene, spotting Grissom walking off towards Brass with a glum look on his face. Brass turned to Grissom as they watched the officers loading Warrick into the police car. He didn't know what to say to him as Grissom had a look of disappointment and slight anger across his face.

It was as though a father was watching his son being dragged away by the police.

Warrick stared lifelessly at the back of the chair in front of him. He struggled to move his wrists under the restraints he was in, desperately trying to clear the cobwebs in his head. He couldn't remember anything and everyone was looking at him as though he was a murderer.

Catherine stepped onto the scene next, brushing her blonde hair back behind her ears. She was about to ask Brass what was going on here when she spotted the police car parked not too far from Gedda's night club with Warrick sat in the back.

Blinking her eyes in disbelief, Catherine's jaw dropped open as she saw his wrists restrained in the back of a police car just like a suspect. Warrick slowly turned his head, focusing his glazed eyes towards the entrance of the club where he caught Catherine gaping at him. He looked at her expression then spotted Greg stood behind her with his kit in hand.

They both looked so disappointed in him, making him feel even worse then he already did.

Sheriff McKeen walked up to the crew, giving Warrick a disheartened look before he spoke to the rest of the night shift crew. "Put your kits away. Day shift and IA are taking this case. No arguments." He warned them before he walked off again.

The team sighed in annoyance then slowly head back towards their vehicles so they could get back to the lab and find out what was going on and how they could help Warrick.

* * *

Flipping through the endless stacks of paperwork that littered the table in front of him where he was working, Greg gave out a heavy groan as he was no closer to helping Warrick or finding out what had happened at Gedda's club to cause Warrick to kill him, if he really had. He glanced up from the table as he heard the door opening across the room, spotting Ecklie walking in with a box in his hands. "Here you go Greg." Ecklie set down the box of things on his table, looking up into the younger mans curious eyes. "Day shift are done with all this. You can handle the files and photos, but day shift are processing Warrick. Grissom wants you to go over these."

Greg nodded to him then climbed to his feet to get to work.

A few hours later Greg anxiously started to click his pen on and off in his hands as he stared down at the evidence in front of him. Everything was pointing to Warrick no matter how hard he looked though. He was trying to be a good CSI and find the truth, but he was also trying to be a good friend and clear Warrick's name.

"Hey Greggy." Catherine spoke softly as she made her way into the room. She placed down a cup of coffee in front of him, giving him a slight smile as she took a seat for herself. "How you doing Greg?"

"Not so good." He sighed as he flipped over a police report to read the rest. "How are you doing?"

Catherine shook her head as she leant on her elbow. "Did you tell Nicky yet?"

"What do you think?" He asked as he glanced up at her. "I love Nick and all, but a hot heads not what we need right now."

Catherine nodded then reached for one of the photos in front of Greg to help him out. "He's innocent Greg. Warrick wouldn't do something like this."

"I know. It's just tough to prove." Greg nodded then spotted Grissom stood by the door. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long." Grissom took a few steps into the room then leant on the other side of the table from the two of them. "Okay, if this were any other suspect, what would be our conclusion?" Catherine looked at Grissom then down at the evidence in front of her, refusing to say what she really thought out loud as she didn't want to believe it herself.

Greg looked at her then towards Grissom opposite him. He moved his hand away from his mouth, giving out a soft sigh. "That he did it." He spoke softly, making Catherine look round at him surprised.

Grissom nodded to him, "Which is exactly what Warrick told Internal Affairs."

"He confessed?" Catherine gasped.

Grissom shook his head slightly. "No... but he didn't deny it either. He says . . . that he can't remember."

"We've all heard that one before." Greg spoke up, watching the shocked looks from both Catherine and Grissom. "I didn't say he did do it. I'm just saying..."

"We've heard it before." Catherine nodded, gently tapping Greg on the shoulder. "Relax Greg, we're all thinking it. But we have to look at Warrick's personality. He wouldn't kill this guy, even if he did try and frame him for murder. And if he did he'd confess to it. He knows how we work; he knows he has a better chance if he doesn't lie to us."

"That doesn't matter though." Greg sighed softly. Grissom nodded in agreement, giving out a soft frustrated sigh. "The only thing the jury is going to see is a rogue cop with a vendetta. I've been there before." Greg spoke from experience. "They're gonna crucify him."

* * *

Nick rushed off through the house as he heard his cell phone ringing. He searched across the coffee table then dug through the sofa cushions finally finding it. "Hey Greg, you finished already?"

"_Not exactly."_ Greg sighed softly as he took a seat on the floor in the break room against the wall. "_Nicky, are you sitting down?"_

Nick listened to the tone of his voice then took a seat on the sofa. "What is it baby?"

"_Are you sitting down?"_

"Yeah, just tell me Greg." He insisted with impatience.

"_Okay."_ Rubbing a hand through his hair, Greg pulled his knees up close to his chest before he started to speak. "_Warrick's been arrested for murder."_ He spoke softly. "_He doesn't know if he did though."_

"What do you mean he doesn't know? Was he drugged?" The concerned friend queried.

"_They're taking a blood test now. Gedda, the guy he was supposed to have killed had chloroform in his system. Chloroform causes memory loss so it might help to prove his innocence."_

Nick leant back against the sofa cushions, anxiously scratching the back of his neck. "Okay G, are you okay?"

"_Yeah, I'm okay. I don't know what to do though. All the evidence we have points directly to Warrick. And even though I don't want to... I'm starting to believe that he might..."_

"He wouldn't kill anyone Greg."

"_Not even Gedda? He did kill the stripper he was sleeping with."_ Greg pointed out to him. "_Think about it Nicky, if somebody killed me and you knew who it was... wouldn't you want revenge?"_

"Yeah." Nick nodded, staring up at the ceiling. "But Warrick didn't love this girl more than anythin' in the whole wide world. He had only known her a couple of hours before he slept with her. He wouldn't kill him Greg."

"_That's what I'm trying to prove."_ Greg assured him. "_Just like I knew that you didn't kill Kristie. Everything pointed to you for that too, but Catherine and I finally cleared you. We're not gonna give up on Warrick either."_

"Let's bring that up as _often_ as possible." Nick remarked.

Greg looked up as Catherine walked into the room, waving a piece of paper around in her hands. "_I'll call you later Nicky."_ Greg snapped his phone shut then scrambled to his feet, anxious to know if the blood work proved Warrick's innocence.

Greg followed her off down the hall to Grissom's office, awaiting to hear the news. "Warrick came back negative." Catherine sighed as she handed the results to Grissom. "The blood was drawn too late. It's not gonna help us."

"We just got something. We think Warrick was framed." Grissom scratched his head as he readjusted his glasses. "There's two void patterns in the blood on Warrick's shirt that suggest his weight was supported from someone behind him when the gun was fired. We also found bruises on Gedda's wrists that aren't consistent with Warrick's handcuffs."

"What about the prints?" Catherine queried.

"Mandy's just..." Grissom pointed towards the door just as Mandy came in.

"Prints from Gedda's place and the mortuary." She handed the sheets over to Grissom then made her way back to her lab.

"Three officers from Gedda's place and five from the mortuary." Grissom read out.

"Three signed the log for Gedda's place," Catherine commented then flipped the sheet to look at the mortuary log. "Only four."

"Who's the fifth one?" Greg queried, stepping up beside her.

Catherine and Grissom compared their results together, noticing the fifth officer that wasn't meant to be there. "Officer Daniel Pritchard." Catherine read out.

Ecklie walked in just as she said it, giving her a curious look. "You're not suggesting that one of our own did this? I'm all for getting Warrick off the hook if he's innocent, but you can't go passing the blame onto someone else."

"What if we have proof?" Greg asked, handing the log sheets over to him so he could take a look for himself. "Officer Pritchard wasn't assigned this case, but his prints showed up all over the place." Greg pointed out to him.

"We have to bring him into custody." Catherine agreed with him. "That means Warrick's free to go too."

"No." Ecklie refused, shaking his head at them all. "You need more evidence then this. This doesn't prove that Warrick's off the hook. This just proves that the Officer Pritchard was on a scene that he shouldn't have been."

Greg gave out a heavy grown then turned towards Grissom, pleading him to say something.

"Conrad, can I talk to you alone a moment? Catherine and Greg you can go home. I'll call you when we find Pritchard." Grissom waited for the two of them to leave then closed the door behind them.

"I'll see you in a bit Greg." Catherine lightly tapped him on the shoulder then head off in the other direction. Greg texted a message to Nick then head off towards the elevator so he could talk it down to the parking lot and wait for his lover to arrive.

Greg leant against one of the pillars in the parking garage, glancing at his watch again as he anxiously waited for Nick to show up. A few seconds later he saw Nick's truck making his way over to him. He immediately stopped as he saw Greg, reaching across the car to push open the passenger side door for him.

Greg climbed inside and pulled the door shut behind him. He gave out a soft sigh before he reached across the car, wrapping his arms tightly around Nick. Nick pulled him across the middle of the car, hugging him tighter so he was practically sitting on the same seat as him.

"He's innocent." Greg whispered softly a few seconds later. "He was framed by a dirty cop."

Nick gently smoothed his palms up and down Greg's back to comfort him. "Did you think he wasn't?"

"No, I knew he was." Greg smiled softly as he pulled back slightly. "It's just tough to deal with. We never really have to investigate our own people."

"I know." Nick nodded to him. "Where is he now?"

"Um... I dunno. But he'll have to talk to Grissom once he's done talking with Ecklie." Greg sat back on Nick's thighs as he directed the car off to an empty parking spot so the other cars could get by. "You wouldn't really kill somebody if they killed me would you?" He asked him curiously.

"I don't think I _could_ kill another human bein' G." Nick admitted to him. "But I know I wouldn't let them live peacefully if they did take you away from me." He spoke softly as he placed his hands on the younger mans hips. "Now c'mon, you have to pass your firearms exam." He smiled at him.

"One second, I gotta go do something for Catherine. I'll meet you in the break room in five minutes."

"Okay." Nick stole a kiss from his lips then opened the door as Greg climbed out. He watched him walking away then properly parked his car, turning everything off before he head off through the lab halls a few minutes later, smiling at all the familiar faces as he head towards the break room that appeared to be empty, except for Catherine stood by the coffee pot. She was slowly stirring the coffee mug in her hands as she read the report sat on the counter in front of her. "Hey Catherine." He tried not to startle her as he head into the room.

"Hey Nicky," Catherine smiled as she turned round to face him. "Greg just head down to autopsy if you're looking for him. Missing paperwork on one of his cases."

"Oh." Nick nodded to her, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Have you talked to Warrick lately?" Catherine nodded, giving him a curious look. "And, how's he doin'?"

"Okay I guess. He's been a little distant since the whole thing with the dead girl in his car." Nick noticed the look in Catherine's eye as she said that, realising she probably wasn't talking to him because of that. "Oh you meant," She nodded as she realised what he meant. "I don't know yet, Grissom and Ecklie are still talking about it. We haven't been allowed to see him yet."

Greg smiled as he came into the room behind Nick, waving something around to Catherine. "I found it." Greg turned to Catherine, holding up a chewed piece of paperwork.

"Ew, what happened to it?" Catherine asked as she took it from him.

"According to doc Robbins, rats. David's gonna print off another report though, he made a hardcopy. I just thought you'd need that to present your case for now." Greg smiled at her then grabbed his jacket off the sofa. "Bye Catherine."

"Bye Greg, bye Nicky." She waved to the two of them then returned to flipping through the file in front of them while they head of down to the shooting range so Nick could teach Greg how to shoot properly, getting him ready for his firearms exam.

Jasper Metcalf let them in as Nick had called in ahead to ask for a favour. Nick led Greg off towards one of the cubicles, showing Greg how to load and unload a gun before he showed him how to shoot it.

"Don't flinch." Nick stepped up behind Greg, slowly lifting his arms from his sides to point the gun in his hands off towards the target ahead of him. "You don't wonna hold it too tight . . . gently squeeze the trigger, don't pull it." He whispered against the younger mans neck.

Greg closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, slowly opening his eyes to look at the target ahead of him.

"Now when you're ready," Nick gently placed some protective ear muffs over Greg's head, removing his hands from the gun so Greg was holding it by himself. "Focus on your target . . . and gently _squeeze_ the trigger." Nick slowly lowered his hands to Greg's hips, feeling the younger man's heart beating calmly against his chest.

Greg took a few brief moments to relax before he gently squeezed the trigger, closing his eyes as the bullet escaped the barrel. He opened his eyes again to look where the bullet had hit, seeing it was just a few inches away from the head of the target in front of him.

"Pretty good." Nick nodded as he looked round at him. "Keep your eyes open this time." Nick steadied Greg's shaky hands, looking over his shoulder at the target. "See this." He pointed to the front sight of the gun. "You wonna line that up directly with your target."

Greg nodded then inhaled a slow deep breath again before he pulled the trigger, this time with his eyes open. Nick nodded to him as he looked round at him for his approval. Nick took a step back as Greg fired off a few more rounds, beginning to get more and more confident as his aim began to improve and he got used to the kick back of the gun.

"That was really good." Nick lowered the gun back to the table in front of Greg, removing the ear muffs from Greg's head along with his own. "Dead on."

"Don't say that." Greg shivered, removing the protective eyewear from his face. "Do I really have to do this?"

"If you want to reach that CSI level three position . . . then yes." Nick nodded, clearing away the guns. "Relax Greg, you can do it. I know you can."

"Ecklie said to Grissom that giving me a gun is just another excuse to kill people."

Nick looked up at Greg surprised. "Well Ecklie's an asshole, and if he's not careful one day somebody's gonna put one between his eyes." Nick raged as he unloaded the clips from the guns they had test fired.

Greg removed the protective eyewear from Nick, placing them down on the table beside him. He watched Nick unloading the guns then pulled him towards him by his belt loops, wrapping his arms around him tightly. "I'm really gonna miss you Nick."

"It's only two weeks G. You can call me whenever you like."

"There you guys are." Warrick exclaimed as he walked in. "I've been looking for you two everywhere. I'm taking everyone out to breakfast in a couple of hours. I wanted to make sure you were both free."

"Yeah." Nick nodded as he pulled back from Greg. "Hey man, you doin' okay?" Nick asked him curiously.

"Yeah." Warrick nodded, brushing a hand across his chin. "I'll be better when I get out of here though. I'll see you at seven, the usual place?"

Both Nick and Greg nodded watching Warrick leaving, wondering what they could do to make him feel better.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Sorry it took so long to write up, but it is an extra long one and it covers a lot of ground so I hope it wasn't too disappointing :D Please Review!**


	67. Chapter 67: For Warrick

**Warning: Character Death. You may need a tissue! I have warned you so don't come crying to me afterwards :)**

**Chapter Sixty Seven: For Warrick**

Greg wandered off into the garden where Nick was sat, almost asleep on one of the sun bed chairs. Greg straddled his hips, pressing an icy cold kiss to his lover's neck, waking him up from his deep slumber. Nick's lips spread into a slight smile as he looked up at him, seeing the pot of ice cream in Greg's hands that caused the cold lips to touch his neck. He pressed his warm lips to Greg's, licking the chocolate ice cream off the top of his mouth as he slid his warm tongue inside of his warm wet mouth.

"Mmm," Nick purred as he pulled back. "When did you get back?"

"Just now, Griss let me off early." Greg stuck the spoon into the ice cream tub, feeding a spoonful to Nick then joined their lips together again, sliding and massaging their chocolaty tongues against one another. "I missed you Nicky."

"I missed you too." He rasped, gently sucking the younger mans cold lips. Greg rested his head on Nick's shoulder, gently trailing the cold spoon down Nick's golden torso. Nick shivered from the touch then laughed softly as Greg's tongue licked the cold trail.

"What are you still doing outside Nicky?" Greg licked Nick's neck then gently trailed his fingertips across the cold wet trail down Nick's chest. "You're aware it's midnight."

"I fell asleep." Nick brushed a hand through Greg's hair, clutching his warm close to him. Truthfully he hadn't noticed what the time was ever since someone very special was taken from him. The minutes, hours, days and weeks just seemed to bleed together.

Greg splayed his legs over Nick's thighs as he turned in his arms, resting his back against Nick's chest to a comfier position. He looked up at the starry sky above them then tilted his head back across Nick's shoulder, looking him in the eye. "Where do you think he is?" He whispered softly.

Nick pressed a kiss to the side of Greg's head, giving out a soft sigh. "I think he's everywhere now." Wrapping his arms around Greg's waist, he clutched him tightly as he watched a shooting star soaring its way across the night's sky. "I don't think you're ever truly gone."

* * *

Two weeks earlier . . .

Nick crawled across the bed, feeling Greg's warm body beneath the covers. He took in a deep breath smelling the sweet scents of Greg's hair then reached out to pull him closer into his embrace. Greg repositioned himself against Nick's chest, still softly snoozing. Nick dropped a butterfly kiss to Greg's forehead then glanced at the clock beside him, realising they were going to be late.

"Greg." He whispered softly. "Greg baby. Wakey, wakey." He lightly shook him, watching his eyelashes slowly fluttering open, revealing those dark beautiful eyes of his. "Baby, your flights in two hours and we're gonna meet the guys for breakfast remember."

"Ooh, no, no," He moaned, snuggling closer to Nick. "I don't want to. I'm too tired. I don't wonna go." Greg moaned then reclosed his eyes against Nick, softly murmuring, "Where did you go anyway?"

"I was just talkin' to Warrick on the phone downstairs." Nick gently pressed his lips to Greg's forehead then circled his arms around him. "You can join us for breakfast then leave straight after for your flight to LA."

"I changed my mind . . . I don't wonna go." Greg grumbled into his neck.

"C'mon baby, you've been workin' on this for months." Nick gently brushed his fingers through his hair, delicately pressing his lips to his eyelids. "What are you so worried about? It's not the gay thing is it?" Greg opened his eyes, scowling up at him. "What? Jean said that you felt kinda funny doin' interviews and worryin' that they were gonna bash you as a writer because you're gay."

"Jean's not supposed to tell you _everything_ I tell her in confidence." He grumbled. "What else did she tell you?"

"Nothin', that's it I swear."

Greg looked at him curiously a moment then gave out a soft sigh. "I'm not worried about that. They can ask all they like about my gorgeous fiancé, but I'm never gonna be ashamed of you. I'm more worried about you . . . and Warrick."

"Warrick wouldn't want you to miss this either. You've been workin' on your book so long. He'll be fine . . . he was fine when I saw him in the locker room." Nick dropped a kiss to his shoulder, watching Greg sleepily rubbing his eyes open. "You were excited about this yesterday, and I want you to go."

"I don't wonna leave you." Greg complained, swirling his fingertip across Nick's chest. "Call me a girl or whatever, but since we've been together... we've never exactly been apart."

"You can call me whenever you like. C'mon, we're meetin' the guys for breakfast." Nick climbed out from under Greg, moving towards the edge of the bed. "C'mon Greg." He laughed watching him trying to get comfy again.

"No." He groaned as Nick tickled him, dragging his body towards the edge of the bed so he could get out. "I don't wonna go." He complained, struggling to crawl back towards the pillows but Nick successfully dragged him to the edge again.

"C'mon Greg," He chuckled, tickling the squirming form again. "Get up, we're gonna be late."

"If I didn't love you so damn much I'd kick you right where it hurts." Greg smiled up at him then rolled onto his tummy into the warm covers. "Five more minutes shut eye then I'll get up."

"In five more minutes you'll be beggin' me for _another_ five more minutes. I know how your mind works, so why don't we just save ourselves the argument and you get up now?" Nick smirked, smacking his palm to Greg's bottom as the younger man stayed lifeless in the mountain of covers. "Greg, come on!"

"Whining is seriously not an attractive quality." Greg finally rolled over onto his side, rubbing his eyes open as he looked towards a pouting Nick. "Especially not in you."

"Well I hate to break it to you sunshine, but mornin's aren't your attractive quality either." He grinned back at him, making Greg frown evilly at him. "Not like that, you know you're adorable no matter what time of day it is. I'm beginnin' to understand how your mother felt when she was tryin' to wake you up for school in the mornin's though." He chuckled.

"That's it; I'm banning you from talking to her." Greg suddenly shouted, making Nick laugh at him. "I hate you two always talking about me. It's not fair." He pouted.

"C'mon, it wasn't me." Nick climbed back onto the bed, leaning over Greg to press kisses to his forehead. "Your mother mentioned it and I agreed with her because you don't ever get up. You turn the alarm off it wakes you up and it takes me like half an hour to get you out of bed."

"I love sleeping."

"I know." Nick chuckled, pressing another kiss to his forehead. "C'mon, I wonna go eat breakfast with the old team and my beautifully handsome fiancé." He tried to persuade him. "Warrick really wants you there too." Greg gave out a heavy sigh, reclosing his eyes a moment. "C'mon baby."

"You're annoying."

"You're annoyin'." Nick repeated with a chuckle. "C'mon, you know you love me really." Nick beamed a wide smile down at him as Greg peered through his thick long lashes at him. "I'll let you drive." He suggested, trying to sell him on the idea even more.

"Okay," He reluctantly answered then gave Nick a cheeky grin. "Are we talking driving cars here... or you?" He asked, getting tickled by Nick in response. "I just thought I'd ask." He giggled.

"You can drive me anytime, but we're gonna be really, really late at this rate so getcha gorgeous little ass out of this bed and get dressed would yah."

"Did you really have a fight with Warrick?" Greg asked as he rolled onto his back while he gave out a wide yawn.

"Who told you that?"

"Cath saw you." Greg opened his eyes, looking up at Nick.

"Yeah . . . but we're fine now." Nick assured him then walked off to the bathroom, leaving Greg on the bed. "I'll tell you about it later." He shouted from the bathroom. Greg nestled himself back in the covers, letting his eyelids fall shut again. "Greg, don't go back to sleep!" He shouted back to him.

"I'm resting my eyes." He mumbled sleepily.

Nick head back into the bedroom once he was down and pulled his shirt off. He rolled his eyes as he saw Greg still in the exact same position with his eyelids tightly closed. "Greg, I'm serious. Get up." He warned him, lightly tapping his thigh. "Baby, if you don't getcha ass up out of this bed right now..."

"You'll take away my stereo and ban me from TV for a month." Greg interrupted him, giving out a giggle as he opened his eyes to look up at Nick. "P-lease, my mother used that one on me all the time." Greg looked up at Nick as his stomach made a funny growl. "You gonna answer that?" He giggled softly.

"Yes!"

"No Nicky." Nick grabbed hold of Greg's arm and tugged him towards the edge of the bed then lifted his body up over his shoulder. "Nicky, put me down. You know I hate it when you do that." Nick just laughed in response; fireman's carrying the giggling and squirming man off towards the bathroom.

Nick carefully lowered him to the bathroom floor then pressed his lips to Greg's as he handed him his toothbrush. "Now hurry your ass up, we're gonna be late." He warned him then snatched another kiss as Greg's cheeky grin looked too advertising to pass up. "I wish we had more time so I could properly say goodbye." He spoke softly as he pulled back from him.

"Aww, my poor lil cowboy. You're gonna be pent up for a whole two weeks without me here to relieve you of your tension." He teased him through a cheeky grin.

Nick smiled back then head off into the bedroom to grab some clothes to wear. "Well I don't know what you're gonna do without me." He called back to him.

Greg finished brushing his teeth then giggled as he made his way back into the bedroom. "There's always old faithful." He teased as he waved around his right hand to Nick. "He has these great speed settings and always make me come on time."

Nick suddenly pushed Greg back onto the bed, straddling his thighs as he hungrily kissed him. Greg giggled against the older man's ravenous lips as he had gotten his own way again. "Aren't we gonna be late?" Greg asked as Nick crawled towards the cabinet for some lubricant.

"Nope, we got time. And _I_ can always make you come in record time." He laughed as he pulled Greg towards him, stripping him of his clothing. "Why can't I ever stay mad at you?" He breathed across the younger mans lips.

"Because you love more than anything in the whole wide world?" He surmised.

"Very, very true."

Nick had Greg seeing stars in less than seven minutes, giving them plenty of time to clean up, change and head off towards the teams favourite diner where everyone was ready and waiting for them. "Glad you could finally make it." Warrick smirked as they finally took their seats.

"Nick couldn't decide which shirt to wear then he ended up changing his jeans over and over again." Greg teased him even though really he only changed three times because he complained Greg kept creasing his shirts.

Nick poked him in the thigh under the table then called over the waitress to start their orders. They talked and joked around with one another like they always used to do, minus one member of their team.

"I gotta catch my flight." Greg announced about an hour later, wiping his mouth on a napkin as he climbed to his feet.

"Have a safe flight Greggy." Catherine smiled, playfully ruffling his hair as she got up to hug him. Grissom and Warrick shook his hand then Nick gave him a warm hug, clutching him tightly. "Jeez he's only going away for two weeks Nicky." Catherine chuckled softly as she gently rubbed her palm up and down his back.

"I know." Nick smiled round at her. "I'm gonna miss him though."

"You're just a big softie Nicky." Catherine chuckled, patting him on the shoulder.

"I'll call you when I land." Greg assured him.

Nick pressed a kiss to his cheek, slowly pulling back. "Okay, I love you." He whispered. "Be careful."

"You too." Greg turned to walk away, waving to them all as he walked out the door. "Bye."

"You'll be fine." Catherine smiled at Nick then checked her watch. "Well I gotta get Lindsey off to school in about an hour." She noticed as she grabbed her coat and bag.

"See yah later." Warrick waved after her.

"Bye." Grissom waved to her then climbed to his feet for himself, grabbing his coat off the back of his chair. "I gotta go too."

Nick and Warrick nodded, taking their seats at the table again after everyone else had left.

A red headed waitress eyed up Nick as she walked past, making Warrick chuckle softly. He gently nudged his best friend with his elbow, giving him a wide smile as he turned to face him. "You know a year ago, you wouldn't have even hesitated to take her out Nicky."

"I'm almost a married man now." He smiled happily, looking at the key still draped around his neck that he treasured dearly. "And I'm in love. I don't have to date anyone now, because I've got the very best one. And it's the best feelin' in the world."

"Well I'm happy for yah Nicky. Really, you're lucky to have someone like Greg in your future." He beamed a wide smile in his friend's direction then ordered another coffee for them both while they caught up on sports and television, talking as though nothing had ever happened between them.

"See yah later Nick."

"Yeah, later."

The two of them shook hands outside the diner, giving one another wide smiles as they slowly parted ways. Nick watched Warrick turning off down the alley towards his car then turned around himself to head off towards his truck just down the street. He hoped Greg had found a taxi and got him off to the airport safely. He didn't know what he'd do if anything ever happened to Greg.

Unlocking the driver's side door of his truck, Nick's heart jumped in his chest as he heard two loud gun shots. Working in the lab for so many years, Nick was no stranger to the sound. He heard them everyday coming from the ballistics lab, but this was different.

Nick searched around for where it had come from; noticing Warrick's car was still stationary in the alleyway. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he saw someone running off down the alley in the other direction.

Nick slowly started to walk towards the car, quickening his pace as he got closer and closer towards it. The closer he got, the more worried he got as he could see Warrick's figure sat in the driver's seat, but he wasn't moving.

Jogging towards the passenger side door, Nick immediately noticed the gun, the shattered driver's side window and the blood. His jaw dropped as he looked at the blood oozing from his friends neck. He turned his head back down the alley, watching the suspect getting away. He saw that he had two choices. He could stay and try to help Warrick or he could run after the guy that did it, and probably end up beating him to a bloody pulp.

If he did, Warrick could die though.

Throwing open the passenger side door, Nick reached over the seat for his best friend, deciding he was his priority right now. If Warrick died because he didn't do anything, he would never be able to forgive himself. He had to help him, the evidence they would collect later would lead them to their suspect.

Nick dragged him out of the car in his arms, holding his hand securely over the bullet wound to his neck. Warrick's eyes were open, he was looking up at him with a painful lost look, but he couldn't talk as the blood was pooling into his throat. He couldn't see where the other gunshot was, but he knew from the rate that Warrick was bleeding that he wouldn't last much longer without any help.

"Nicky! What happened?" A voice suddenly startled him.

Nick looked up through the tears in his eyes, looking up at Grissom coming down the alley towards him. He was buying a taco at the taco stand before he head home when he too heard the gunshots, but Nick got there quicker.

Seeing Warrick bleeding in Nick's arms, Grissom immediately dropped the taco in his hands to the alley floor, plummeting to his knees on the ground in front of him. "No. Nick... wha..." The distraught father quickly pulled his jacket off, covering Warrick's cold body with it. He pulled his cell phone out while Nick clutched him tightly, trying to keep it together so the operator over the line would understand what he was trying to tell him.

"Stay with me," Nick pleaded his best friend, his tears pooling onto Warrick's forehead. "You have to hang on, please. I can't lose you. You have to hold on."

Warrick reached his hand out for Grissom's arm, clutching it tightly as he struggled to speak. The blood in his throat was drowning him, making it impossible to tell him whatever he wanted to say. Warrick managed to tilt his head back across Nick's arms, looking him in the eye as he tried again.

"Don't speak." Grissom whispered to him. "Save your strength, the ambulance is on its way. You just have to hold on!" His voice broke with emotions as Warrick choked on his own blood.

"Stokes, Gil." McKeen suddenly rushed towards them. "It was... Pritchard. I heard... the gun shots... he got away." McKeen was panting heavily as if he had been running.

Nick and Grissom weren't fully aware of his presence as they were both clutching Warrick tightly, trying to give him a life line to keep him alive. Warrick looked up at Nick again, struggling to speak. He cast his eyes towards McKeen with furrowed brows then tilted his head slightly to look up into Nick's eyes again as if he was trying to tell him something, but he was fading fast and Nick couldn't understand what he was trying to say.

Time seemed to completely stand still after that.

Nick continued to clutch Warrick's body tightly as the police cruisers, ambulances and CSI vehicles all pulled up just down the alley from them. It felt as though he had been holding him for hours now. The blood on his shirt was hot and sticky. Warrick's body in his arms was cold and heavy. Nick's tears stung his eyelids, and they were burning into his cheeks before they dripped from his chin into Warrick's blood soaked hair.

Grissom was now sat against the alley wall with his head in his hands. The white shirt he was wearing was covered in patches of Warrick's blood, and his own tears were beginning to dry out on his face in the Las Vegas heat.

Vartann, Brass and one of the paramedics eventually managed to pry Nick's grip from Warrick's lifeless body. Warrick's arms fell weakly to the alley floor beneath him as Nick was pulled away. Vartann held him back while the paramedics checked Warrick for signs of life.

A simple head shake to Captain Brass from one of the paramedics was all it took for Nick to finally break. He pulled out of Vartann's arms, dropping heavily to his knees on the alley floor. His breath hitched in his throat as he started to sob.

A painful strangled scream erupted from his throat, echoing through the alley.

Catherine felt her heart breaking in two as she stepped onto the scene. She didn't know what had happened yet, but hearing Nick's painful cries was enough to bring tears to her own eyes. Never before had she heard a grown man cry with such pain.

* * *

Later in Los Angeles airport . . .

Greg collected his bags then walked through the airport seeing a man holding his name on a sign. He went to walk towards him but stopped as he felt his phone vibrating in his jeans pocket. Dropping his bag to the floor at his feet, Greg pulled it from his pocket and opened it up, holding it against his ear. "Sanders." He answered professionally even though he was away from work.

"_Gregory it's me. Check out the news."_ His mother's voice rang through the phone.

Greg looked round the airport then saw a TV on in the waiting area. He dragged his bag along behind him as he walked over to it, standing perfectly still as the news reported the shooting of a Las Vegas Crime Scene Investigator.

"_Do you see it honey?"_

"I'm watching it." He nodded into his cell phone, feeling his body starting to tremble. _Please not Nick, please not Nick, please not Nick. _He repeated over and over again in his head, keeping his eyes glued to the screen.

He felt goosebumps shivering their way up his arms and the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. The news report didn't mention a name, but one of the reporters were right by the crime scene. Greg squinted into the distance of the crime scene, spotting Grissom, Catherine and Brass in the distance of the crime scene. Catherine's eyes were glazed over; Grissom was sat against the alley wall with a blanket around him and Brass was on his cell phone.

Greg's eyes slowly widened as he saw a gurney with a black body bag being wheeled away to an ambulance. Greg's phone holding hand dropped to his side as he stared open mouthed at it. The noise of the airport suddenly went dead quiet and his heart pounded slowly in his chest.

Once the gurney was in the ambulance, the camera turned back around the crime scene. Greg frantically searched the crowd of on lookers for his lover, feeling his spine tingling as he saw his supervisor Grissom in tears. Not once had Greg ever seen so much emotion on his face. He had seen him upset a few times, but this was much worse. Catherine was quietly trying to hold her emotions back, and Brass had a blank expression on his face. The one he always used when he was hiding his emotions.

And there he was.

Nick was on the alley floor in a prayer like position, covered in blood and screaming in pain. Greg's phone dropped from his hand, clattering loudly to the floor at his feet. The sounds of the airport suddenly rushed back into his ears, making his head hurt. He looked at how much pain his lover was in, making his heart ache for him. He had never seen Nick crying like that. He had never seen him in so much pain.

"Sir, are you alright?" An airhostess just getting off shift stopped beside him. She picked his phone up for him, gently tapping him on the shoulder to alert his attention. "Sorry." She apologised as she seemed to startle him. "You dropped this."

"Oh, thanks." Greg took his phone from her hands, snapping it shut in his palm.

"Are you alight?" She asked again as she saw how shaky he was. Of course being a flight attendant she was used to seeing people nervous or shaky from flying, but never this bad before. "Are you about to get on a flight?" She spoke softly.

"Oh no, I'm not a... it's just..." Greg was so distraught after seeing his boyfriend in so much pain that he couldn't form complete sentences. "I have to..." Picking up his bag, Greg looked around for the front desk to book a flight back to Vegas. "I'm fine." He assured her with a forced smile. She nodded to him then watched him aimlessly making his way off through the busy people of the airport, constantly bumping into them with the lost boy look written across his features.

* * *

Wendy carefully removed Nick's blood soaked shirt from his chest, noticing his t-shirt underneath was soaked too. She carefully folded it up into an evidence bag then reached for the scissors, noticing another tear gently rolling down his pale complexion. She wanted to say something to make it better, but there wasn't a thing she could think of to say.

Once the t-shirt was cut from his chest, Nick removed his boots and jeans, being handed a spare set of clothes by Sara. She gave him a soft smile as he glanced up at her wide eyed. They hadn't seen her for months since she left now here she was, right on time in their time of need.

"Is that everythin'?" Nick's voice croaked as he looked at Wendy.

"Eh... yeah, that's everything." She nodded to him, folding his jeans away for him. She watched Nick and Sara immediately embracing in a sibling hug before she made her way off towards her lab to process Grissom and Nick's clothes for any trace evidence.

Nick sobbed softly into Sara's shoulder, continuously seeing the image of his best friend dying in his arms. The image was permanently embedded in his memory, constantly replaying from the gunshots to crying his name while they took him away in a body bag.

Sara softly soothed Nick in her arms, whispering words of comfort against his neck as she gently smoothed her palms up and down his back. As she let him go she watched him dressing in the clothes she had gotten him before she pulled him back into her arms. He squeezed her hand tightly, opening his mouth but to speak, but all that escaped his throat was a soft whimper.

"Shh, it's okay." She whispered to him.

"It's not okay!" He sobbed, pulling out of her arms. Sara watched him rubbing his eyes then jumped back as he suddenly slammed both of his fists down on the cold metal table beside him. "It's not okay. Why did he have to die?" He shouted, alerting the attention of half the lab crew. "I should have done somethin'!"

"You can't go blaming yourself."

"I can't..." Nick's voice hitched in his throat before he slid down the wall to sit on the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Of course Gedda's guys would go after him. They still think that Warrick killed him. We shoulda done a better job to protect him." Nick sobbed into his knees, clutching his head tightly.

Grissom hesitantly made his way into the room, casting a look towards Nick before he turned to Sara. "We're eh... we're going after Pritchard..."

"I'm comin'." Nick immediately sprang to his feet, wiping his eyes on the back of his hands.

Grissom shook his head, giving out a soft sigh. "No Nick."

"You're not doin' this without me!" He protested, filled with rage. "That son of a bitch isn't gettin' away with this. He _has_ to pay."

"That's what I'm worried about." Grissom pointed out to him. "You're too emotionally involved in this. I can't let a loose cannon like you out in the field. You're not even a CSI anymore." He reminded him.

"Damn right I'm emotionally involved. He was my best friend!" He shouted, making Grissom take an involuntary step back as he looked at the fury in Nick's eyes. "I told him everythin' was goin' to be okay now. I was wrong, they still came after him."

"Nick, you did everything you could to help him." Sara spoke softly.

"Yeah but it wasn't enough! He's gone." Nick's lower lip quivered as his arms tensed up at his sides. "He's dead, and there's nothin' that will bring him back."

"Exactly, killing Pritchard won't bring him back." Grissom tried to reason with him.

"No, but it will bring Warrick some justice. If you won't help me, I'll find someone who can." Nick scowled angrily at the two of them before he stormed off through the lab halls, scowling at anyone who cast a look towards him on his way out.

"Stop right there Stokes." Ecklie stepped out of his office, blocking Nick's path. "You were first on scene; you can't just go off on your own vigilante mission."

"Get out of my way." He raged, pushing Ecklie's hand aside as he went to stop him again.

"Your best friend was just shot, show some compassion."

Nick's rage got the better of him again. Fuelled by his rage, Nick furiously shoved Ecklie back against the wall, gripping strong handfuls of the weasel's shirt as he violently shook him in his arms. "Don't you dare say that to me, you arrogant bastard!" He spat.

"Let go of me!" He fearfully commanded.

"Nick, let him go." Grissom reiterated, rushing out of the room as he heard the commotion from down the hall. Nick gave Ecklie one last shove against the wall before he let go of him, turning off down the hall to continue on his journey to get revenge on Pritchard for taking his friend away from him.

"He's gone." Ecklie pointed towards Grissom. "Not just on suspension, he's gone. For good."

Grissom rolled his eyes at him, giving out a heavy sigh. "See how you handle someone you love dying in your arms Conrad. Internal affairs will be the judge of Nick's performance, not you. So far he's the only one that actually wants to get the guy that did this." Grissom raged at him then head off back to his office to grab his spare jacket before he head out.

* * *

A few hours later Greg managed to get a flight back to Vegas, heading straight for the crime lab. When he got there a lot of commotion was going on in the AV lab. He dropped his bag in the locker room then rushed towards the lab, seeing two markers on the screen, moving across a road together. "Greg," Sara met him in the hallway, wrapping her arms around her little brother as she saw the lost look in his eyes. "Did you hear?" She whispered.

"Warrick?" He nodded against her, looking over her shoulder at the monitors in the AV lab. "Where's Nicky?"

"He's... he's out working." She explained, gently patting him on the back. "There's nothing you can do here Greg."

"I have to do something." Greg stepped past her into the AV lab, taking a closer look at the monitor Catherine, Grissom and Archie were sat in front of.

"Greg." Catherine gasped as she saw him out of the corner of her eye. "What are you doing here?"

"I got a flight back, what's going on?"

Catherine and Grissom exchanged looks as Greg made his way into the room, looking up at the monitors. "We're following McKeen. He's on the run with Pritchard." Grissom explained to him then put the phone to his ear again. "Nicky the cars stopped, about a quarter mile ahead of you." Greg looked at him curiously as the two markers on the monitor slowly got closer and closer together. He assumed the one moving was Nick. He worried about what would happen when Nick caught up to McKeen.

"Why is McKeen with Pritchard?" Greg queried, looking around at them all suspiciously.

"Greg, maybe you should wait outside." Grissom suggested.

"I'm not a child." He snapped in annoyance, leaning on the back of Catherine's chair. "Is McKeen Gedda's mole? We knew it was probably someone higher up, so it's him, right? Did he kill Warrick?" Catherine and Grissom both nodded slightly to him, feeling as though they were parents protecting their youngest from the death of his brother. "And you let Nick go after him?"

"Let... isn't exactly the choice of words I'd use." Grissom looked round at him, giving out a soft sigh. "He pretty much insisted. You know that Nick can't be stopped when he's got his mind set on something." Greg nodded in agreement, feeling his heart pounding heavily in his chest as the second marker stopped near the first, meaning Nick had caught up to him.

Greg waited around the lab for him to return, knowing Nick would probably need to vent when he got back from all this. While he was waiting for him, Greg finally had his own time to grieve, bursting into tears as he clutched his head in his hands. The image of Nick screaming in pain was permanently burnt into his mind, making his whole body tremble with fear.

* * *

Once Nick returned from the field, he head straight for the locker room, dropping heavily to the bench. Sat beside him was a box of Warrick's things, taken from his deceased body. Inside the picture compartment of his wallet, Nick found the unlucky coin.

He fiddled with the coin in his hands, recalling the conversation they had in the hospital after he was buried alive. Warrick was blaming himself for what had happened to him over the dumb luck of a coin toss. "Heads you live . . . tails you die." He muttered to himself, flipping the coin in his hands. His weak, shaky hand missed the coin as he went to catch it, making it clatter and roll to the ground. He let the bad luck penny roll across the floor towards the lockers, not wanting to ever pick it up again.

The penny was always bad luck and Warrick was carrying it around with him. Nick thought he might as well have been wearing a target by carrying that thing around.

Nick turned his head as he heard footsteps coming into the room. He dropped his jaw surprised as he saw Greg slowly making his way into the room. "What are you doin' here?"

"I'm here for you." Greg dropped onto the bench beside him, immediately wrapping his arms around him. He clutched Nick's trembling body tightly, burying his face in his soft hair. "I heard you didn't shoot McKeen."

Nick shook his head in his arms. "I wanted to . . . but I was thinkin' about what you said." He wiped his hands under his eyes, clutching Greg tighter. "I couldn't do it. He was beggin' me to . . . but I couldn't do it."

"That's because you're not a bad person Nicky." He whispered softly, smoothing his hands up and down Nick's back. "C'mon, I'll take you home." Greg gently pulled him to his feet, wiping his palms across his cheeks to clean off the evidence of tears. He touched his lips to his forehead then pulled him off towards the door, grabbing his bag on the way.

Greg unlocked the front door of their house, letting them both in. Nick head straight towards the front room, dropping heavily to the sofa with his head in his hands. Greg locked the front door behind him then head off towards the front room, taking a moment to look at Nick on the couch. He slowly made his way over to him, dropping to his knees at his feet. He watched the heartbreaking tears rolling down his cheeks, trying to think of something he could do to make him feel better.

But there was nothing he _could_ do.

Nick suddenly locked his hands beneath Greg's arms, lifting him up onto his lap. He clutched his warm body tightly; burying his tear stroked cheeks into the younger mans neck. Greg returned the comforting warm embrace, clutching him tightly as he tried his best to comfort him. Nick soon fell asleep in Greg's arms, his tears drying into the fabric of the younger mans sweatshirt.

A few hours later, Greg looked up towards the front door as he heard it opening. He spotted his mother and father quietly creeping inside, giving him a slight wave. He gave them both a half smile in return, watching them carrying food off towards the kitchen. He carefully lifted Nick off his chest, placing him on the sofa beneath him. Reaching for the blanket draped over the back, he carefully covered his body then pressed a kiss to his eyelids before he head off into the kitchen to see what his parents had brought.

"Mom, you really didn't have to come all this way."

"Nonsense, it's no trouble." She assured him then pulled him into her arms to clutch him tightly. "How's he doing?"

"Not so good." He sighed softly. "I don't know what I can do. You didn't see him Mom; he's never broken down like that before."

"Aww baby, I'm sure just being there for him is enough right now. How are you?" She asked as she gently smoothed her palms up and down his back.

"I'm okay." He spoke softly.

"Sweetheart could you take over, I really have to get this chicken in the oven." Jean handed her son over to her husband then rushed off to heat the oven.

Daniel pulled Greg into his arms, holding him securely in his embrace while he watched his wife running around the kitchen to get everything ready. He didn't know why she insisted on cooking for them, he thought it was perhaps her way of dealing so he left her to it.

"You haven't hugged me this tightly since you were a little boy." Daniel whispered to his son. Greg just closed his eyes against him, clutching him tighter. Daniel pressed his lips to his son's forehead, smoothing one palm up and down his spine. He hated to see his child cry, even when he was a baby. Nana Olaf always thought that a baby should learn to self sooth, but for Daniel and Jean it was just too heartbreaking. They hugged and kissed their little boy all they could, making sure he knew that they would always be there for him, and no matter what they'd always love him.

Nick had definitely been benefitting from this teaching. He had never been hugged so much in his life.

"Gregory, can you please get that dog out of the kitchen, he's stinking up the place." Jean pinched her nose together as the dog lingered around her. The dog didn't smell, she was just being melodramatic since she didn't like animals in the kitchen.

"What do you think he's saying about you?" Greg teased her. "This is his house you're in." Greg gently tugged Rascal by his collar towards the back door, closing the door once he was out in the garden. "Mom, what are you cooking?"

"I'm doing you a nice roast chicken. You both need to eat sweetheart, Warrick's going to be just fine." Jean was too busy cooking that she didn't notice Daniel giving her the cut throat signal. "He's a tough one. He's not gonna give up that easy." She assured him before she pecked him on the cheek. "Have you been to the hospital yet?"

"No Mom." Greg shook his head, looking down at his hands. "He's not in the hospital."

Jean finally saw her husband's hand gesture, rolling her eyes at herself. "Oh, I'm sorry honey. I didn't know."

"It's okay." Greg spoke softly then wandered off down the hall towards the front room to check on Nick. He smiled softly as he saw Nick's eyes open then made his way over to him, dropping to the floor beside him. "Hey there sleepy beauty." He spoke softly.

"That's what I say to you." Nick smiled back at him, reaching his hand out to brush his thumb across his cheek. "Is that you parents I hear?"

Greg nodded slightly. "My mom's cooking Roast Chicken, you want some?"

"I could eat." He nodded slightly. "Did Sara call yet?"

"She's gonna send us the details later." Gently brushing his fingers through Nick's hair, he watched a single tear drop spilling from his lover's eye. "I don't know what to say Nicky."

"Don't say anythin'. Get up here." Nick shifted back against the sofa cushions, making room for Greg in front of him. Greg climbed onto the sofa with him, putting his back to Nick's chest so he could spoon him tightly. "I can't believe you missed out on your book tour for this." He whispered against his neck as he tightened his arms around him.

"I don't care about it right now." Greg whispered softly. Nick closed his eyes against him, placing his hand on Greg's chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. After holding Warrick's cold, lifeless body in his arms for so long, it was nice to feel Greg's warm body and feel his heart beating, knowing that he was alive.

"Don't go anywhere, okay?" Nick whispered against his ear. "I want you to stay here, with me."

"I promise." Greg whispered, leaning further back into his embrace.

A few hours later Greg's cell phone started to ring, awaking both Nick and Greg from their deep slumber. Greg looked at the caller ID then snapped his phone open, slowly raising it to his ear then closed his eyes as he answered, "Hey Sara."

Nick sat up straight on the sofa, watching Greg nodding and whispering a slight 'yeah' every few seconds to whatever Sara was talking to him about. As soon as he saw Greg's eyes open and his eyes glazing over with heart breaking tears, he knew that she was telling him the details of when and where his funeral would be held.

Greg wrote down some notes then snapped his phone shut in his hands, looking round at Nick beside him. "Don't." Nick stopped him from telling him then pulled Greg into his arms, clutching him tightly as the younger man started to cry. "Go on baby, cry." He whispered against his neck, pulling him closer. "Let it out baby."

Jean was just about to come into the room to see if they were ready for dinner when she saw them crying together in one another's arms. She quickly rushed back to the kitchen, immediately throwing her arms around her husband as she felt her own tears coming on at seeing her baby in tears.

* * *

Three days later . . .

Nick and Greg sat between Catherine and Sara in the church, all clutching one another's hands tightly as the Priest got up to say his speech then Grissom climbed to his feet, giving out his speech that even had the manliest of the police force in tears.

After the service was complete, Nick told Greg he'd meet him by the car as he wanted to talk to Tina, and meet her for the first time. She was in tears for the whole service, holding her sleeping child in her arms.

Greg waited by Nick's truck, looking up the birds circling the church tower and another funeral going on in the distance around their gravestone. The whole family of mourners were clutching handkerchiefs tightly in their hands as the Priest gave his famous speech about death that he must have used over a hundred times since the graveyard was full of graves.

This got Greg thinking about his own death. He had thought about it before after the lab explosion and every moment after the beating, but he had never put a lot of thought into it, like where he would want to be buried or cremated and what he would want someone to say at his funeral to all of his mourners. He had been thinking about his own death a lot less since he started dating Nick, but now that he had lost someone so close to him and it wasn't just another victim that kept him in a job, all those thoughts and feelings were starting to come back.

Once Nick finished talking with Tina, he gave her a slight hug then shook Eli's little hand before he turned and made his way back across the parking lot towards Greg.

Tina held her son in her arms, watching her ex-husbands best friend walking off towards the younger man stood by his car. She smiled softly as she watched the two of them immediately embracing in a affectionate hug. She knew Warrick's best friend was Nick from work, but she had never met him or been introduced to him before now. She could easily tell he was Nick though as Warrick had perfectly described how kind hearted he was.

"As soon as I saw that car I knew I wasn't lookin' for survivors." Nick whispered as he clutched Greg tightly against his chest. "As soon as I left Brass's side I knew I was gonna kill McKeen if I found him alive."

"I'm glad you didn't." Greg whispered, smoothing his hands up and down his back. "It's not your fault Nicky. Warrick wouldn't have wanted you to kill him. You're not a murderer baby." Greg clutched him tighter, waving to Catherine and Sara as they exited the church, heading off towards their cars in the distance.

Nick closed his eyes against Greg's shoulder, letting out his last few tears. "I can't believe he's gone."

Greg cradled his lover against his chest, trying his best to comfort him, but there was nothing he could do or say that would ever make him feel better.

He had lost his best friend and nothing was going to bring him back.

* * *

Present day, two weeks after Warrick was taken from them. Nick sighed softly as he checked his watch again. Greg was nearly an hour late to meet him, and he wasn't exactly in a very comforting place right now. He was stood at the edge of the cemetery by his truck, resting his hands on his knees in the early morning sunshine. There was a drying puddle on the ground beside him, reflecting an image of a man he barely recognised.

Greg must have noticed too. His eyes were dark and cold, constantly stained with guilt ridden tears. His complexion was pale from the lack of sleep and his hair was a dishevelled mess.

Lifting the half empty bottle from his side, Nick uncapped the whiskey, slowly raising it to his lips to take a sip. "Don't." Greg grabbed the bottle from his hands, holding it away from him. "Trust me when I say it doesn't dull the pain." He recapped the bottle and held it out of Nick's reach as he helped him to his feet.

"You're late." Nick pointed out to him.

"Case ran on late." Greg dumped the bottle into a nearby trashcan then entwined his fingers with Nick's, slowly leading the way off through the graveyard towards Warrick's post in the ground that had yet to be properly marked with his headstone.

"No wait." Nick pulled against him as he saw it, not wanting to go any further.

"What's wrong?" Greg whirled around to face him, looking into his eyes.

"I can't do it, not like this." He tugged harder against Greg, wanting to leave. "I failed him, I can't..."

"You haven't failed him." Greg interrupted him. "Would you please stop blaming yourself? You honoured him. You hunted down the bastard that killed him, no matter what anyone was telling you." Nick's breath hitched in his throat for the hundredth time that week. Greg immediately pulled Nick into his arms, pulling his head down to rest on his shoulder.

Nick bit back a scream as he looked towards the post marking Warrick's grave again, clutching Greg's body tighter in his arms. "I keep seein' his eyes. He was lookin' directly at McKeen right before he died . . . and I never saw it." He sobbed into his neck.

"Baby, you gotta stop blaming yourself for everything." Pressing his lips to the side of Nick's head, Greg gently smoothed his hands up and down his back again. "It's not your fault. Warrick died in the arms of his best friend, and his pseudo father. Most people don't get that luxury."

Nick's knees began to feel weak the harder he cried, if it wasn't for Greg supporting him, he would have hit the floor. "God I love you so much Greg. I really can't wait to marry you, but I wonna spend every second with you. I'm never takin' advantage of a single day I have with you."

As Nick slowly relinquished his grip from Greg's body, Greg retrieved the crushed rose from Nick's hands, leading Nick the rest of the way towards Nick's plot. He bent the petal back into place then removed the old rose that had since died, replacing it with the new one.

"You know Warrick would think you're a total queer for bringing him red roses all the time." Greg teased, making Nick smile for the first time.

"He would, but it's the flower he used to leave on his Nana's grave. He said she was the only woman he ever bought red roses for and meant it." Nick took a step closer to Greg, wrapping his arms around his waist from behind him.

"You know what he'd say to you right now?" Greg looked over his shoulder at Nick, doing his best impression of Warrick's voice. "Give yah-self a break Nicky. Don't feel guilty for something you had no control over."

"You really think so?" Nick rested his chin on Greg's shoulder, sniffing back his tears as he looked at the name 'Warrick Brown' carved into the wood. "I've spent my whole life worryin' about what people would think of me or how my family would react to me bein' the way I am. If Warrick wanted somethin', he'd go for it." He spoke softly, tightening his arms around Greg's waist. "I don't think I'll ever be able to say goodbye to him."

"You don't have to. He can live in your heart. That big ole Texas heart of yours." Greg smiled up at him. "He's always going to be with you, wherever you go." Greg turned in Nick's arms to clutch him tightly as another tear rolled down his cheek, repeating those same words against his neck, "Wherever you go."

* * *

**Death is really, really hard to write. I changed this around so many times. I cried more times than I can count, and I rarely ever cry. The reason I started with the future then told the story is because, I don't know if any of you have ever dealt with death before, but when I lost my dad everything was all jumbled all. I had no idea what the day was or anything, they just seemed to bleed together, so I wanted to do it like that for Nick and Greg. I hope you enjoyed it, as much as you can possibly enjoy the death of a great character and crying your eyes out.**

**I'm really sorry for any of your tears, hugs to you all :D**

**~ Holly**


	68. Chapter 68: Cope Without You

**Chapter Sixty Eight: Cope Without You**

Slowly awaking from his deep slumber, Nick reached out for Greg's warmth on the other side of the bed, finding it vacant and cold. He immediately opened his eyes, taking a moment to recollect where he was as he wasn't in his and Greg's room back at their house. He soon realised he was over at Jean and Daniel Sanders' house in LA on his vacation before Christmas. He would have liked to be there with Greg, but he was off with publishers trying to get his book published.

The publishers were actually quite understanding after Greg had told them that he wasn't there because of the death of Warrick, one of his closest friends. Greg managed to convince them to schedule more meetings, saving his book from tanking before anyone besides Nick got to read it.

"Nicky, wake up sweetheart!" Jean's voice cut through the silence of the morning. She barged right into his room again, setting a breakfast tray down on the empty side of the bed for him. "Bring it down when you're done honey. There's more coffee if you want it."

"Thanks Jean." He forced a smile in her direction, waiting until she left the room before he looked at the tray she had prepared. There was a small stack of pancakes with strawberries and cream sprinkled over the top, along with a glass of juice and one cup of coffee. Nick hated it when people stacked his pancakes like that. Only the top one ever had the unique flavouring while the others were just plain and boring. Greg had learnt this lesson well, he scattered his pancakes across the whole plate before he sprinkled the topping, making them all taste delicious.

"I miss Greg." He sighed softly to himself before he reached for the fork to dig into his breakfast as he would rather eat tasteless pancakes then nothing at all.

* * *

Jean skipped off down the stairs after delivering Nick his breakfast, pecking a kiss to her husband's cheek before she started to clear away the equipment she had used in the kitchen, pouring herself a coffee before she took a seat in front of Daniel. She gave him a curious look as he continued to flip through the newspaper in his hands, not paying much attention to her while he did it. "What?" He suddenly asked, glancing over the top at her.

"Have you talked to Nick?" She instantly asked, resting her chin on her elbow.

"No." Daniel shook his head slightly, taking a sip of his own coffee before he refolded the paper in his hands, sensing she was going to need to talk to him a little more. "Should I have?"

"I just gave him his breakfast, and he wasn't the same ole polite Nicky we know and love. Yesterday he stared at the wall for three hours straight, and he's not eating as much as he used to."

"Honey, I know you're just worried about him," Daniel reached out for her hands in his own, giving her a soft smile. "But Nick's going through grief. There's not really that much we can do for him. There's no magic pill that will make it go away. It's gonna take time, as long as he deals with it, he can get through it." He assured her.

"How can he deal with it when he's staring at walls?"

"I hate to point it out to you hun, but you didn't eat, sleep and you did plenty of staring after we lost..." Daniel stopped himself before he said 'lost the babies' out loud. "It took you months, no years to get back to your same ole jolly self. I was grieving too, but we helped each other through it..."

"Exactly my point, where's Greg when he needs him?" She interrupted him with a frustrated sigh.

"Nick had to practically kick him out the door to get him to go and meet with these publishers." Daniel reminded her. "Greg needs this, and Nick's okay. He's doing better than he was back in Vegas. He's not alone anymore. And at least he's showering now." He pointed out to her, moving his hands back to take another sip of his coffee. "Just don't crowd him, and don't be a cheerleader to his cause and everything will work itself out." He assured her then climbed to his feet.

"Where are you going?"

"Christmas shopping. It's the eighteenth of December and I don't have a single gift for anyone." He smiled at her then set his coffee mug down in the sink, pecking a kiss to his wife's cheek before he head off towards the front door to grab his jacket and keys. "Bye."

"Bye honey." She waved after him, giving out a soft sigh as she looked around her empty house.

She feathered and dusted the whole downstairs of the house, readjusting a few of the Christmas decorations that she had just recently put up. Since it was only usually the five of them for Christmas, she never really bothered to make a presentation. But this year Jillian and Bill Stokes were joining them. She imagined their holidays were always grand. Jillian did after all have seven children and well over twenty grandchildren. Jean imagined she must have had decorations in every room. That they would have grand dinners before they sat around a roaring fire place, opening their Christmas presents.

Or maybe that was just _her_ fantasy.

Jean only ever really bothered to decorate the family room, two days before Christmas as that was when Greg would travel all the way over from Vegas to join them for the holidays. She never revealed this fact to Greg of course. When he was a child he would always insist they decorate straight after thanksgiving and keep them up until the day after New Year's Eve. Now that he had grown up and moved away though, the decorations went up just before Christmas Eve and stayed there for a week until she took them down again.

Jean was hoping now that Greg had someone in his life and they were planning a long happy life together that she would enjoy Christmas a lot more then she had been for the past fourteen years.

Then she realised the real reason why she wasn't enjoying this holiday was because Warrick Brown had just died. Immediately after watching the news report on it, Jean began to fear the lives of her son and soon to be son in law. She didn't say anything to them this time though. She knew that the last thing the two of them needed right now was her constantly worrying that they were going to be next. But she couldn't get that feeling out of the back of her mind.

She wanted them safe.

Right now she would do anything to make sure that happened.

* * *

Nick lazily climbed out of bed a couple of hours later, heading straight for the bathroom. He ran a hand across his stubbled chin, gazing into his dark eyes before he slowly started to undress and climb into the shower. He made a mental note to lock the door before he came in as Jean was always bursting into his room unannounced. He didn't want her to burst in on him in the shower, so he double checked the lock before he stood under the warm spray of the water, closing his eyes as the droplets hit his face.

The gentle water droplets ran a streaky path across his pale skin, reminding him of Greg's soft fingertips gently running down his skin in the same path, once again making him realise how much he was missing Greg.

He quickly showered and washed his hair then changed into some clean clothes before he carried the breakfast tray off down the stairs to the kitchen. "Oh you don't need to do that." Jean stopped him from clearing it away for himself, taking over for him. "Can I get you anything, sweetheart?"

"No thanks, I'm gonna go for a walk." He motioned towards the door.

"You got a key? I might be out."

Fishing the spare keys from his jeans pocket to show her, Nick forced another smile in her direction before he head off out the door, feeling relieved to finally be outside in the cooling breeze.

Jean watched him go then head off into the front room where her parents were sat doing crossword puzzles, squinting weakly through their thick framed glasses at the newspapers two inches from their faces.

"Do you think I should call Greg and tell him how Nicky's doing?" She asked them both. Her mother gave her a slight nod without looking up at her, while her father just continued to stare at his paper. "Well, what should I say? Should I tell him to drop everything and get over here before Nick goes off the deep end? I've managed to keep him away from the booze. As far as I know he's not popping pills. Maybe I should take away the razors and things like I did when Greg started acting out in his teen years."

"Huh?" Her father finally glanced up over his paper with a perplexed frown on his face.

"I said, do you think I should call Greg and tell him how Nick's doing?" She asked again with more frustration this time. "You know Nick. Nick Stokes. Your grandson's fiancé." She explained in more detail as he continued to look at her confused.

"Oh." He finally nodded, getting what she meant. "What about him?"

"My god dad, you're going completely senile."

"You know I can't understand you when you talk a mile a minute." He chuckled. "What's going on with Nick, whys he so down?"

"His best friend just died. I told you all of that before he came here. He's on leave from work. Greg's away on his little business adventure thing, so Nick came here to spend some time with us, but he's been really down and quiet." She pointed out to him, gasping for breath once she was done rambling. "Do you think he's okay?"

"I don't know." He shrugged to her. "I haven't noticed anything."

When it was clear she wasn't going to get any help from her parents, Jean gave out a heavy sigh and head back off towards the kitchen, finishing off her list for Christmas grocery shopping.

* * *

Sitting on a bench in the middle of the park, Nick watched the young children joyfully running around with their brothers, sisters and parents towards the playground. He looked towards the old men sat around the chess tables in the distance with cigars in their mouths and the various walkers, joggers and dog walkers rushing by him every few minutes.

He fished Greg's I-Pod from his jacket pocket, scrolling down to a playlist marked 'Depression.' Greg seemed to have a playlist for every emotion. There was Love, Heavy Stuff, Angry Heck, Lust, Nick's Twang, Agony, Hopeless and Nervous.

He had no idea that Greg had ever done that before he had given it to him to keep him company while he was away.

The first song on the 'Depression' playlist was called '_A lesson in Charades by Asteria'_. Nick had never heard of the song or the artist, so he selected it, stuffing the buds in his ears so he could hear it.

_Don't bite your lip to hold back your smile_

_Just think of this_

_As bending the rules_

_You're walking a thin line_

_Between me and what's right_

_This thread seems worn and frayed_

_Don't hide your face_

_And cower behind_

_A wall made up_

_Of secrets and lies_

_You can put it all on me_

_But if this is what's been wrong_

_Then why is your hand in mine?_

Nick realised that Greg really was right when he labelled this up in the 'Depression' category. This song was more of a just got out of a tough relationship song, when you want to feel really depressed by putting on some love songs to make your heart ache for the person you just lost even more.

But still he listened on.

_One moment at a time_

_With nothing but your eyes_

_You make me scream_

_Stop and let me breathe_

_Regretting our first kiss_

_Taste the poison on your lips_

_Bloody and sweet_

_Stop and let me breathe._

_This room is too cold to hold back your tears_

_And your heart is too weak to wear on your sleeve_

_If I'd allow myself to feel_

_The things I know I should_

_Then I might not be standing here_

_Oh god this poison's spreading_

_Can't feel the ground beneath my feet_

_My hands won't stop shaking_

_My legs are crippled from defeat_

_My vision's getting blurry_

Nick didn't know how much longer the song lasted, but he quickly turned it off, tugging the buds from his ears as a single tear pooled down his cheek. He quickly brushed it away then stuffed the I-Pod back in his pocket, climbing to his feet to continue on his lonely walk.

Strolling through the town with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, Nick watched a young couple holding hands as they walked across the street, exchanging a smile between them before they skipped off into a store. He watched a young mother pushing along her stroller with a sleeping baby, holding her husband's hand at her side. Even an elderly couple hobbled along together, pointing their shaky digits up at the scenery as they peered up at the grand city through the spectacles pressed against their noses.

"I miss Greg." He sighed again, keeping his head low as he continued walking; avoiding all the happy in love couples around him that seemed to be everywhere he looked, making him ten times more depressed then he already was.

Quickly reaching for his phone, Nick texted Greg to tell him he needed him, receiving a text back from him five seconds later telling him to meet him for lunch.

* * *

Greg quickly paid the cab fare then rushed into the restaurant, being stopped by a man in a smart suit and name tag. "Do you have a reservation?" He asked in a snotty voice as he looked at Greg's ripped jeans with the vibrant blue t-shirt and the suit jacket over the top.

"It's a steak shack." Greg pointed out to him, watching the messy people picking at ribs on their plates.

"I'm sorry sir, without a reser..."

"Stokes." Greg folded his arms across his chest, waiting for the snooty host to find the name on the least. "Or Sanders... Or Greg or Nick." He added as the man seemed to be having a hard time finding it.

"Here we are. Sanders." He pointed it out on his list then took one last glance at Greg's wardrobe before he led him off to his table. The host took a step back as Nick immediately jumped to his feet, wrapping his arms tightly around the younger man's body in his secure embrace.

The host instructed a waiter to serve their table then head back to his post, glancing at the clock every few minutes as he was desperately waiting for his shift to end.

"How long have you got?" Nick asked as he slid into the booth.

"Two hours." Greg took a sip of his water as he was exhausted from rushing across town then slid round the booth to sit right beside Nick. "That's plenty of time to be with you."

"Thank god, I can't stand your mother anymore." Nick gave him a slight smile as he reached for Greg's hand to hold in his own. "Thanks for meetin' me, you're not missin' out on any big meetin's or anythin' are you?"

"Nope, even if I was, you come first." Greg assured him. "So, what's my mother doing to annoy you this time?"

"She's nice and all G, but she keeps bringin' me food and askin' me if I'm okay."

"Just tell her you need your space. I know how she is. If that doesn't work then tell my dad you need some space from her." Greg smiled softly to him, pecking his lips to his cheek. "You know it's been a while since we last went on a date."

"I know, but accordin' to your Papa Olaf, this is the fanciest Steak house in town." Nick smiled as he looked at the clothes Greg was wearing, noticing he was wearing aftershave and he had even smartly gelled his hair up too. "I'd like to think you did this for me, but it's for your meetin' with the publisher's, right?"

Greg couldn't help but laugh at him, shaking his head softly as his lover was so clueless. "Ripped butt hugging jeans that reveals skin?" He indicated towards his jeans. "No way, this is all for you babe. I already have these black suit trousers lined up for that meeting."

"What about your top half?"

"Provided I don't spill anything down this, I'm gonna wear this." He smirked as he straightened out his jacket. "You know you can always come and hang out in my hotel room if you don't wonna spend your Christmas vacation with the folks." He suggested.

"You'll hardly be there though, and I don't wonna get in your way. I'm fine there. Your dad's cool. Your Papa Olaf is still hilarious, and it's not like they don't give me my space. I'm just sick of your mom constantly feedin' me and askin' me if I'm okay."

"I'm sorry baby; I know it was my idea for you to stay there, but you can go back home if you want."

"It's the eighteenth." Nick tapped the date on his watch. "My parents will be here in two days, and you'll be finished with your meetin's and things by then, I can last until then." He assured him, tapping the soft skin on Greg's exposed knee. "Now let's eat, I'm starved." Nick dug Greg's I-Pod out from his pocket, handing it back over. "Your depression playlist sucks by the way."

"You listened to it?" Nick nodded as he opened up a menu in front of them, searching through the different meals for his favourite. "Why do you think it's called depression?" He giggled softly, linking his arm with Nick's as they both looked over the menu.

* * *

The two of them finished their meal an hour later, sitting in the booth a moment longer to keep one another company in silence. Nick didn't mind, he was perfectly happy just holding Greg's hand at his side, sitting with him while they listened to the noise of the restaurant.

"I really have to leave soon." Greg suddenly tapped his watch. "Unless you still need me. I can still cancel and we can go..."

"No, you're not missin' this because of me." Nick dropped some money on the table for their bill then led Greg off by the hand out of the restaurant. He flagged down a taxi for him, giving him a quick hug before he sent him off. "I'll be fine Greg, promise."

"Okay." Greg smiled softly, taking a step back from him. "But you need me, you call."

"Promise." Hooking his thumbs into Greg's belt loops, Nick gently tugged the younger man closer towards him for a tender kiss. As Nick pulled back, he looked into Greg's warm eyes, gently stroking his thumb across his cheek, giving him a slight smile. "I'm sorry for bein' such a depressed grouch the past few weeks."

"I don't care. For better or worse, I'm sticking with you babe." Greg reminded him, still feeling guilty for leaving Nick alone. "If we don't get through this stuff, how are we ever supposed to get back to all the good stuff?" Greg beamed his thousand watt smile at Nick before he joined their lips together again, tenderly feathering his tongue across Nick's.

Nick's mouth finally stretched into a wide grin, the widest grin Greg had seen in weeks. "I love you."

"I love you too." Greg purred against his lips, realising his cab driver was starting to get a little annoyed with the waiting. "Do me a favour and get lots of sleep tonight." Greg warned him, softly patting his partners pale cheek. "And stay by your phone."

"Okay." Still grinning widely, Nick stuffed his hands into the front of his jeans pockets so he wasn't tempted to touch Greg again, beginning to feel as though he was sending him off to war or something when really he was only going across town.

Greg finally climbed into the taxi, blowing a kiss to Nick from inside. "Bye."

Nick raised one of his hands to wave to him, staying on his position on the pavement for a few more minutes as he watched the cab slowly disappearing off into distance with his lover inside.

* * *

"Look at this." Jean called out to her husband as she caught him coming off the stairs. Daniel made his way off into the front room, noticing the photo albums scattered across the table. She held up a photo to Daniel of Greg at six months old with ears too big for his head and a little comical spike of hair on top of his head. "Whenever I look at this picture he reminds me of that Alfalfa kid off The Little Rascals." She chuckled, clearing a space for Daniel to sit down beside her.

"When was that one taken?" Daniel pointed to a young one of Greg at a zoo.

"When he was two. He's got his cute little gapy teeth there." She smiled as she brushed her thumb across the photo of her baby. "It seems like just yesterday I was telling him not to tap on the glass as the penguins swam by. He kept saying, 'Mommy, I want to touch them' and I kept telling him it wasn't that kind of amusement park. His little fingers found their way into the cage of every animal." She chuckled at the memory.

Daniel smiled as that sounded just like their young Greg. "He always wanted to do things he couldn't though. That's just the way his little mind works."

"Like the world we live in tells him he can't marry a boy but he's going to anyway?" She queried as she looked round at him. "You know, I'm actually glad Greg's not normal. I'm glad he's not wasting his life away as a Tax attorney or business associate. I'm kinda glad he's not marrying a woman either. Women have never seemed right for him, and he wouldn't be our son without the obsession of old Las Vegas gangsters and things." She chortled. Daniel nodded in agreement, noticing a tear in his wife's eye. "Can you imagine how boring our life's would be if Greg was _normal_?"

Daniel smiled at her for the longest moment, unable to imagine Greg as an average-Joe guy as he had never been average in his life.

"Greg always says, who defines who as normal." Nick spoke from the doorway as he heard them talking when he came in. Jean and Daniel smiled over at him, noticing a slight glow to his complexion that wasn't there when he left. "I just wanted you to know I'm back now, I'm not dead in a ditch, and I've eaten." He assured Jean as he knew how much she worried.

"Okay sweetheart, you need anything you holla."

Nick nodded to her then slowly made his way off up the stairs to his room.

* * *

"Hi Greg," Greg's agent dropped into the seat beside him, giving the nervous man a reassuring smile. "Don't worry; it's just gonna be a few more minutes." She assured him, glad he had changed his trousers as the jeans she caught him in earlier showed off a lot of skin. "So, how was lunch with your fiancé?"

"I hate that you know my schedule so well." He chuckled. "You and my mother would get on great."

"I had to book the meetings around your lunch with your fiancé so you wouldn't miss it, so I had to know your timetable." She defended herself, giving him a wide smile. "So, when's the big day?"

"March, it's on a Wednesday. I can't remember the exact date. But I'm _really, really_ nervous already. Nick's already started writing his wedding vows. I'm not sure I even have a draft of what I wonna say. How do you express your love to the person you would die for?"

"There's a line for starters." She pointed out to him then climbed to her feet as one of the assistants came towards her with a message. "Thank you." She smiled at the young woman, scanning her eyes across the note before she looked towards Greg. "Oh."

"What?"

"They have a double booked meeting."

"So I got cut?" Jumping to his feet, Greg snatched the note from her hands, giving out a heavy sigh as he read it. "Why do people have such a problem with 'Old Las Vegas' written from a thirty two year olds perspective?"

"Don't worry; we have another one in a couple of hours." Checking her watch, Nancy gave him a reassuring smile again. "C'mon, we'll walk and talk our way over there so we don't get there _too_ early."

Leading her grumpy client out of the building, Nancy was actually kind of glad that he wasn't throwing a tantrum, screaming or yelling at her for something going belly up, again. Compared to her other clients, Greg seemed to be taking the rejection pretty well.

"So, your fiancé is staying in town with your family," Stopping at a coffee stand, Nancy bought herself and Greg a hot steaming cup as the Los Angeles weather was beginning to get a little chilly. "Your parents must be really supportive if they're doing that."

"That's my mom." He nodded, chuckling softly to himself. "Supportive is an understatement when it comes to Jean Sanders."

"That's good, my mom kicked me out." Greg furrowed his brows surprised. "Yeah, you never asked. I have a wife and two adopted kids back home. Why do you think I was so happy to be your agent?" She grinned round at him. "I want to prove to the world that we're just as good as everyone else. We can do anything they can do and we deserve to be treated with respect. I for one don't care what anyone does in the bedroom, that's their own thing. We've all gotta do something to get through this shitty existence right? So why spend our life's constantly fighting for happiness that should rightfully be ours like any other person."

Greg beamed a wide smile back at her. "Until just a minute ago, I didn't think of it like that. I also didn't know a single lesbian that I _actually_ liked either." Nancy gave him a curious look. "Oh, new neighbours back in Vegas. Ones a potty mouth and the others this totally annoying chatter box, way worse than me."

"Ha, I've got some gay guys next door to me just the same." She laughed, handing her client his cup of coffee while she paid for them. "So where are you honeymooning? Judith and I went to Hawaii."

"We haven't actually planned that yet," Greg admitted through a nervous smile, taking a sip of his coffee before he explained, "We're totally swamped with the wedding planning, and ever since Warrick... it's all kinda been put on hold."

"Oh." Nancy directed him across the street, watching Greg staring at his phone in his hands. "You can call him if you want." She suggested, giving him a smile as he looked up at her. "Nick, you can call him. We've got around half an hour."

"No, I don't wonna." Greg stuffed his phone back in his pocket, leaning back against the large brick fence surrounding an important building that he didn't really care about right now. "I never know what to say. I'm sorry you lost your best friend just never quite cuts it. I'm so afraid I'll break him by saying the wrong thing."

"When Judith lost her mother, I thought we were gonna break up." Leaning against the wall beside Greg, Nancy looked up at the clear blue sky as she recollected her memories of most difficult times in her relationship. "We would fight over anything, from the dishwasher to walking the dog. I never knew what to say to her either. One minute we'd be talking as if nothing ever happened then the next she'd be yelling at me over my word choice. I thought we were done for good then for sure, but with a little time and patience, we got through it. And we're stronger than ever today."

"Yeah, but girls talk about their feelings more." Greg pointed out to her, stirring his coffee in his hands. "Nick won't even talk to a therapist. He stopped going to his group therapy for the post traumatic stress, and he's... completely not Nick anymore. The old Nick would flip out if somebody put a drink down without a coaster, now he's not shaving, he doesn't clean up his messes... and he's, well a bit of a slob." He gave out a soft smirk, followed by a heavy sigh. "I don't know what to do."

"He must be in the early stages. Judith was like that for a while, not the shaving part obviously," She snickered. "Anyway, one day she took one hard look at herself in the mirror and she reverted back to the person... well almost the person she used to be. It took a little more time after that for her to get back to her old ways though."

"How did you help her?"

"I was there for her. We went out to dinners and things like you and Nick. Don't guilt trip him into changing, that takes longer. My Nana did that to my uncle after his wife died ten years ago, and he's _still_ shuffling across the sidewalk in his robe." Greg looked at her wide eyed. "Yeah, he might have other issues besides his grief going on his head." She smirked; glad she finally got a wide smile out of Greg. Nancy took a sip of her coffee then glanced at her watch. "Okay, you ready to dazzle?"

"I'm not up to talking, can I just smile?" Greg beamed his best thousand watt grin towards her, watching her giggling before she turned and led him the rest of the way towards their next meeting.

* * *

Greg struggled to keep his eyes open as he stared down the centre of the table, listening to a woman giving her presentation on how his book would be published. She had the most boring voice he had ever heard that was sending him straight to sleep.

As Greg's eyelids closed down over his eyes, an image of Nick came into his head.

Greg shook himself awake, trying to listen to the presentation again, but he was too tired and his eyelids were too heavy. They closed down heavily over his eyes again, bringing an image of Nick forth into his mind once again.

Nick was lying naked on their bed with a thin silk sheet tangled around his body as he softly snoozed. The curtains were blowing in the gentle breeze and the bright sunlight was pouring into the room, making his gorgeous bronze skin glow.

He was like an angel.

Greg missed him so much. Being with Nick was like a dream come true every day. Sometimes he still found it hard to believe that someone like Nick Stokes really wanted to spend the rest of his life with him.

Greg rubbed his eyes open, trying to stay awake for the remaining... _That can't be right. _Greg glanced up at the clock seeing he still had a full three hours of this conference meeting before they had a ten minute break then it was someone else's turn to talk to him about his book that he didn't much care for right now.

Greg groaned softly so he wouldn't alert anyone's attention, gently running his fingers through his hair, attracting the attention of his agent, Nancy. He gave her a half smile then empathised his boredom with a wide yawn. She smiled, shaking her head then turned back to look at the front of the presentation.

Greg gave out another sleepy yawn; his eyelids fell heavy over his eyes, revealing his beautiful boyfriends face once again, only this time he was awake and smiling at him. He was so close and life like that Greg could almost smell him, taste his sweet coffee flavoured lips or even run his fingers through that gorgeously soft brown hair.

Greg managed to pry his eyes open again, widening them as he realised the conference room was empty.

Every seat was abandoned, the only voice he heard in the room was Nick's, calling his name from across the room. Greg looked up into Nick's striking chocolate brown eyes, watching his eyelids flutter seductively down across his eyes, revealing a more ravenous look every time he blinked. Slowly, Nick started to make his way across the table towards him, sliding one muscular, well toned knee in front of the other, placing his hands down on the surface of the conference table like a cat on the prowl.

Greg's heart rate quickened, Nick spoke in a ravishing whisper that made the hairs on Greg's neck stand on end. He couldn't hear what he was saying, but it was enough to make his heart rapidly pound against his ribcage.

Nick slid one palm out across the table towards Greg, bringing his knee closer as he slid towards him. Greg's heart caught in his throat. His palms began to sweat and knee's hammered against the table as he shook with excitement.

The table seemed never ending, but Nick was surly advancing as his words got clearer with each slide of his bronzed, smooth skin against the perfectly varnished table.

Greg wanted to reach out and drag him closer, but his arms were trembling beside him.

"Greg!" An abrupt voice yelled, snapping him out of his daze. Greg shook himself awake, looking round at the empty conference room, but his agent was stood beside him, shaking him away. "Greg, we're done for the day. Time to go back to the hotel."

"Really?" Greg glanced at his watch. _That can't be right? _He looked at the clock on the wall seeing it was stuck on the exact same time. "Wow, that was..." He looked around trying to think.

"Boring?" She laughed, gently patting him on the back.

"Just tell me I didn't snore." He pleaded.

"Very discreet, I don't think anyone noticed." She winked at him. "Don't worry, I'll tell you all the important stuff tomorrow."

Greg sighed in relief then climbed to his feet, feeling the shakes and trembles through his lower legs as they came back to life. He hated sitting down for long periods of time. He always got dead legs and it made him look funny as he tried to walk on them.

"Although, they might have noticed you moaning Nick's name." She added once they were by the door. The blood from Greg's face completely drained as he looked up at her shocked. "I'm kidding . . . sort of." She laughed.

"Please tell me I didn't."

"Relax; no one was in the room when you did it. Only me, I said I'd wait behind for yah." She smiled warmly to him. "So, what were you dreaming about? Seemed pretty intense."

"Like I'm gonna tell you that." He chuckled, pulling his cell phone out to turn it back on.

"Okay." She smiled at him. "I'll see yah tomorrow, keep that thing on in case they cancel early."

Greg absently nodded, scrolling through his messages. He had three text messages from Nick in the last two hours, along with one new voicemail. Greg smiled to himself, heading off to the elevator while he listened to Nick's Texan drool being replayed through his phone.

"_Hey Greg, I just got back to the house. Thought I'd call you to assure you that I'm still fine. Missin' you though. Oh and your mom has got the weddin' plannin' well on the way, so nothin' to worry about. I wish I could see you. You know that I love you right? Call me later."_

"Hey Romeo." A voice echoed towards him as the elevator doors opened to the lobby of the publishing house. Greg looked ahead hoping to see Nick in front of him, but it was just another couple calling out to one another. He watched as they exchanged a kiss then hugged each other tightly, making him miss Nick even more.

Greg raced back to his hotel room, taking a quick bathroom break then crashed out on the bed with a cold soda can and cell phone in hand. Greg dialled Nick's cell phone number, hoping he wasn't already asleep as he wanted to hear his voice after having such an intense, vivid dream about him.

After three long rings that seemed like an eternity, Greg heard the familiar click along with a throaty clear. "_Hello?" _Nick's voice croaked. Thousands of emotions washed over Greg almost instantly. He loved Nick's voice, his whole body bubbled with excitement.

"Hi baby, were you sleeping?"

"_Wide awake now." _Nick laughed softly. "_Whatsup baby?"_

"I miss you Nicky. I got your messages; yes I know you love me. I love you too." He smiled; rolling onto his side with the cold soda can pressed against his head.

"_The beds so empty without you here Greg." _Nick stretched his arms and legs out across the big empty bed. Usually when he awoke he'd find himself tangled in Greg's body, but now he was all alone. He wasn't used to sleeping alone. After sharing a bed with Greg for so long, it seemed wrong to be sleeping alone.

"I wish I could be there Nicky. My beds so empty without you here too." Greg rolled to his back, looking up at the blank ceiling. "Are you sleeping?" He asked as he was very quiet.

"_Restin' my eyes. Keep talkin', I miss your voice."_

"Are you sure you don't wonna go back to sleep?"

"_No, I wonna hear your voice." _Greg smiled at his boyfriend's adorableness, taking a swig of his soda as he listened to Nick breathing over the line.

"So what have you been doing without me?"

"_Nothin' much, what about you?"_

"Sex wise? Or in general? Coz there's this twinky down the end of the hall, bet I could take him for a ride..."

"_Don't even joke about that Greg, I'll be over there so fast he won't know what hit him." _Greg's sweet giggling laughter immediately erupted through the line, making Nick grin widely to him. "_And G, it's a twink. A twinky's a snack food."_

"Oh, sorry. I'm not down with the lingo. Relax baby, I was only joking. Only you get to touch me."

"_Damn straight. If another man ever dares to put his hands on you, he'd lose a finger."_

"I love it when you're so protective over me. Speaking of hands on me though, I wish you were here right now. I want to feel your hands on me right now." Nick had never been comfortable having phone sex. Greg had tried to persuade him so many times, but he didn't like to be pushed out of his comfort zone. He nervously bit his lip, trying to think of something else to say. "Nicky?"

"_I'm still here G."_

"You still don't want to do you?" Greg asked, knowing Nick all too well.

"_It's not that G."_ Nick looked around the room awkwardly. "_You... know I-I just..."_

"Forget it."

Nick felt guilty now. He positioned himself to the centre of the mattress then sighed softly. "_Okay G, but you'll have to walk me through it. And if I tell you to shut up you have to immediately because that means your mom just walked in."_

"Lock the door."

"_A locks no good when she has a key." _Nick pointed out to him. "_So, walk me through it. I'll do this for you to make up for me bein' such a grouch to you lately."_

"Yesss." Greg excitedly cheered. Nick felt his cheeks flush red even though he was alone. "Don't worry Nicky; I'm sure you're a natural."

"_If I've never done it before, how could I be a natural?"_ Nick nervously asked.

"Just relax Nicky." Greg threw back the covers, rolling onto his side to a comfier position. "It's real easy. You just have to be more verbal with your sex so I know what you're doing, like . . . if you were here right now, what would you want to do to me Nicky?" Greg asked in a seductive voice. Nick awkwardly bit his lip, trying to think. There were so many things he wanted to do to Greg and he had to choose one? "C'mon Nicky . . . see the thing about phone sex cowboy, you have to talk." Greg giggled.

"_All right smart ass."_ Nick smirked, being pushed right out of his comfort zone. He loved that Greg made him experience new things, just as he had done to him when they first got together, but he didn't like to be unwillingly pushed out of his comfort zone. "_Okay . . . but there are so many things I'd do to you G."_

"Name one." Greg rasped.

"_What are you wearin'?"_ Nick asked, trying to picture him.

"Your dark blue boxers and a plain white t-shirt."

Nick smiled to himself. "_I love it when you wear my underwear."_

"C'mon then Nicky, what would you do to me?"

"_Um... first of all . . . I guess I'd kiss your neck . . . then eh . . . I feel really awkward doin' this G."_

"C'mon, no one can hear you but me." The younger man smiled softly at his adorable boyfriend. "If you were here with me now, where would you touch me?"

"_I don't know."_

"You're so clueless it's cute." Greg chuckled to himself. "Let's just say... my chest, okay?" Greg ran his hands under his shirt, caressing his chest as though they were Nick's hands. Nick heard the desperate moans over the line, making him instantly become hard. "Feels so good Nicky, I love your hands on my body." Greg gasped through his moans, continuing to smooth his own hands across his body. "What now Nicky?"

Nick gulped nervously listening to Greg's moans. He wanted to say something, but he just felt too awkward still. "_Greg, I seriously can't do this. Just watch some porn or somethin'."_ He suggested, feeling weird for saying that to his boyfriend.

"I don't wonna watch porn, I want you."

"_Well you're gonna hafta, I'm not talkin' dirty to you with your parents and grandparents downstairs. They listen you know."_

Greg threw his head back against the pillows beneath him in laughter, knowing that statement was actually true. "Fine, I can do one sided phone sex."

"_You can?"_

"Totally," Greg stuck two fingers in his mouth, loudly sucking them. "What you usually do to me once you've put your hands on my chest is work your tongue down my body." Greg slid his wet fingers down his body, leaving a warm wet trail. "Now you're working your mouth around my nipples." Greg relicked his fingers, swirling them around one of his nipples, pinching it softly as he imagined it was Nick's teeth gently biting the nub, continuing to moan into the phone to turn his boyfriend on. "Now your hands dipping beneath my boxers."

Nick felt warm tingles rush through his body as he continued to listen to Greg describing what he was doing to himself, turned on by his moans and the loud sucking of his fingers in his mouth.

"Pitch in anytime here cowboy." He whispered to him, dipping his wet hand beneath his boxers. "Mmm, Nicky. Your hands feel so good on my body."

Nick anxiously looked towards his bedroom door, feeling his pants tightening at the waist. "_Greg, you seriously have to stop now."_

"It's not turning you on?"

"_Yeah, but... uncomfortably. You always said we should tell each other when anythin' was uncomfortable, and this is."_ He admitted to him, feeling ridiculous for telling him to stop as it was really turning him on at the thought of Greg touching himself for him.

"You might not feel so awkward if you did it too." Greg suggested, removing his hand from his boxers. "So _not_ forcing you though." He quickly added.

"_Good, why don't you and your left hand finish it off and I'll see you later for the real thing."_

"Right hand Nicky. I'm a righty so I whack off with my right."

"_I knew that."_ He gulped nervously as he really didn't. "_I'm just tired okay; I know you're a righty. Call me later, not for phone sex."_ He quickly added.

"Okay." Greg sighed softly in disappointment. "I'll be there as soon as I can baby, take care of yourself."

"_I will. Buh bye."_

Nick snapped his phone shut before Greg could say 'I love you' or 'goodbye', making the younger man even more concerned about his lover.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Thanks so much for your reviews on the last one. Please Review and happy holidays to you all! Have a great weekend.**

**~ Holly**


	69. Chapter 69: End of the Year Celebrations

**Thank you Alisa123 for beta'ing this chapter for me!**

**Chapter Sixty Nine: End of the Year Celebrations**

Looking up at the clear December sky in Los Angeles was very different from the usual scenery he saw back home in Texas. The weather wasn't that cold, the wind was very crisp though making his eyes water. He didn't mind the cold though; it was very different from the heat he was used to back in Vegas, and it actually made his recently very pale skin look more natural.

Clapping a hand on his sons back, Judge Bill Stokes handed a beer over to his son as he looked round at him. "Thanks." Nick took it from his hands, quickly wiping his eyes before his father thought he was crying. His father kept his hand on his sons back, staring up at the clear blue sky with his son for the longest moment. "Dad..."

"Don't apologise again." His father interrupted him, giving him a slight smile. "I really don't mind spendin' Christmas with Greg's parents. He _is_ after all the man you're goin' to be spendin' the rest of your life with. I'd do well to get on with his parents." Nick looked at his father surprised then felt his palm gently rubbing circles on the centre of his back. "How are you doin', Pancho?"

"Could you stop?" Nick took a step away from him, looking at him confused. "Please. I don't need your fake sympathy all of sudden. You never bothered before."

"Okay... I see you need your space." The Judge took a few steps away from his son, giving him a half smile. "I'll be inside if you do wonna talk."

Nick watched him go then rolled his eyes. He crashed back onto one of the chairs outside, placing his beer on the small table before he dropped his head into his hands, missing Greg even more.

"Nick!"

Startled as he thought he was alone, Nick immediately looked up, spotting his father still stood outside with him.

"I wasn't givin' you fake sympathy son." He assured him, taking a few steps closer towards him. "I really am worried about you Nicholas. I always have cared about your well bein' Pancho. Why do you think I dragged your mother over to Las Vegas every time you got into trouble at work?" Taking a seat on the chair beside his son, Bill tried his best to give him a soothing smile. "If you don't want to talk about... your friend, we can talk about other things. Like your rings. The last time I talked to Greg..."

"Whoa," Nick stopped him there, giving him a perplexed frown. "You talked to Greg?" He looked at him surprised as Greg had never mentioned it to him, and Greg told him everything. "Since when?"

"We talk." Bill defended himself, setting his own beer down on the table beside his sons. "Mostly about you, son. He was actually callin' for your mother on the weddin' arrangements. But I answered and he was very polite. He told me about the rings you two picked out, he told me about that dog you guys got... Rascal." He remembered the name, looking into the eyes of his youngest. "So, do you have a picture of the rings or anythin'?" He queried.

Nick pulled his phone from his pocket, flipping through the thousands of pictures he had on his phone before he handed it over to his father. "They're both the same design. We inscribed them ourselves too. We have to wait until the weddin' day to see what the other has written."

"What did you engrave your one to Greg with?"

"I can't tell you." As Nick's father gave him a surprised look, Nick gave him a slight smile. "I can't tell you because Greg can make _anyone_ tell him anythin'. If he finds out that you know, he'll weasel it out of you."

"Oh." The Judge returned his smile then handed his son back his phone. "Those are good rings."

"Thanks." Nick smiled as he looked at a picture of Greg fast asleep on his phone. He stuffed it back into his pocket then reached for his beer. "Are you tryin' to escape from Jean or somethin'?"

"Yes, if she asks, I'm gettin' fresh air." He smiled at his son. "So, when are we expectin' Greg?"

"Tomorrow."

* * *

Mindlessly twirling the hotel phone cable around his fingers, Greg stared up at the blank ceiling as he waited for someone to answer the phone. Just when he was about to give up and try again late, his Papa Olaf answered it, noisily clearing his throat into the speaker. "_Hello?"_

"Ew, that is so gross." Greg cringed, rubbing his sore ear as he moved the phone to his other ear. "I've told you so many times not to do that into the phone."

"_Greg? What are you doing on the phone?"_

Greg laughed softly, shaking his head into the receiver. "Oddly enough I was calling to talk to my family. That's why I dialled this number and not the phone sex hotline." He chortled. "Where is everybody, why'd it take eight rings for you to answer?"

"_If you really_ must _know, I was on the loo. Your parents have taken Jillian and Bill out to lunch and your Nana's as deaf as a bat, she couldn't hear it."_

"What about Nick, did they leave him behind?" He immediately panicked, sitting up straight on his bed.

"_No, Nick didn't want to go. He's out in the garden with a beer."_

"How many has he had?"

"_I don't know. I don't spy on people the way you and your mother do."_ His Papa Olaf chuckled, dropping back onto the sofa behind him. "_There's... three empty ones on the table, and one to his lips. That's all the spying I'm ever gonna do for you."_

"Has he eaten today?"

"_Greg, what did I just say?"_ He snapped at him. "_No more spying. If you're that worried about him, get your lazy ass out of bed and check on him yourself!"_ Papa Olaf hung up on his grandson, immediately getting a scowl from his wife across the room.

Dialling Nick's cell phone number, Greg lay across the hotel bedding on his stomach, nervously biting his lower lip as he desperately waited for Nick to answer. Five rings later, the Texan's groggy sounding voice rasped through the phone. "_Yeah?"_

"It's me baby." Greg spoke in a soft tone, desperate to ask how he was, but he knew Nick hated it when people did that. "Whatcha doing?"

"_Drinkin', relaxin'... Greg, I really am sorry I've been such a buzz kill lately."_ He apologised again. "_You know how everyone always expects Christmas to be all white and jolly? It's never like that. I always picture this roarin' fireplace with chestnuts and mistletoe, and a perfectly __happy family and things."_

"We _could_ have that Nicky. You may have to give on the _perfectly_ happy family though. No one's ever perfectly happy; if they are they're a robot." He snickered softly. "But the fire, chestnuts and things... we could definitely swing the mistletoe. The only mistletoe kiss I've ever had was with my Nana Olaf when I was four."

"_Aww baby,"_ Nick smiled into his phone. "_I'd love to kiss you under mistletoe."_

"You'd kiss me under anything." He chuckled, hearing Nick's slight laughter echoing into his phone. "Talk to me Nicky." He pleaded as he missed the gentle vibrations of Nick's raspy voice in his ear. "I miss you."

"_I miss you too. Your last meetin's in an hour isn't it?"_

"Two hours. Nancy had to change the time around on it. It'll probably be boring like all the others, but it's the last one before I get to crawl into bed with you again." He giggled softly, rolling onto his back into the middle of the bed. "I can't wait to feel your arms around me."

"_I can't wait to wrap them around you."_ Nick chuckled, making Greg's heart soar. "_You know, I'm only depressed when I'm not with you. Just the sound of your voice makes me smile baby. But I'm still really worried about this Christmas get together thing."_

"Worried you've been naughty for Santa?" He giggled, smoothing one hand across his empty, rumbling stomach. "My parents will be on their best behaviour. Hopefully. If they're not, we'll threaten to leave or something. That'll shut Jean right up."

"_You recon?"_

"Yeah, works every time." Greg rolled over onto his stomach again, hearing his cell phone vibrating against the bedside table. He quickly reached for it, looking at the caller ID that read Nancy. "Nicky, I'm gonna put you on hold for a sec. Nancy's on my cell."

"_Okay. Don't leave me hangin' too long."_

"Wouldn't dream of it." Greg assured him, blowing a kiss through the phone before he snapped open his cell against his ear. "Hey Nancy, please don't tell me they cancelled."

"_No, well... not so much. We just got a great offer from the last one we went to... Harrison and Ford."_

"The one that sounds like a law firm?" He queried.

"_Yeah, I sent the details to your hotel in a fax. I'll meet you in a car out front in forty five minutes."_

Greg snapped his phone shut after Nancy hung up then heard a knock at the door of his hotel room. He quickly scrambled off the bed to answer it, receiving the fax in a hand delivered envelope. "Thank you." He tipped the nice young man at his door then rushed back to the bed, reaching for the phone to talk to Nick while he opened it up. "Nicky, you still there?"

"_Yep, you know you're alive when your boyfriend puts you on hold."_ He jokingly remarked.

"I'm sorry baby. Nancy sent me a fax of a book deal. Did you know Nancy's a lesbian?"

Choking on his beer, Nick held the phone closer to his ear as he asked, "_Did you just say Nancy is a lepricorn?"_

"Lesbian!" Greg laughed. "Sorry, I have... hiccups. You know I get hiccups when I'm nervous."

Nick chuckled softly, resting the beer against his thigh as he spoke into his phone, "_You have nothin' to be nervous about hun. Just tell me if it's good or not."_ Nick waited on the other end of the line in suspense, hearing Greg rustling around some papers and things. He heard a slight giggling laughter of excitement, making Nick smile slightly. "_Is it that good G?"_

Greg took a deep breath to calm himself down before he held the phone against his ear, keeping up a poker face. "Pretty good, hey you got plans for dinner?"

"_C'mon G, details man!"_ Nick insisted, sitting up straight on his chair. "_Is it that good?"_

"I'll tell you about it over dinner. I gotta get ready for my meeting. I'll pick you up later, sober." He quickly added.

"_I am sober; if you've been gettin' your family to spy on me then they should know that the empty beers sat in front of me are half of my fathers. He was out here drinkin' with me when he was tryin' to avoid your mother."_

"Oh." Greg felt guilty now. "Sorry baby, you know I worry about you."

"_Been there."_ Nick reminded him. "_I'll see you later G, be safe."_

"Always am, love you."

"_Love you too."_ Nick waited for Greg to hang up before he snapped his phone shut against his chest, finishing off the beer in his hands. He turned round to look through the window behind him, spotting Papa Olaf sat in the front room, giving him a curious look. As soon as Papa Olaf caught onto the Texan looking back at him, he quickly turned his attention over to his wife, pretending he wasn't doing anything.

* * *

A few hours later Nick started to get ready to meet Greg for dinner. Climbing out of the shower, Nick dried himself off then snapped a clean pair of boxers in place at his hips. Brushing his fingers through his wet hair, Nick looked through the stuff in the wardrobe, wondering what he should wear for his dinner date with Greg. Sure he had been out with him before, but for some reason he felt nervous as it felt as though they were right back to the beginning when the dating phase first begins. He reached for the dark blue form fitted jeans that Greg always told him he liked, pulling them up his legs before he fastened them with a black leather belt.

"Nicky!" Jean's voice called up the stairs to him. "Greg's here." She chortled to herself as she felt as though she was Nick's mother, telling him his date was here to take him out.

Nick quickly grabbed for a smart dress shirt, zipping his flies up before he quickly buttoned the shirt up his chest and hurried out the door to meet Greg outside. Greg was leant up against the side of his car with a red rose in his hands wearing dark faded black jeans that hugged his slender figure tightly with a black t-shirt, no band logos this time and a black suit jacket over the top. He had his adorable loveable grin plastered across his lips and his hair was cutely styled into spikes.

"Ready to go to prom?" Greg joked as Nick lunged towards him to hug him tightly. "Your hairs still wet." Greg pointed out to him.

"Sorry, my date got here too early." Nick smiled as he inhaled Greg's deep scents, sliding his hands between the fabric of Greg's suit jacket and t-shirt to feel the warmth of his body beneath his clothing.

Inside the house, Jean Sanders stepped up beside her in-law at the window, clearing her throat softly to get the Judge's attention. "You might want to stop watching at this point." She advised him as the boys pulled one another into a passionate lip lock.

"Actually, it's kinda the same as watchin' those big beefy guys draggin' my teenage daughters away to their trashy cars." Bill smiled slightly to her, turning his head back to watch his son pulling the man he loved into his warm embrace. "Well not the same, completely. Those were just temporary boyfriends to fit in with the crowd at school . . . Greg's the real deal; you can see it in Nicky's eyes."

"That's what I've been tellin' you." His wife pointed out from the sofa behind him, giving him a wide smile as Bill looked towards her.

"Okay, so I'm a little slow on the uptake. But now I get it." He smiled back at her, turning to look at his son prying the car keys from Greg's hands as he wanted to drive. "Nicky's happy, that's all that matters to me."

"Damn, I wish I'd gotten that on tape." His wife Jillian snickered, jumping up from her seat to wrap her arms around him tightly, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I knew you were a kind man."

* * *

Sitting under the moonlit sky outside of the restaurant, Greg closed his eyes as he relaxed back into the warm body of his lover, smiling as he felt his strong arms wrapping tightly around his waist from behind him. It was nice to be relaxing in his arms again after such a stressful few weeks.

Feeling Nick's warm body against him almost immediately relieved all the tension from his body. "Hey, don't go to sleep." Nick warned him, touching his lips to his neck.

"Why not, you're so comfortable?" Greg opened one of his eyes, giving Nick a smile as he looked round at him. "Is this enough of a comfort for you?"

"Holdin' you is more than enough comfort." Nick nodded to him then looked over at the young waiter Ethan coming back outside to check on them again.

"Can I get you guys another round of drinks?" A small smile played across Ethan's lips as he looked at the two of them in their loving embrace.

"No thanks, we're fine." Nick assured him, smoothing his hands up and down Greg's chest as they both felt a slight chill from the steadily cooling weather.

"Okay, well we're closing up soon, so don't stay out here too long. You'll catch a cold." He warned them, collecting up their bill off the table, smiling at the generous tip they had left him. "Thanks guys." Ethan waved them off as he head back in through the double doors to finish up his shift.

"You just made another young starting actor very happy." Greg grinned round at his fiancé, gently smoothing his palm across Nick's thigh beside him. "Either that or you just bought him a couple of blow jobs for Christmas."

"Do what I can." He snickered against Greg's neck, clutching his slender body even tighter. "C'mon, we should head him. It's almost two am."

"That means its Christmas eve." Greg giggled excitedly, sliding his hands across Nick's arms around his waist. "We should go out on dates like this more often." Greg grabbed for his glass of flat soda, chugging it back before he attempted to climb out of Nick's loving hold over him. "I'm driving, you're too tipsy." Greg warned him, grabbing the car keys from Nick's hand. He gave his sleepy lover a wide smile then gently tugged him to his feet. Nick pulled against him to grab his red rose that he had given him off the table then followed him off towards the rental car towards the back of the parking lot.

Greg drove them straight back to his parent's house, quietly unlocking the door and leading Nick inside. They tiptoed up the stairs to the room Nick had been sleeping in, quietly closing the door and making their way over to the bed.

Greg unbuttoned the top three buttons of Nick's shirt, pushing him down onto bed. "Greg, we can't..."

Greg covered Nick's mouth with his own, cutting off his words of protest. He stripped open the rest of his shirt, pushing the fabric aside like the curtains of a theatre show. "Let's just call this a little preview of your Christmas present." He grinned against the older man's parted lips, smoothing his hands down Nick's chest towards his belt.

"Greg, I feel kinda funny havin' sex in a house where our parents and your grandparents are."

"Who ever said anything about sex?" Greg softly nipped at the older man's lips, pulling him into a hungry kiss. His soft lips gently trailed their way down the soft texture of Nick's skin on his chest, circling his navel before he started to unbuckle his belt.

Reaching for the rose still in his lover's hands, Greg delicately brushed the petals against Nick's jaw line, giving him a soft smile as Nick looked up at him. Feathering the flower down the centre of Nick's torso, the young man gave out a slight giggle as Nick flinched from the petals tickling his skin.

"You know, no one's ever gotten me a flower before G."

"Then you have been seriously underappreciated my love." Gently stroking the petals across the ticklish abdomen beneath him, Greg took his time to show Nick just how much he loved him by pressing open mouthed kisses to his soft skin. "You're so beautiful Nicky." Greg crawled back across his body, joining their lips together for a brief moment before he pulled back to look into his dark eyes. "You know that don't you?"

"Only when I'm with you." Nick responded.

Caressing the heated body beneath him, Greg beamed a wide smile down at him. "You're always beautiful, other people just can't see you the way I do."

"Gettin' more of a romantic side there G?" The older man chuckled softly, feeling as though Greg was the more dominant one between them. When they first got together Greg was the emotional wreck and he was the strong one, but now the tables had turned and Greg was being the caring romantic to help him through his tough time.

"We're alive, and we're together." Greg rasped as he devoured Nick's lips with his own. "I don't wonna waste any of the life we have left together. The thought of losing you makes me..."

"Don't say it." Nick whispered to him, brushing his hand through his young lover's hair. "You're right, we're alive." Nick gave him a wide smile as he wrapped his arms around his arms around him, touching their lips together for a brief, gentle moment. "Let's not waste it." Nick suddenly rolled their bodies, pinning Greg between him and the mattress. "You still like bein' possessed doncha?"

"Yesss." Greg purred, arching his chest up into Nick's touch. "Just kiss me before I pop. I don't want your father to hear me scream."

"Done." Nick stole a kiss from his lips then removed his lovers clothing, caressing his warm smooth body. He could feel him breathing against him. He could feel his heartbeat pounding against the surface of his chest, and the beautiful purple and blue veins in his wrists glowed through his pale skin.

Greg drew in a deep breath as the older man kissed his heavenly skin, swirling his tongue across the slight muscles. "How do you put up with all the crap I put you through G?" He queried as he brought their warm bodies closer together.

"Do I really have to answer that?" Greg waggled his eyebrows, lifting his hips to buck against Nick's. "I love you, everything about you. For better or worse baby." He assured him, grinning widely against his lover's lips.

Greg clung to Nick as his pleasure heightened, feeling his heart pounding harder in his chest as Nick's beautiful body ground against him. Nick smiled against his lips as Greg clamped his eyes tightly shut, trying to stop himself from screaming out in perfect bliss.

As promised, Nick covered the younger mans mouth with his own, muffling the sounds of his screams of pleasure from his release.

Nick gently kissed a trail from Greg's navel to his neck as the younger man's body continued to quiver with pleasure. He momentarily paused his kissing, resting his ear directly above Greg's heart. He closed his eyes as he listened to the steady beat of his strong healthy heart, feeling Greg's fingers gently brushing through his hair.

"I'm alive Nicky." He spoke softly, locking his hands beneath Nick's arms to pull him higher into his arms. "I'm not gonna die baby. Not for a long time yet."

"I-I wasn't..."

"You practically check my pulse every time you're with me." Greg pointed out to him, brushing his lips across his forehead as he clutched him tightly. "I have no idea what it's like to feel somebody slipping away in your arms. But you can talk to me about it baby."

"What's there to say?" Nick closed his eyes against him, keeping his hand placed directly over Greg's heart to feel the constant steady beat. "I had a nightmare that it was you I was holdin'. You kept tryin' to tell me somethin', but the blood just kept pourin' out of you. I felt your heart beat slow down... the same way I did his." His lower lip started to tremble as he recalled the memory. "I can't lose you too Greg."

"You're not going to." Greg gently brushed his lover's tears away, clutching him tighter as he tried to softly sooth him to sleep. "I'm alive. We both are."

* * *

Greg fluttered his eyes open around noon the next day, stretching out like a cat across the bed. He felt warm relaxed and hungry, but he was too lazy to climb out of bed and go to get something to eat.

"Mornin'." Nick suddenly collapsed onto the bed beside Greg, holding out a plate of biscuits. "You hungry?"

Drowsily looking up at the older man, Greg smiled as the sunshine filtered in through the curtains around Nick, making his soft skin glow like an angel. "Morning." Greg reached out for one of the biscuits, smelling the sweet scents of his Nana Olaf's famous macaroons that she always baked for him as she knew they were his favourite. "Did my Nana send you up with em?"

"Nope, your Nana Olaf taught me how to make em myself. We were bakin' all mornin'." His fiancé beamed that missing smile down at him, gently brushing his fingertips through his lover's dishevelled spikes of hair. "Try one, I for one am very impressed with myself."

Greg grinned at him then took a bite of the macaroon, giving him a wide grin of approval. "Mmmm, I could definitely get used to waking up to one of these every day."

"Oh, you think you're gettin' more?" He chuckled, crawling onto the best beside Greg. He set down the plate of biscuits on his stomach, putting his arm around Greg's shoulders as the younger man rested back against him. "Did you sleep well hun?"

"Uh huh, you're in good mood today." Greg licked his fingers then reached for another biscuit from the plate on Nick's stomach. "Was the sex last night _that_ good?"

"It wasn't _just_ the sex." Nick smiled, gently brushing his fingers through Greg's hair again. "I haven't felt very connected for the past few weeks."

"I've noticed."

"But bein' with you, you always make me feel alive and connected. I feel as though I'm not livin' without you. You complete me G." Touching his lips to the side of Greg's head, the older man's lips spread into a wide smile as he lovingly looked into his lover's eyes. "What do you want for Christmas G?" He queried.

"You." He immediately responded, finishing off his second macaroon. "I wonna spend the whole day with you. That will make me the happiest man alive."

"Now that, I can definitely swing." He assured him with an even wider smile. "Another macaroon?" He offered. Greg licked his lips then reached for another, taking a bite of it before he pressed his macaroon tasting lips to Nick's. "Mmm, I love you."

"I love you too." Greg winked, finishing off his next macaroon. "So, what's on the agenda for today then?"

"Well, I don't know actually. It's just a nice lazy day." He chuckled softly. "There was kinda somethin' I wanted to talk to you about actually. Somethin' I've been thinkin' about for a while."

"Well tell me, what is it?"

"About us, and where we're goin' in our lives." Greg looked up at him wide eyed, fearing he was about to back out of their marriage to one another before it had even begun. "Not anythin' bad. This weddin' is definitely goin' ahead. I want it more now than ever," He rushed to explain. "If anythin', from this whole Warrick thing . . . I don't want to waste another moment of my life with you. We've planned all this stuff for us to do in the future, but if we keep on this path we're on, I don't think either one of us is gonna have much of a future."

"Are you worried about us . . . dying?" Greg spoke softly. "Because that's not gonna happen."

"I bet that's what Warrick told himself when he woke up that mornin'." Nick pointed out to him. "Warrick always wanted to get married and have a couple of kids. He ended up gettin' divorced before his kid was even five. He's never gonna get to watch his son grow up, and he's never gonna be able to get married and live the life he wanted." Swirling his fingertips across Greg's forearm, Nick gave out a soft sigh before he continued, "I want us to have a life together, not just our jobs. Workin' these jobs constantly isn't a life together G. We're gonna get ourselves killed."

"You've been talking to my mother." Greg assumed.

"Yeah." Nick admitted, giving him a slight nod. "But she's right G. Do you want to die workin' your dream job . . . or do you wonna really live your life with the man who loves you more than anythin' in the world?" He asked, giving him a soft smile as Greg looked up into his eyes, trying to make his decision.

"_Pick the second one you little monster or I'll disown you!" _A sudden voice called from the doorway. They didn't even need to guess who it was; they could tell instantly that it was Jean invading in on one of their private conversations yet again.

"You see why I didn't want to do the phone sex with you now?" Nick whispered to Greg before he climbed off the bed, quickly heading over to the door to open it. "Hi Jean." He smiled at her as he pulled it open. "Did my parents have a good time?"

Jean looked towards her son with a guilty expression then nodded to Nick. "Yep, they really enjoyed themselves. I'll be downstairs if you want anything." She gave him a little wave, giving her son a cut throat signal before she head off down the hall to get back to her guests that she had left with her father in the family room.

Nick checked she was really gone before he crashed back on the bed beside Greg, looking into his eyes to wait for his answer.

"The second one, and not just because my mom said it. I really do want that with you." He assured him, reaching forwards to cup Nick's cheeks in his palms. "I really do want a life with you, more than anything in the world. My job isn't that important to me. Getting married is just the first step on our giant... staircase of life." He grinned. "I'll go wherever you wonna go and do whatever you wonna do because that's what I want. I love you more than anything too. There's no way I'm wasting another second of my life hoping for something to happen. If we want something, we should go after it."

Nick smiled widely at Greg's enthusiasm then leant closer to steal a kiss from his partner's moist soft lips. "Now we just have to decide what we both want."

"If I tell you what I want, do you promise not to bite my head off?" Greg queried. Nick nodded his head slightly, giving the younger man a curious look. "I want you... to get a safer job. I want you to be safe. I can't see you all day now. I don't know if you're okay. I had to find out from the news that Warrick was hurt. I had to watch you on a monitor when you were kidnapped. I want to know where you are so that I know you're safe."

"Is that the Jean Sanders gene talkin'?" He snickered softly before he answered. "Okay, but I got one for you too. I want out of Vegas. I wonna raise a family with you, and Vegas really isn't the place to do that. We've practically upgraded our house with what we've done so far. We should be able to sell it for a slight profit. I've still got money saved up. This weddin' isn't gonna set us back too much since our parents insisted on payin' for it as it's probably the first and last gay weddin' they'll get in their lifetimes..."

"Enough convincing," Greg stopped him there. "You had me sold when you said you wanted to raise a family with me. I completely agree with you that Vegas isn't the place to do that. So... we can move wherever you like, just as long as I don't have to be the one to get knocked up." He cheekily added, reaching for another macaroon.

"I'm sure your mothers already figured out all the details for us on that one." He smirked.

"Right down to the surrogate." Greg giggled, feeding the other half of his macaroon to Nick. "She probably has us on an adoption waiting list... or three." Brushing his thumb across Nick's lower lip, Greg gave him a dreamy smile as he gazed into his eyes. "Where do you see us in five years?"

"Five years?" Turning his body to lie down on the bed beside Greg, Nick reached for his hands, entwining their fingers together as he tried to think. "Married, to you of course. I'll be forty one so I'll have to hit the gym a lot more so you won't leave me." He snickered, giving Greg a wink as he looked at him surprised.

"Well I'll be one year older than you are now. I'll have my five year chip; do they go up to five?" He suddenly asked. Nick gave him a slight shrug. "Anyway, I recon my metabolism will start to slow down too so I'll have to go easy on the macaroons." He smirked as he patted his flat stomach.

"Great, so we're gonna be the old and grey one and the fat, crazy one at the end of the block." Nick laughed, getting poked in the side by Greg. "Ow, I was kiddin'."

"It's not that. It's just nice to hear you laughing again." Greg smiled, touching his lips to the side of his head. "So what if we are the old and fat gay couple. At least we'll be together."

"Maybe you should stop with the macaroons now." Nick stopped him from picking up another one, giving him a wide smile as Greg gave him a pouting look. "Because you've gotta save room for dinner and stuff, not because I'm worried about you gettin' fat. I love you no matter what you look like."

"Then one more won't hurt." Greg tickled his fingers down Nick's chest to distract him while he grabbed for another macaroon, stuffing it into his mouth before Nick could stop him from eating it.

"No more," Nick laughed as he pulled it away from him. "I'm gonna take the rest of em downstairs while you take a shower." Leaning closer, Nick stole an affectionate kiss then climbed off the bed, heading off towards the door. Greg waved to him as he left then scrambled off the bed for himself, wandering off into the bathroom.

* * *

Once Greg emerged from the shower, he changed his clothes then head off down the stairs to look for Nick. "Hello sweetheart," Jean gave him a quick hug, pecking a kiss to his cheek in front of Jillian and Bill as she prepared the coffees. "Nicky's outside if you're looking for him." She smiled as she set down a mug each in front of Jillian and Bill.

Greg gave his mother a wide smile then stepped off towards the door, smiling at his father as he cleaned out the barbeque on the patio. His father immediately stopped what he was doing to hug his son, noticing the look in Bill's eyes as he watched the two of them. "Hey, you okay bud?" Daniel whispered as he gently smoothed one palm up and down his son's back.

"Yeah, you don't mind me using you to make Nick's dad feel bad do you?" Greg chuckled against his father's neck.

Daniel laughed softly then embraced his son in a tighter grip. "No, not at all, as long as you're hugging me at least partly because you love me." He smirked then pressed a kiss to his son's temple before he pointed off down the garden to where Nick was sat. "He's been real quiet without you here."

"Thanks." Greg nodded to him then slowly made his way off down the garden towards where Nick was sat against a tree with a drawing pad in his hands. "You're drawing again." Greg spoke softly as he approached him so that he wouldn't startle him. "I haven't seen you do that in a long time."

"C'mere then," Nick lifted the scrap book from his lap, signalling for Greg to sit down with him. Greg took a seat between his thighs, resting his back against Nick's chest. Nick set the scrap book down on his legs over Greg, tilting his pencil to the side as he added some shade to the trees in the distance.

"Wow, you're really good."

"The ones of you look better." Nick smirked against his neck, enjoying the comfort of Greg's steady heartbeat against his own.

"What made you decide to take up drawing again?" He queried.

"You. You don't care what I do, you just wonna be with me. When I started drawin' you I had this sense of calm because I was doin' somethin' that I wanted to do that I wasn't lookin' for credit or doin' it because I had to." He explained, resting his chin against Greg's soft hair. "Drawin' relaxes me. It clears my head as I'm focused on what I'm doin' and I'm not constantly thinkin' about my screw ups."

"You're not a screw up." Greg assured him as he rested his head back across his shoulder. "You've never screwed up anything, you just go after what you want... like me. You wanted to be a CSI and you went for it and you wanted to be a detective and you went for that too. I love the way you are, and I never want you to change."

"You goin' for romantic of the year?" Nick smirked, smiling in awe at his adorableness. "Did you think about what I said though, with us leavin' Vegas and our jobs?"

"Yeah, but I think we should have a real plan before we quit." Grinning widely, Greg touched his lips to Nick's chin. "But you know I'd follow you anywhere."

"Thank you, baby." He smiled back. "We can make real plans after our weddin'. I just wanted to know that you're on board with it." Greg nodded again then relaxed back into his warm loving embrace. "I can't believe its Christmas Eve already."

"I know, year went by quick huh?" Gently swirling his fingertip across Nick's arm in front of him, Greg smiled as he watched Nick sketching in front of him. He eventually dozed off to sleep as he was still exhausted from the long weeks away from Nick, working on getting his book published.

"Who wants Egg bake?" Jean announced as she carried the two plates over to them.

"Thanks Jean." Setting down his sketch book, Nick took both the plates from her hands as Greg was still sleeping. Jean smiled at the two of them then skipped off up the path back to her husband. "Wakey, wakey baby," Nick whispered, enticing him awake with soft kisses to his head. Nick smiled warmly as Greg's eyes began to flutter open. "Mornin' sleepy head, you hungry?"

"MmmHmm." Rubbing his eyes open, Greg sat up straighter against Nick's side, taking the second plate from Nick's hands. "You were drawing me?" He noticed the drawing on Nick's sketching paper was of him and not the scenery in the garden this time. Nick had drawn the younger man exactly as he was, sleeping in his arms.

"Yeah, there were no other cute models available, so I went with you."

"Mean." Greg poked his tongue out at him, giggling as Nick responded with a wide smile. "There's only one problem though." He pointed out as he wiped the drool from his chin.

"I'm sorry; I didn't think you wanted people to know you drool in your sleep." He laughed, taking another bite of his delicious egg bake. "I was drawin' your beauty, addin' the drool woulda ruined it."

Greg giggled again, leaning further back against Nick's side. "I really can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, but I don't wonna miss a single moment of it."

* * *

"Nicky draws?" Jillian looked at her in-law surprised. "I didn't know Nicky draws."

"Oh yes, it was originally a therapy thing to help him with his anger. But then Nicky really started getting into it." Jean explained as she cleared away the plates, not noticing the shocked expressions on Jillian and Bill's faces. "He's actually really good. You should see some of his work; he's been sketching all week." She smiled as she carried the dirty plates off into the kitchen where her husband was stood washing up.

Bill looked round at his wife, looking at the surprised expression on her face. "Well he didn't tell us he was gay, what do you expect?" He answered, shrugging it off as if it was nothing.

Sighing heavily, Jillian rolled her eyes at her husband then climbed to her feet, grabbing the rest of the dirty plates to help Jean out. "Oh Jilly dear, you don't need to do that." Rushing to take the plates off her, Jean gave her a wide smile as she loaded the rest of the plates into the dishwasher.

"Jean. Daniel. Can I ask you two a personal question?" Jillian asked as she leant back against the counter behind her. Jean and Daniel nodded to her, looking at her curiously as she attempted to ask the question pressing against her mind. "How do you... do you think..." Anxiously rubbing the back of her neck, Jillian gave out a sigh of frustration before she continued, "Do you think that Nicky doesn't trust us enough to tell us... well, the things he tells you all the time? He always used to trust me as a child, now that's he's... well come out, he's barely tellin' me anythin'."

"If it's any conciliation Jilly, Nicky's not the one telling us... everything." Jean spoke softly, leaning against the opposite counter beside her husband. "Greg tells us most of it. I only know about his drawing and the therapy because my son told me about it. I think Nicky is worried about disappointing you and your husband though. He's different from his big brother and sisters, maybe he feels pressured." Jean explained in the nicest way possible.

"He feels pressured?" Jillian felt her heart aching for her child. "Pressured into what?"

Daniel looked at his wife struggling to think of the right answer, so he said it for her, "Achievement?" He suggested. "He's the only one without a spouse and children. He hasn't settled down like your other children."

"God I'm a terrible mother."

Jean gently elbowed her husband in the side, giving him the signal to leave the room. Daniel stubbornly shook his head, but Jean poked him in the ribs, pointing off towards the door again. Daniel rolled his eyes then reluctantly made his way off towards the door, leaving the two of them alone.

"Jillian, you're not a terrible mother." Jean assured her. "Nicky craves a life of happiness like your other children. But he's afraid to share it with the two of you because his path to happiness is a little different from your other children. Everyone says that they like to be different, but no one likes to stand out in a crowd for it. Nicky doesn't confide in me, he confides in my son and Greg always confides everything in me because it was just the two of us from the moment he was born. Greg can't keep anything quiet." She chuckled softly then gently placed her hand on the woman's shoulder. "You are in no way a terrible mother; you've raised a strong, caring young man. He's a very soulful young man, and he's shown my son love when no one else would." Jillian looked up at her surprised. "I know we're a bit strange. Its how I was raised and how I wanted to raise my son, surrounded with love. We all openly love each other and we talk about anything anywhere, but that's just the way we are. Greg has his quirks, just like I have mine. Daniel loves and accepts me in the same way that your Nicky loves and accepts our Greg."

"I always wanted it like that." Jillian smiled up at her. "My little Nicky's grown up and he's too scared to tell me anythin' though."

"Give him a chance Jilly, he'll get there eventually. He took seven years to tell his best friend that he loves him." She chuckled softly then turned her gaze to the window as Nick and Greg slowly made their way up the path with their plates in hand. "The important thing is to show your support. You should talk to him and ask him the same questions that you would ask your other children about their relationships. He's no different; you just have to prove that to him." She finished then rushed for the door to take their plates from them. "Thank you sweethearts, are you still hungry?"

"No thank you, I'm full." Greg grinned as he patted his full stomach.

"No thanks." Nick smiled next, releasing Greg's hand as he saw his mother stood in the kitchen.

Jillian caught onto the action, feeling guilty as her other children freely kissed and held their lover's hand in front of her but Nick was too scared to show affection like them.

"Well I'm taking Jilly and Billy out for dinner later, so you two will have to fend for yourselves." She informed them as she head over to the dishwasher. "You can use anything but the turkey."

"Okay." Greg smiled at her then tugged Nick back down the garden by his forearm. Jillian watched them together, giving out a wide smile as she saw her son smiling wider then she had seen in a long time as he was finally reunited with the man he loved.

* * *

After Jillian, Bill, Jean and Daniel left for their meal at the restaurant they had booked earlier for their Christmas Eve dinner, Papa Olaf and Nana Olaf head off out to their own meal, leaving Nick and Greg completely alone. "This place kinda creeps me out when it's this quiet." Nick smirked as he made his way back into the kitchen where Greg was searching through the cupboards to think of something to make for dinner. "It doesn't seem natural for a Sanders house to be this quiet."

Greg chuckled softly then leant across the counter, pressing a kiss to Nick's lips. "Get used to it while it lasts." He grinned as he pulled back. "So, whaddya want for dinner? I can pretty much make you anything you fancy. We've got everything here."

"Anythin' you want." Nick answered, taking a seat on one of the stools. "I'm not really hungry."

"Are you sure?" Leaning on the other side of the counter, Greg rested his chin in his hands as he looked deep into Nick's soulful eyes across the counter. "I can make you something later if you change your mind."

"Okay." Reaching out for Greg's hand, Nick laced his fingers together with Greg's then gently rubbed his thumb across Greg's third finger where his wedding ring would be in just a few months. "You wonna go watch a movie or somethin'?"

"Only if you give me a smile." Greg watched Nick's expression, giving him a wide grin of his own to encourage him to smile. "C'mon Gorgeous, one little smile. One teeny weenie little smile." The younger man begged, giving out a soft giggle as Nick finally graced him with a slight smile. "There's my Nicky." Beaming a wide smile back at Nick, Greg head round the counter, gently tugging Nick off his stool and off towards the front room to watch movies.

"Every Christmas Eve when I was a kid we always watched a Christmas movie right before we had to go to bed early for Santa." Nick reported as he took a seat on the sofa.

"When I was a kid, on Christmas Eve we sat down in the family room watching Christmas movies back to back with snack foods and warm blankets." Greg giggled as he dropped onto the couch, switching the TV on with the remote in his hands. "Then we wrote our letters to Santa, leaving him milk and cookies before we went to bed. Oh and on the first day of Christmas my Papa Olaf always gave me this little elf thing that you have to tuck into bed every night before you go to sleep."

Greg jumped up off the couch, crawling around beside the Christmas tree to retrieve a stuffed elf looking thing that was looking a little haggard now.

"And every night leading up to Christmas Eve I had to feed him his magic fairy dust, which was really just a bag of glitter." Greg explained as he dropped back onto the couch beside Nick with the elf in his hands. "And he'd come alive at night causing mischief in the house. The next morning I had to go and look for him and see what he had done. I think once there were these chocolates stuffed in my coat pockets before I left for school and there were cookies, cakes and things in the kitchen. It wasn't until I was ten that I realised the elf didn't actually do anything because I purposely forgot to feed it for the whole month, hiding the glitter in my room and I figured out that it was really my Papa and Nana Olaf doing all the stuff he supposedly did."

Nick chuckled softly as he thought of a tiny Greg believing that a stuffed elf could actually fill his coat pockets with sweets before he left for school. "That's adorable G."

"I was heartbroken when I found out it was just a dumb teddy and he didn't really go home back to Santa on Christmas day he just went back into the Christmas decorations box in the attic."

"Aww baby," Nick chuckled, wrapping his arms around Greg. "We used to throw our Christmas lists onto the fires and my dad told us that the blue flame as they burnt up was the fairies come to take the letter away to Santa. I was heartbroken when I found out that those blue flames were just flames and they could happen any time of year."

Greg smiled up at him, resting his head back against Nick's shoulder as he held the old mischievous elf against his chest. "What's your families Christmas traditions?"

"Well, on the first day of Christmas we all used to load into my dad's van and drive out to pick a Christmas tree. The youngest kid at the time... which was me for all the ones I was there for got to pick out the Christmas tree then we drove it home and decorated the whole house then the tree. Then we wrote our Christmas lists and stuffed the envelopes into the chimney, reading to burn and send to Santa." Nick explained, resting his head against the side of Greg's as he looked at the Sanders' families artificial tree that Jean used as she wasn't a fan of cutting down a tree once a year. "Then on Christmas Eve the girls helped my Mama in the kitchen while my dad took me and brother out to chop fire wood. My Mama always had to have her fireplace going in the front room otherwise it never felt like Christmas."

"My mom's got one of them too." Reaching over Nick for a remote, Greg pointed and clicked it in the fireplaces direction, grinning round at Nick as the flickering lights of the artificial fire place started up.

"Yeah, but we had a _real_ one." He smirked.

"I can't stand them. You now the loud crack the fire makes, it always reminds me of the lab explosion so my dad got this one installed."

"Oh." Nick gave Greg a half smile as his parents really did care about him. They even accommodated their house to a Greg friendly zone even though he was hardly ever there. "Well after the fire was ready and the turkey was cookin' we went for a walk to the local town where they plugged in the lights of the big Christmas tree down there. Then we sang Christmas carols, I mostly just hummed them. You know I can't stand Christmas carols." Greg giggled, nodding his head to him as he did know how much he hated them. "Then it was back home for dinner. We opened one present each after dinner then we head off to church before we went to bed early, ready for Christmas day."

"Sounds cool." Greg grinned, relaxing into Nick's arms. "I guess we'll have to come up with our own tradition when it's just the two of us huh?"

"Yeah, I think this is a pretty good tradition right here. Just the two of us, alone and together." Nick smiled widely as he clutched Greg tightly in his arms. "Right here's good, doncha think?"

Greg nodded as he readjusted himself against him. "It's perfect."

* * *

After a family dinner out with the in laws, Jillian and Bill Stokes were glad to finally be back at the house so they could go to sleep. They didn't mind the Sanders' company, they were just glad to be back home in the quiet where their sex life wouldn't be on the table along with their son's sexuality and the life he was planning with the man he loved.

"Goodnight!" Jean waved the Stokes' off up the stairs then slipped into the front room to check on the boys who were watching 'Christmas with the Kranks'. "Hello sweethearts, what did you have for dinner?"

"Popcorn, Pringles, M&M's," Greg showed her the packets as evidence, giggling as his mother raised her eyebrows to them both.

"You really are a bunch of teenagers. I meant to _make_ yourselves dinner. Not snack on whatever you could find." She complained as she cleaned up the mess.

"Relax Jean; we had vegetable sticks and dip, and pancakes with strawberries and cream." Nick assured her as he climbed out from under the blanket he and Greg were sat under to help her clean up the mess they had made on the coffee table. "I can do that Mrs S." He insisted, taking it off her hands.

"Oh okay sweetheart," She gave him as a smile as she watched him clearing away then leant over the sofa, pressing a kiss to her son's forehead. "Goodnight honey."

"Night mom." Greg gave her a wide smile then reluctantly climbed to his feet from underneath the blanket, helping Nick to clear away.

Jean smiled proudly at her son then head over to Nick, pecking a kiss to his cheek. "Good night Nicky." She waved to the two of them then head off up the stairs with her husband to get a good night's sleep before Christmas Day.

Once the coffee table was cleared away, Nick loaded their plates into the dishwasher then watched Greg curiously as he grabbed a tall glass from one of the cupboards, filling it to the top with milk. Nick raised one of his eyebrows as Greg opened up a packet of Oreos, setting them down on a plate.

"What are you doin' Greg, you can't _still_ be hungry." He laughed.

"No, it's a Christmas tradition." Greg winked to him then head off into the front room with the glass of milk and plate of Oreos on a tray. Setting it down on the coffee table, Greg pulled back the blankets on the sofa as he sat back down, lifting it up so that Nick could slide underneath with him again.

Once Nick was snuggled in next to him, Greg reached for the Christmas decorated paper off the side table, smiling round at Nick. "Every Christmas Eve we sit in here with a piece of paper like this, and a pen," Greg handed one of each over to Nick, adjusting the blanket around his lap as he leant the paper against his thigh. "And we write things we want in a letter to Santa."

"Aren't you a little old for Santa?" Nick smiled as he slid closer towards him, putting his arm around his lover's shoulder.

"You telling me you didn't have Christmas traditions like the milk and cookies?"

"Yeah, when I was a kid we left out a carrot for the reindeer, but we didn't leave milk. My Mama always left a small glass of Brandy. She said even Santa needs somethin' to get through the night." He smirked, resting the paper Greg had given him against his thigh too.

"Imagine if Santa did get a glass of Brandy from every house he visited though." Greg giggled. "He'd be arrested for SUI, before he even did two percent of the world."

"SUI?" Nick inquired.

"Sleighing under the influence." Nick laughed then uncapped his pen, watching Greg starting to write his letter to Santa. "Hey, how old were you when you figured out Santa wasn't real?"

"Wait, Santa's not real?" Nick melodramatically gasped, laughing as Greg cocked an eyebrow round at him. "What can I say; you're a bad influence on me G." He grinned, pressing his lips to the side of Greg's head. "But in a good way baby."

"Well I was thirteen." Greg announced, watching Nick's surprised reaction. "I wanted to believe in him for as long as I could. When I was thirteen I came down the stairs in the middle of the night and found my mom and dad putting loads of presents under the tree for everyone, and they were eating and drinking the Oreos and milk themselves. I never told them that I knew though. You know how parents do the sex talk; well they did that with me about Santa when I was seventeen. I pretended to act devastated then I told them the truth." Nick laughed out loud, hiding the list he was writing from Greg. "So, what about you?"

"Um... my sister Vicki let it slip when I was around eight or nine. I wasn't that broken up about it, but I still loved Christmas and the silly little traditions into my teens though."

"Like writing letters to somebody that doesn't exist?" Greg smiled as he recapped his pen. "What did you put?" He queried, turning on the sofa to face him.

Nick finished off the last one then handed it over to Greg, watching his reaction as the younger man read through it. The ones that caught his attention the most were '_I want Greg to be Happy, to stop __disappointing__ my Parents and make it through another year.'_

"What about you?" Nick reached for Greg's letter, taking a look at what he had put. "That one I can definitely guarantee." He pointed to one on Greg's letter. "We're definitely gonna get married next year, you don't have to worry. And the life with me I can definitely guarantee. I'm never leavin' you." He assured him.

"And I'm very happy with you, and you're definitely making it through another year." Greg assured him back, leaning forwards to press their lips together. "And your parents aren't disappointed in you Nicky. You don't have doubts about us do you?"

"Nope, none at all." Locking his hands beneath Greg's arms, Nick pulled the younger man closer against him on the couch, hugging him tightly in his warm embrace. "I love you . . . more than anythin'. I mean sure you're unorganised, spontaneous, your families a little crazy and you talk too much. But I don't want you to change. I want you, just the way you are. I really can't wait to marry you. My parents may not be disappointed in me at the moment, but I'm still the black sheep, the wrong one . . . but with you, I'm not. You make me a better person. I spent my life strivin' for things I didn't even want because I thought that's what I was supposed to do like everyone else. Bu I don't have to prove anythin' to anyone, except to you that I love you and that I wonna be with you for the rest of my life."

Greg giggled against his neck, clutching him tighter in his arms. "That's it; I gotta rewrite my vows if you've got something like that planned."

Nick chuckled back, inhaling a deep breath of Greg's strong scent. "You can totally steal that if you're stumped for ideas. I don't mind."

"Nope, I wonna surprise the sentimental cowboy with my own little spice of romance." Smoothing his palms up and down Greg's back, Nick held him closer for a moment longer, glad that this all wasn't a dream and he really was going to spend the rest of his life with the man he loved more than anything.

* * *

Gently fluttering his eyes open the next morning, Greg smiled as he immediately saw Nick lying beside him, wide awake. "An early riser on Christmas morning?" He queried, stretching his arms out before he nestled deeper into the covers on his bed against Nick's warm body.

"I was watchin' you sleep. I love watchin' you sleep, it relaxes me." Smiling softly, Nick touched his lips to Greg's moist forehead from his constant tossing and turning while he slept before he smoothed one hand down the centre of his body towards his tummy. "It's our first Christmas mornin' together."

"Technically last year we were together too." Greg reminded him. "We just finished up on a triple homicide or something and the whole team went out for breakfast at three am on Christmas morning. We managed to find that one little place that wasn't closed for the holidays."

"Yeah." Nick nodded at the memory. "But we weren't in bed together wakin' up for Christmas mornin' then." He pointed out to him. Greg chuckled softly then leant closer, touching his lips to his fiancés for a passionate morning kiss, extra special as it was Christmas morning.

"_Wakey, wakey boys!"_ Jean's voice called from the bedroom door as she excitedly knocked on it. "_Downstairs in five minutes for presents!"_

"Ten!" Greg haggled, hearing his mother only laughing in response. Greg groaned in response then stole another kiss from his lover's lips before he climbed out of bed to get ready. "You'll have to excuse my mother; she's like a child on Christmas. She gets more excited than anyone." Greg informed him as he head off into the bathroom for his toothbrush.

"You were pretty excited last night." The older man smirked, stepping up beside him in the bathroom to brush his teeth too.

"Christmas Eve is more exciting." He giggled; rinsing his mouth out then wiped his chin as he turned his head to look at Nick. "And that's because I was spending the evening alone with you." Greg winked at him then head back into the bedroom to change his clothes.

While Nick was getting dressed, Greg spiked up his hair with some gel then led his partner off down the stairs towards the living room.

"Presents time!" Jean excitedly declared, ushering everyone off into the brightly lit family room that was covered in twinkling lights and glittery decorations. Papa and Nana Olaf took a seat on the four seater family sofa side by side one another. Jean sat down next to her husband on the other end and Nick's parents Jillian and Bill sat on the love seat the other side of the coffee table leaving the single chair for Nick and Greg. Nick's father didn't seem to mind as Greg sat down on the chair with his son, resting his legs over the top of Nick's to get comfy against the arm of the chair.

Jillian and Bill Stokes watched through wide smiles as the Sanders family started handing round their gifts for one another, tearing them open like excited children as Christmas was their favourite time of year.

As expected, Jean had bought a whole bunch of presents for Nick and Greg, including a few for Jillian and Bill as they were her new family and she was still trying to win them over. "Wow dad," Jean gasped as she pulled the present out he had gotten for her. "Wal-Mart gift certificates, thank you so much."

"You can always tell when she doesn't like something, note the high pitched voice." Greg whispered to Nick, just loud enough for them all to hear him.

"I heard that Gregory, and I love them." She insisted. "I shop at Wal-Mart all the time. This is very useful to me." She smiled to her son, watching him unwrapping the photo album she had personalised over the internet with pictures of Nick and Greg from the beginning of their relationship up to now.

Greg gave her a wide smile as he flipped through them all, suddenly grateful that she was camera crazy or he would have never had all of the photos of him and Nick together. He gave her a wink to thank her, clutching the book tightly to his chest as he figured Nick's father wouldn't want to see it.

Nick unwrapped his present from Greg next, finding an I-Pod inside. Turning it on was the real gift though, Greg had made several different playlists with all of Nick's favourite songs. Nick wrapped his arms tightly around Greg's waist to thank him. Greg had also bought him a brand new packet of pencils and new sketch pads full of empty pages ready to be drawn in.

"Oh, I love you." Nick whispered against his neck, clutching him tighter in his embrace. It was the best Christmas he had ever had because it was the only Christmas that he wasn't the lonely one sat in the corner while his brothers and sisters families excitedly unwrapped their gifts from one another. He finally got to experience it for himself with Greg in his arms, and he couldn't be happier.

* * *

**Thanks so much to Alisa123 for beta-ing this for me so quickly so I could get this up before Christmas! I hope you all enjoyed that extra long chapter. It's been hard finding the time to write it with work and christmas shopping, but I finally got it finished and just in time too :D Thanks so much for reading, I hope you liked it and please don't forget to leave a review!**

**Care to share your own christmas traditions in your review?**

**The different christmas traditions from this chapter I got were mostly from internet research :D When I was younger we left a plate of cookies, glass of brandy and a carrott for the reindeer and we left our christmas letters beside them. When we moved house when I was 6 we had to leave our new address in a letter in the chimney so Santa knew where to find us the next year :D**

**Merry Christmas to you all!**

**~ Holly**


	70. Chapter 70: Hope For The Future

**Chapter Seventy: Hope for the Future**

Staring out at the ocean as the waves gently rolled along the beach, bringing the rich salty air with it, Nick closed his eyes, standing perfectly still as the wind shook through his clothing, ruffled his hair and made goosebumps chill down his arms and legs. The sun was barely still in the sky, just beginning to set at the end of the ocean, but Nick suddenly felt a comforting warmth surrounding his body. He listened to the waves rolling out again then turned his head to see the person stood behind him, giving them a wide smile. "Okay. Let's do it." Nick nodded, agreeing with the younger man's earlier suggestion. "I love it out here. It's so much more relaxin'. And I've never lived anywhere near the ocean."

"You really wonna move this far away from your friends... family, and this close to my mother?" Greg asked him surprised, as he tightened his arms around his lover's body. "I was just suggesting it, but I suppose we could. Vegas isn't too far from here, four hour drive and it is so much nicer here." He agreed, looking out at the ocean as the waves rolled around the sandy shore again. "Okay. So, before or after we get married?"

"Before. I don't wonna wait until March to live out here." Inhaling a deep breath of the salty air, Nick whispered, "I don't even wonna leave here. I love it here." He leant back into Greg's embrace as a gust of wind ruffled around them, making Nick shiver this time as the air was beginning to get even colder.

"What are you gonna do about your job?"

"Quit. My hearts not in it anymore. You should quit too. You know your mother is desperate for you to." The older man snickered, protecting his eyes as the wind started to pick up some dry sand with it. "I can do other things. I'm more than just a CSI or a Detective, you know."

"I know." Greg nodded, resting his chin on Nick's shoulder. "We better start house hunting then. What about Jade, do you think she'd move with us?"

"I think she moved to Vegas _because_ of you, Greg." Nick tilted his head back across Greg's shoulder, looking the younger man in the eye. "She loves yah like a brother, possibly more."

"I'm so over girls." Greg sighed. "I'm in love with you, and that's never gonna change. She asked us both to be godfathers to her baby, remember? So she must like you too. And you two were spending a lot of time together when you were out of work."

"I'm sure your parents would love her to move over too." Nick shivered again, leaning further into Greg's warm embrace for the heat from his body. "Do you think I'm too old to go back to school?" He suddenly asked him, thinking about the future again.

"No, you're never too old to do anything. Why?"

"I wonna do somethin' different. I could go back to school part time. Do you think I'd make a good lawyer or a social worker? I already have my Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice. I could get my bachelor's degree in social work and all that sociology, psychology stuff, right? I have the desire to help abused and neglected children too."

"If that's what you wonna do, I think you'd be great at it." Greg smiled at him then felt his lover shiver in his arms again. "C'mon, let's get home. You're freezing and we have to drive back to Vegas tomorrow. I can't have you getting sick."

He ushered Nick off towards the parking lot, shielding his own eyes as another gust of wind swept by him.

"Do you think I could though?" Nick laced his hand with Greg's, walking alongside him back towards the car. "Your opinion means a lot to me, G. I really wonna know whatcha think."

"I think you could. I think you'll be amazing at your job, just like you have been with your previous jobs. You have a special insight into what goes on behind most closed doors from the crime scenes we've worked. You also kinda have an insight of what it's like to feel neglected. You've seen the outcome of violence, so I believe you'd do everything in your power to stop it, _before_ it gets to that stage and you have empathy for every case victim we've ever worked, even when you shouldn't have. And you're gonna make a great father some day, because you've got such a big heart to share with the people around you."

"Damn, can I get you to write that out as my references?" Nick chuckled, putting his arm around his fiancé's shoulder. "Do you really think all that about me, baby?"

"Yes. Remember what you said about the fact we that we can't adopt from most agencies?"

"Oh, the thing I said about gay and lesbian couples like us, not bein' able to reproduce on their own, so really the adoption process is meant for us? And if they hold such a narrow opinion of who can't adopt, just because of their sexuality then they're sentencing these children to a life without lovin' homes?" Nick remembered what he said. "I was just speakin' the truth."

"Exactly." Greg grinned, tugging Nick closer to press a kiss to his lips. "I think you'd even make a good lawyer. Maybe a court appointed social worker or something; they deal with lawyers a lot, right? You'd be perfect at that." Releasing his hold on Nick, Greg turned to unlock the car, pulling open the passenger side door for his fiancé to climb in. "What am _I_ gonna do though?" He queried. "I guess now that neither of us is in law enforcement, I could start up that weed garden I guess." He joked.

"And have our kids wearin' all the latest trends due to your high rise in product sales?" Nick shook his head at him. "Doncha learn anythin' from the cases we worked?"

"Sure I do. I know all the mistakes they made." He chuckled then ran round to the other side of the car, climbing in to drive them back to his parent's house. "I was of course kidding, you know. If I wasn't quite so squeamish, I always wanted to be a doctor. I was hyped up to go to medical school after Highschool, but I couldn't stand blood from a real body or cutting into people like that, so I never went for it."

"You never told me that."

"Just like you never told me that yah loved me." He continued to tease him about that, reversing his car out of its spot. "Just think, if I had the stomach for it back then, I could be Doctor Gregory Sanders by now."

"You still could. Isn't medical school like four years or somethin'? You could go back to school and getcha Ph.D."

"Nah, that's dreams gone." Greg shook his head. "I think I wonna get away from the blood, gore and the dead, and focus more on the living. Maybe I'll try teaching; you think I make a good professor?"

"All the girls will have the hots for yah. They love the cute professors." His fiancé chuckled.

"What about if I taught the cute age kids? I think I could deal with any age group from around five to eleven."

"Why, because you're emotionally still around that age?"

"Uh, that's mean." Greg giggled, slapping Nick on the knee. "Just a few days around my mother, and you're already picking up her snide remarks."

"I meant it as a compliment, baby." The older man chortled. "I recon you'd make a great teacher in an elementary school or somethin'; I'm just not sure if you're strict enough. You let Rascal walk all over you, and he's just a dog."

"It's not my fault he doesn't like long walks or that he likes his bed fluffed up before he gets in it." Greg defended himself, only making Nick laugh more. "You're so mean to me." He pouted in his direction.

"Aww, I tease because I love, baby." He giggled, reaching Greg's hand across the middle of the car. "Rascal can't physically tell you that stuff himself anyway, you just do it for him because you love him."

"Like all the stuff I do for you too." Greg pointed out to him, pulling his car into his parent's driveway. "Hey look, that's Jade's car." He pointed to the 1970 red Plymouth in his parent's driveway, wondering what she was doing away from Vegas, when she had never told him that she was coming over.

Greg hurried out of the car, almost forgetting Nick was in it, in his rush to lock it and get into the house, suddenly fearing that something had gone wrong with her pregnancy or something worse. "Jade!" He cried, immediately throwing his arms around her, glad to see that she was still pregnant.

"Ow... Greg," She pushed him back, rubbing her sore back. "Jeez, I only just saw you a couple of weeks ago. You haven't been gone that long."

"You're still pregnant though."

"Yeah genius, six months now." She chuckled, rolling her eyes at him, before she turned to greet Nick for a gentler hug then the bone crushing one that Greg just gave her.

Spotting his mother across the hall on the phone, while his father was out in the garden with Nick's parents, Greg asked, "What are you even doing here? You shouldn't be driving at six months pregnant."

"Ease off, Greg. I'm not your wife and you're certainly not my mother." She warned him then readjusted the large sweatshirt she was wearing, as she made her way to the counter, opening the box on it. "I came because I brought these. But first of all, your mother told me to show you this when you got back..." Pulling a folded newspaper from the box, Jade flipped over to the wedding announcements page, handing it over to Nick to read first. "Your unofficial wedding announcement kinda thing. She's through there now bragging to her friends about it."

"We're in the paper?" Greg leant over his fiancé's shoulder, looking at it surprised as he read through the minor details of their relationship of eight years to their final engagement and their wedding in March.

It didn't give any address or their surnames though, as Jean had checked with the P-FLAG group members before she posted it.

"And here's your wedding invitations." Jade announced, once they had finished reading. "I just got em back from the printers, you like?" Handing a sample each to Nick and Greg, she watched as their eyes scanned across them, looking at the design and the lettering.

"Wow." Greg ran his finger over the indented lettering of their names, feeling a buzz of excitement coursing through his veins, as the whole thing seemed more real now that the invitation was in his hands. "These are amazing."

"Very amazin'." Nick agreed with him. "I like the letterin'."

"So, where's your finalised guest list." She queried. "Jean said we should probably get started on the invitations now."

"Finalised?" Greg looked up at her confused. "Well, when you say finalised... do you mean, completely finalised as in finished?"

"You haven't finished it yet? I told you two months ago." She groaned heavily.

"Sorry." He nervously bit his lip, turning the blame to his partner beside him. "Blame Nicky, he's been keeping me a little preoccupied lately." Greg giggled, as his fiancé turned his nose up at him for passing the blame onto him, again.

"Thanks a lot, G." Nick remarked, poking his fiancé in the side. "I still have the draft, but its back at the house. I haven't had time to finalise it yet. My folks are still here though; they'll know the addresses and things of people back home."

"And my mother knows everyone I ever met. I think she even cyber stalks me on Facebook and things." Greg smirked, getting clipped round the ear as she came into the room. "Oh, hi, Mom... didn't see you there."

"Of course you didn't, Gregory." She rolled her eyes at him. "Do you like the invitations then boys? Jade did the calligraphy herself, you know."

"You did?" Greg looked at her surprised then looked back at the invitation in his hands.

"Yeah, one of those useless talents I thought I'd never use." Jade nodded, leaning back against the counter behind her, as she was starting to get some back pain again. Greg looked it over even more amazed, reading all the beautifully detailed lettering on the invitation to his real wedding,

_Two hearts joined in love, united forever in love; with joy and happiness._

_**Nicholas Parker Stokes**_

_**Gregory Hojem Sanders**_

_Are pleased to announce they will be married on the 30th of March 2008_

_At St. Gregory's Church, Long Beach at 2:30 pm_

_Followed by the reception on Long Beach_

"Alright, grab a pen." Jean pointed them over to the desk. "Let's get this guest list sorted out, so we can send these invites out, before someone double books your day. Oh, not you Gregory." She stopped him from picking up a pen.

"Why?" Greg looked at her surprised, but Nick explained the answer for her.

"No offence, Greg. But your handwritin' is chicken scratch. Why do you think I never let you do my field notes after that first time out with the bus?" He snickered softly. "Neat handwritin's not your strong point."

"See, exactly my point, Gregory." Jean agreed with him.

"May I remind you it was freezing cold and _somebody _wouldn't let me borrow his thick jacket he was wearing," Greg directed the comment towards him, along with an evil glare. "I was freezing my arse off, while you had that nice warm jacket of yours."

"It was _my_ jacket. You shoulda brought your own. You weren't even supposed to be there, you were just stalkin' me." He teased him then gave his lover a playful shove in the direction of the door to get him outside.

They all took a seat round the table, discussing the guests they were going to invite and started planning out a draft of their guest list from both sides of their families. It seemed a lot easier with their family members around them, but Jillian and Jean soon started to argue whether or not they would invite extended family, as Jillian had thousands, while Jean only had a handful.

"No way." Greg spoke up, as Jean suggested somebody to add to the list. "I'm not having Aunt Mildred and Uncle Ted at my wedding or the after party. I wouldn't even invite them to my funeral."

"They're not so bad." Jean defended them.

"Yes they are." Greg and Jade chimed in together.

"They'll probably end up bringing that stupid..."

"Gregory, he's your cousin." Jean scolded him, before he finished speaking.

"No, not him." He giggled. "The stupid little dog, Jocko. I hate that thing."

"You're not still scared of that thing, are yah?" Papa Olaf loudly chuckled, rolling his eyes at his grandson. "Jocko is the littlest white westie I've ever seen, and Greg's terrified of him." He explained to Nick's confused parents.

"I'm not scared of that thing. I said I hate it." Greg corrected him, folding his arms across his chest, as they were making fun of him again. "So, his parents are just as bad. Mildred always slaps people on the back and Ted is just so boring. He doesn't have an opinion of his own, he only ever agrees with his wife. And then Timothy's three times as bad. He's always hated me. And they don't like Nick because apparently he said something to offend, Aunt Mildred."

"I didn't." Nick protested. "I asked what their son did for a livin' and she marched away from me with a foul look on her face." He remembered.

"Timothy's their son." Jean informed Jillian and Bill, deciding to cut them off the list. "Fine, we won't invite them. I believe you met Mildred anyway," She remembered, looking towards her in laws. "The rather loud woman who chewed her food with her mouth open. We've never been that close, Ted is really only Daniel's cousin, and they hated each other growing up. Just like Timothy and Greg."

"Oh, yes... I believe I remember her." Jillian nodded with a giggle, finally remembering the woman and her son whom Greg had thrown a tennis ball at, almost knocking him out, then Daniel had to fish the westie out of the pool after Greg tried to drown it. "Yes, I remember them now. Mildred was tellin' me all about this man who had a sex change operation to marry his husband, but he left her for a real woman." She remembered the bizarre conversation."

"Oh yes, Mildred's sister's boy." Jean rolled her eyes. "Poor Jeff..."

"Jen." Greg corrected her. "You're not allowed to call her by his male name anymore."

"Right, well... poor Jen. She's still on her own now. She's working as a court appointed social worker in New York now. Her brother Anthony died a couple of months ago of a heart attack. He was just two years older than Greg, very over weight though. The man could barely fit through a door." Jean started up the gossip Greg had heard a thousand times over. "Oh, what about Aunt Maria?" Jean suddenly asked. "She'd love to come. That's Daniel's younger sister." She informed Nick's parents. "She was such a sweet little thing when Daniel and I started dating. She never had much luck with the men though."

"No, I don't want her to come. She'll bring Brandon." Greg shook his head, refusing to speak to his homophobic cousin.

"You see what I have to deal with?" Jean smiled at her in laws. "I can't invite Mildred and Ted because you're afraid of their dog and I can't invite Aunt Maria because she'd bring her son who used to tease you when he was eight."

"If you call teasing locking me in the pool house on the hottest day or chasing me with monster tree branches that have a mind of their own." Greg reminded her, shivering at the memory of his cousin, Brandon chasing him with a large tree branch that looked as though it had thousands of arms and a large mouth, ready to gobble him up. "I only want people I like at the wedding."

"I want this, I want that, you sound like a five year old; you're supposed to be considering your fiancé's opinion too, Gregory." Jean pointed out to him then counted up her total number of guests on her list. "Right that's...

"Wait! Half these people I don't even know. Who's, Georgina Harris?" Greg asked, looking towards his mother.

"My friend. She's from the P-FLAG meetings, if you must know. We've become great friends."

Greg rolled his eyes at her then looked over the rest of the list, "Don't know them... don't know them... never heard of em... and you're definitely not inviting, Aunt Maria."

"She's all on her own now, Gregory. She used to change your diapers, you know. She babysat you while she was still taking her bachelor's degree for the extra cash. And Daniel will want his little sister there, won't you honey?" Daniel just gave her a nod, agreeing with her so she wouldn't start an argument in front of Nick's parents. "See. And I want my friends and family to see my son's wedding. You're only gonna get one." She pointed out to him. "Alright, I've got... thirty eight now. How many do you have?" She queried, looking across the table at the Stokes'.

"Um, well... Nicky, are you invitin' any of your friends from college?" His mother queried, frowning at him as he shook his head. "None of them..."

"I haven't talked to them in years. They didn't invite me to their weddin's, so why should I do the same?" He interjected, feeling as though his parents were going to start treating him like a child again, just like Jean had been doing to her son. "The only friends I'm invitin' are already on Greg's list."

"Alright, suit yourself." Jillian sighed heavily then counted up the total guests on her list. "That's... seventy eight."

"See, and you thought my list was long." Jean whispered to her son, just loud enough for the Stokes' to hear. "So that's... one hundred and sixteen total guests, counting all of us that'll make it... one hundred and twenty five. That's the number we'll need to give to the caterers and things as a rough guide, until we get the RSVP's back."

"One hundred and twenty five?" Greg gasped, leaning back against Nick as the sun started to set even more, making the air colder. "That's a lot. And we have to make seating charts and things for all of them."

"Yep, now let's get started on these invitations." Jean glanced up towards Jade's empty seat, wondering where she had gone.

"Bathroom." Nick pointed, realising who she was looking for.

"Again? That's the fifth time in the past hour alone." She giggled, handing a small stack of invitations round to everyone at the table, except her mother, as she was just staring into space, talking gibberish about the stars that no one else could see.

Jean divided each of the lists between them, getting them to work on writing out the guest's names and their addresses, ready to send them out.

As an hour went by and their lists got a little shorter and their wrists and fingers started to cramp up from their neat handwriting, Jade got up another five times to go to the loo, remaining in there much longer than she had before, but everyone was a little preoccupied that they hadn't even noticed how long she had been gone.

"What's Catherine's daughter's name again?" Jean queried, looking across the table at her son.

"Lindsey, with an E and not an A. She's caught me out on that one so many times." He chuckled then glanced up towards the door as Jade finally returned.

"Jean." Jade called over to her, holding her sides in agony.

"Yes my dear, are you out of toilet paper?" She giggled, assuming that was it, as she had been getting up and down to pee every few minutes.

"No, I'm bleeding." Jade announced, stopping everyone from what they were doing.

"Bleeding?" Jean jumped to her feet, rushing over to her side. "From down there?"

"Yes down there, where do you think?" She snapped. "This last time I thought I just needed to pee again, but it was all blood. The thing is, I don't think I was peeing. It might have been my waters." She shakily replied, worrying about the baby.

"Alright, alright... don't panic. Daniel, get the car round front. Gregory, I'll need some blankets and towels. Jillian, find the number for the nearest hospital. The phone books on the counter, and call ahead so they know we're coming." She barked the orders to everyone, watching them quickly springing to their feet to complete their assigned tasks. "Was it a lot of blood, sweetheart?"

"Yes..." Jade clutched her sides in agony, making Jean realise she was having contractions. "It hurts."

"You shouldn't be standing up. Nicky," She pointed over to him. "Can you get her to the sofa for a minute? I'll be right back."

Nick quickly climbed to his feet, putting one arm around her back, while he lifted her legs with the other, carrying her through to the sofa with his fireman strength, where Jean had already set up a blanket, before she hurried away to get something else.

"Cars ready!" Daniel called from the doorway, searching the house for his wife. "Which hospital are we going to?"

"Long Beach Memorial." Jillian announced, putting the phone down. "They're expecting you."

"Where's Gregory with those damn blankets and towels? Here put this in the back. I made her pack an overnight bag, just in case." Jean handed a bag over to her husband then hurried off to look for her son. "C'mon Gregory, we're waiting on you." She hurried him along. "Daniel, you're driving. I've had too much wine. Gregory in back with Jade." She continued to boss them around then looked at Jillian surprised as the woman grabbed her own purse. "Are you coming too?"

"I delivered one of my daughter's babies on the livin' room floor, before help arrived, I think I'm needed." She nodded then held the doors open for her son, as he re-lifted Jade into his strong arms, carrying her out to the car.

"I'll follow." Papa Olaf held up the keys to Greg's car.

"No you won't, you can't drive." Jean scolded him.

"I'll drive." Nick grabbed the keys from his hands once Jade was in the back of Daniel's car.

"Right then, let's go." Jean ushered her son out of the door, collecting up everything else she needed, before they left.

Jade leant against Greg in the back of the car, holding his hand through her contractions, while Jean and Jillian tried to instruct her how to breath, but they both had very different methods of doing it, making her even more confused.

Nick followed in the car behind with his father and Papa Olaf, debating on which route was quicker, but Nick decided to ignore them, following Daniel's care so they got there at the same time.

They arrived at the hospital within four minutes, where someone was ready and waiting for them. Greg held Jade's hand the whole way, staying with her while the doctor examined her, telling the whole family that the placenta had probably been ruptured, causing the bleed and she was four centimetres dilated already.

"The baby is definitely on its way out, Miss Valentine. From the sounds of it your waters have already broken, so we'd like to give you a natural birth. It's what's best for you and the baby at the moment." The rather handsome, mid-thirties doctor explained to her.

"Oh my god, no. I'm only twenty seven weeks." Jade complained.

"I'm sorry, Miss Valentine. But it's in your best interest and the baby's to get it out now. At the rate you're dilating, he could be here within the next few minutes." The doctor informed her then looked around at all the other people in the room. "Family only in the delivery room."

"We're all family." Jean informed him, holding Jade's hand as she winced through another contraction. "It's alright, dear. I know how much it hurts, just breathe through it, sweetheart." She coached her on.

Jade was trying to breathe, but she had just had the shock of her life after hearing, Jean Sanders calling her family, the woman who had despised her for just over twenty years.

"Well... only her mother and husband then." He suggested, watching the family members awkwardly looking between one another, as they weren't actually related by blood or law. "Miss Valentine, who would you like to stay with you through this?" He decided to ask her, as the seven family members in the room couldn't make up their minds.

"Jean . . . and Greg. He's the godfather." She looked towards him. "Only if you want to though."

"Of course I will." He assured her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'd love to."

"Alright, everyone else out to the waiting area. We'll keep you informed on what's going on." The doctor ushered them all out then stopped one of the nurses to give her some instructions. They monitored Jade for the next few minutes, deciding to prep her for the delivery room after she reach eight centimetres dilatation.

"Wait, wait... I want the epidural. You've gotta give me the epidural. I can't go through this without it." Jade practically begged her doctor, but after another examination, he just kept quiet and told them to proceed with the delivery. Once Jade was ready, she was quickly moved through to a delivery room, while Greg and Jean were suited up in scrubs themselves, joining her a few minutes later to assist in the delivery.

Tapping his foot on the ground, Papa Olaf looked up at the pale white ceilings of the waiting area, feeling a chill running down his spine as a woman suddenly started screaming down the hall. "Ooh, I really don't like hospitals." He shivered, looking round at Nick, Daniel and Nick's parents who were sat with him, suddenly realising that in all the commotion he had forgotten his own wife. "Damn it." He muttered. Nana Olaf was still back at the house, sat in the garden where they left her, still rambling about the stars that were beginning to get a little more visible.

"What?" Daniel looked at him confused.

"Nothing... nothing, just at least I didn't leave her in the car this time." He muttered to himself; as he always forgot to leave the window open a crack for her. "She'll be fine; this birthing thing is pretty quick, right? In and out."

"Not usually." Jillian Stokes shook her head. "It can take hours, possibly even days."

"Oh... perhaps I should give the neighbours a call." Papa Olaf quickly scrambled to his feet, rushing down the hall towards the pay phones to give the neighbour a call to check in on his wife, but it was just his luck that the neighbours had decided to spend the first two weeks of the year on holiday in Florida, so he only got the machine.

"Should we call Jade's mother?" Jillian suddenly suggested, looking across the room at Daniel.

"No, she... she passed away. Jade's family aren't exactly the call home type. She's barely seen or spoken to any of them since she was fifteen or so." Daniel explained to her, making the woman suddenly feel sorry for her, as she really didn't have anybody.

* * *

"Have you thought of any names for your baby yet?" Greg asked Jade, trying to relax her while the doctor and nurses were preparing her for the delivery.

"Um... no... not really." She shook her head, giving out heavy deep breaths. "Oh . . . but did I tell you that I found out it was a boy?" Both Jean and Greg shook their heads. "Oh... well, it's a boy."

"Aww, our little Jade's having a boy." Greg smiled proudly. "You should call him, Greg."

"I'm not naming my baby after you, G." She chuckled through her pain.

"Did you hear that?" Greg asked his mother. "She actually said _my _baby." He whispered, just loud enough for Jade to hear him.

"Shut up, Greg." She scowled at him, moving her legs a little further apart as the doctor instructed.

"So, what are you going to call him then?" Jean continued the conversation, trying to put her mind at ease, just as her own mother had done during the birth of her son.

"I dunno." She shrugged, staring up at the ceiling above her. "I could name him after my granddad." She thought out loud. "The one that isn't the father of a murderer." She muttered under her breath.

Jean looked at Greg with a surprised reaction, before she asked, "What was his name?"

"Connor. Connor Abraham Valentine. Taught me everything I know about cars." Jade suddenly clutched their hands tighter, feeling a contraction ripping through her lower half. "Ow... oh my god that hurts. I want the pain killers... please... I can't do this. It hurts."

"Wait till you start crowning, sweetheart." Jean snickered, looking across the bed towards her son. "You're so lucky you never have to go through this, honey. What we women do for you men is unbelievable."

"Here, here." The middle aged nurse agreed, adjusting Jade's legs in the stirrups. "I'm Cathy by the way. Is this your first baby, Jade?"

"Yes." She nodded, feeling tears of pain burning in her eyes. "And the last." She let out a moan of agony from the next long contraction, causing the tears to spill down the side of her face.

"Okay Jade, you're fully dilated now," The doctor informed her. "We were going to give you the epidural, but there's no time now."

"Oh my god," She groaned, throwing her head back against the pillows. "Kill me now... just get it over with." Her breathing hissed through her next contraction, suddenly feeling as though the baby was ripping her insides out with it.

The painful contractions seemed to be getting longer and longer, but still there was no baby, making Jade frustrated as they had already been in here for just over twenty five minutes of pushing and breathing. Even though she was fully dilated, her baby decided to make her wait for a further thirty minutes, before he made his first real appearance.

"Keep going, you're doing good. That's it Jade, excellent... take a breath for me." The doctor instructed, listening to Jade taking that breath, before he continued, "And another push... keep going... keep going..."

"Fuck, it hurts!" She screamed, making Greg's eyes water from the strength she was clutching his hand with.

"I know Jade; just keep pushing... push... that's it. Good, you're doing perfect... take another breath for me."

"God, how much longer do I have to do this for?"

"The baby's heads right here, Jade. You're doing great." The doctor coached her, while Jean had appointed herself midwife, telling her how to breathe. Jade closed her eyes, trying to relax like they were telling her to, but she continued to tense her body, fearing the next contraction that would bring her more pain. "Push Jade, keep going... keep going..."

"I can't... it hurts." She complained.

"Don't stop pushing Jade, keep going... and another breath, excellent. Get ready... start pushing... that's it... keep going... that's good, Jade. C'mon, keep pushing," The doctor continued coaching her. "You're doing great Jade, keep pushing... keep pushing... keep pushing... that's it."

"Go with it, Jade." Cathy started up her own coaching. "Go with it, hun... you can do this... go with it... go with it..."

"You're doing it. You're doing it." Another nurse started from the other side of her.

"Deep breaths, Jade." Jean continued to instruct her. "Deep breaths... deep breaths..."

"Keep pushing... Go with it... You're doing it... Deep breaths... Keep pushing... You can do it... Go with it... Keep going... keep going... You're doing it... Deep breaths... You're doing great... Keep pushing... keep going... Go with it... You're doing it... Deep breaths..."

Jade listened to the four of them repeating their own little coaching techniques over the top of one another, beginning to get a headache, losing focus with what she was trying to do in the process. "Would everybody please, SHUT UP!" She snapped, silencing the whole room.

Giving out another deep breath, Jade resumed her pushing on her own terms, desperately wanting the source of her pain out of her.

Greg suddenly started to feel a little queasy as he caught sight of the blood between her legs, but he tried to focus on something else, stopping himself from passing out when Jade needed his hand to hold through her ordeal. He couldn't shake the dizzy feeling in his head or the slight sense of nausea though, as this wasn't a dead body, it was a real human person.

Pursing her lips together to keep herself from screaming, Jade tensed her hands and squeezed her eyes tightly shut, giving out one final push, making her completely breathless as she finally pushed another portion of the baby's body out, easing some of the pain she was in.

"Alright, that's the head and shoulders. Great job, Jade. You're doing great so far. Another push should do it... c'mon, Jade." The doctor instructed. "You're so close... that's it... perfect. One more final push and we'll have the legs."

"It hurts. It really hurts." She whimpered, wishing someone would just knock her out as the pain was unbearable.

"I know, honey. Keep pushing." Jean spoke softly, gently stroking her hair back from her forehead for her.

"Another push, sweetheart. You're doing real good." Cathy assured her.

Jade inhaled another few deep breaths before she tried again; feeling as though some of the pressure from her lower half had finally gone.

"Here we go... he's here."

As soon as baby Connor was out, Jean and Greg clutched Jade's hands tightly, watching the doctor lifting a small, almost blue little person from her, reminding Greg of a smurf. For the longest nine seconds in their lives, they stared at him, feeling a sudden wash of relief as he started crying, thinking it was the best sound in the world. His body began to fill with colour, his small little arms and legs began to twitch, wriggling everything from his fingers to his toes in his tiny little body, proving to them that he really was alive.

"That's ten twenty nine pm. Congratulations Jade, you've got a beautiful little baby." Nurse Cathy announced. "Happy birthday little one. What was the name you decided on?"

"Connor." Jade breathlessly stated.

"Happy birthday, Connor." She whispered to the newborn, smiling as she watched him squirm.

The doctor immediately clamped the umbilical cord, which Nurse Cathy then cut and took the baby off his hands to get him cleaned up. Greg continued to hold Jade's hand, suddenly feeling even dizzier and weak in the knees, while his mother's attention was turned towards the tiny baby, watching him carefully being wiped down by the trained professional.

Connor fought against the towel she was trying to wipe him with at first, not liking the blue suction thing she kept sticking in his mouth one bit.

"Greg?" Jade watched him suddenly disappear over the side of her bed, hearing a thud as he hit the ground. "Um... Jean, Greg fainted."

"Gregory." Jean scolded him, watching as one of the nurses checked to see if he was alright. "See what I mean, men. All they have to do is stand there and support you, and they can't even do that right." She remarked.

* * *

"They've been in there a long time." Papa Olaf tapped his watch, noticing it had nearly been two hours since they were told to leave the room. "Do you think everything's alright?" He looked around at the group.

"Childbirth takes time." Jillian chuckled softly. "I should know, I've had seven of them. I was in labour for thirty three hours for Nicky." She pointed towards her son, remembering the birth like it was yesterday. "In total I've been in labour for around... one hundred and eighty hours of my life." She calculated off the top of her head. "My first born was the shortest time. I think he was around eleven or twelve hours. My twins were only fourteen hours, but my daughter Gwen took her sweet time at fifty four hours. I've always had very long drawn out births, while my own children have never exceeded past ten hours."

"Christ, why on earth would you do it again and again?" He asked surprised.

"Because then I wouldn't have all of my beautiful children around today." She smiled in the direction of her youngest, suddenly feeling her husband's hand slipping into her own as he gave her a smile too.

Everyone turned their attention towards the hall as Jean suddenly came skipping down it, immediately indicating that everything went alright. "It's a boy." She announced first. "His name is Connor. He's doing really well, considering he was born quite early. He's going to be in the incubator for a while to keep him warm, as he's very tiny. Only two pounds and three ounces, and his mother's doing fine. She is of course screaming for the drugs now, but she's calmer then she was. An all natural childbirth." She proudly reported. "Oh and Nicky, Greg fainted and managed to hit his head. He's in exam three being checked over for a concussion." She pointed down the hall.

Nick quickly climbed to his feet and hurried down the hall to find him, wondering how he could have possibly fainted during childbirth, when he wasn't even the one doing it and he wasn't exactly new to the whole sight of blood thing.

"Hi." Greg causally waved towards the door, giving him an embarrassed smile as he held an ice pack to the side of his head.

"Is that your fiancé?" The doctor asked, having heard all about him in the past few minutes, while she was checking her patient for a concussion.

"Yep, that's my Nicky. Don't laugh." He quickly warned him.

"I wasn't gonna laugh." The Texan tried his best not to, as he stepped up beside the bed where Greg was sat, taking a peek under the ice pack for himself. "Ouch, are you okay, baby?"

"Greg's gonna be fine." The doctor assured the concerned fiancé. "And congratulations on becoming god fathers. I'll have to stop by the baby ward and see the little one after everything Greg has told me about him. A little smurf apparently." She chuckled. "Take care of him."

Nick nodded to her then waited for her to leave, before he examined his partner's head wound for himself, touching a delicate kiss to the bruised area, not noticing his father in the hallway checking up on them.

"This way Billy." Jean ushered him down the hall, leading Nick's parents off towards the baby ward to show them baby, Connor. He was lying in the middle of the incubator on his back, with various wires and tubes to attached him.

Jean knew that there was a feeding tube, an IV and a temperature monitor, but she didn't know what the others were for, just that they were helping him to become stronger like all the other babies in the next room.

"Gosh, isn't he tiny." Jillian gasped, looking at his tiny little arms and legs the size of sticks with wrinkled skin around them. As none of her children or grandchildren had been born prematurely, she had never seen such a tiny baby.

He kicked his small little legs about in the air, continuing to cry and squirm, searching for the warmth of his mother's body that was taken away from him too soon.

"He's got a lot of hair." Daniel noticed, stepping up beside his wife. "Greg didn't have that much hair." He noticed, as Connor's tiny head was covered in nice thick strands of black hair.

"Jade does have very thick hair though, doesn't she?" Jean smiled, holding her husband's hand as they saw Connor's squinty eyes opening slightly, revealing their pale blue colour. "He looks like he's doing aerobics, doesn't he?" She giggled as he outstretched his arms and legs above him in jerky movements, almost as though he was dancing.

"Big eyes too." Papa Olaf finally spoke up. "You know what they say about big eyes . . . big dreams." He smiled round at them. "His ears are sticking out too. You sure he's not Greg's, Jeany."

"Yes, I'm sure." Jean rolled her eyes at him. "You know Jade's sex habits, could be any number of guys. How could you even think that?"

Papa Olaf responded with a shrug, turning his attention towards Nick and Greg as they stepped up beside him to take a look at the baby. "You alright now, Greggy?"

"Yes." Greg answered, frowning at his mother as she was laughing at him again. "How's Jade doing?" He immediately queried after pointing Connor out to Nick.

"Fine. She wanted to go to sleep, but the doctor insisted they stitch her up, and get her fluids and everything back up before she did that. They want to keep her in over night because she lost so much blood, so we can all go home and come back in the morning to see her and Connor. I'm just gonna go see how she's doing now." Jean stepped around her husband, making her way off down the hall towards Jade's room.

"Lucky she did come to LA tonight. She wouldn't have had anyone to talk her to the hospital back home." Greg whispered, suddenly feeling very guilty for leaving her, even though she had managed to drive all the way out here just in time. Nick nodded to him in agreement then held his fiancé's cold hand from the ice pack, as they watched the baby together. "How much does he weigh?" Greg queried, having not heard the first time as he had fainted.

"Two pounds, three ounces." Daniel reported, after taking a picture of him with his phone. "Says on his birth certificate that he's fourteen inches long." He pointed it out.

"As of now he's fourteen minutes old." The Judge suddenly reported, tapping his watch. "So, who is the father?" He queried, after hearing about the young woman's sexual activities from Jean.

"I recon it's, Greg." Papa Olaf tickled his grandson. "Look at those ears."

"That would be a hard fact to prove, since I slept with her when I was twenty two, over ten years ago." Greg pointed out to him, watching his fiancé's eyes lighting up as he continued to watch the baby making the slightest movements in his incubator. "Jade doesn't know who the father is."

Jillian and Bill looked at one another shocked, wondering how a single girl like Jade was even going to raise a baby on her own, especially with her lifestyle and circumstances.

They stayed to watch Connor for a few more minutes then stopped by to see Jade, before they returned home to the Sanders' household. Luckily, Nana Olaf was right where Papa Olaf left her, so he could tell her all about the baby Jade just had, even though she'd probably forget it all in a few minutes time. Jillian and Bill said goodnight to everyone, turning in for bed, while Daniel helped Jean to clear away the blood trail from the bathroom to the backdoor that Jade had left behind in her attempt to get some help.

After searching the whole house for Nick, Greg stopped by the upstairs guest room where their relationship had practically began, finding Nick lying on the bed where they were first together, staring up at the stars that Nana Olaf had been raving about all evening. "Hey, whatcha doing up here?"

"Nothin'... c'mere," Nick patted the bed beside him, waiting for Greg to crawl into his arms. "I was just thinkin' about Warrick." He whispered, wrapping his arms around Greg's body beside him. They stared up at the stars above them for the next few minutes, gently caressing one another's arms with their fingertips, before Greg decided to speak, filling the awkward silence.

"My Mom is getting really excited about the surrogacy thing now. Apparently one of the P-FLAG mothers has a daughter who would like to do it for us. She's had a baby before, for a gay couple like us and the kid is seven years old now and perfectly healthy."

"Doesn't she want kids of her own, a husband and things?"

Greg shook his head, resting against Nick's side as he turned to face him. "She's a lesbian. She's dating a woman with two kids from her previous marriage to a man, and they don't want any more kids. She doesn't do it for the money; apparently she just loves the whole process of being pregnant."

"Oh. I thought we said we were gonna wait though?"

"We can." Greg assured him. "But don't tell me you're not thinking about having babies of your own after seeing, Jade's. I saw the look in your eye, mister. Your daddy clock was ticking."

"Was not." Nick protested, tickling his fiancé's sides. "I don't have a daddy clock."

"Sure you do. And I'm ready for kids whenever you are. We can get some practice in with our new godson, but you know Jean has probably already made the decision for us. If we tell her we're willing to consider surrogacy to have kids, she'll start shopping right away. Plus the whole process might take a little more than the standard nine months. We have to decide whose stuff we're gonna use..."

"By _stuff_, I assume you mean sperm?" Nick smirked, shaking his head at his lover. "If we can't decide, we'll do a cocktail, so it won't matter, but I think I want one of your kids runnin' around the house more than I want a Stokes."

"You do?" Licking his lips before he leant in for a kiss, Greg whispered, "I guess we could have more than one, so we get one of each. A little, Nicky and a little, Greg. I've always wanted a little girl. I'd love a little girl with your eyes and your big ole heart." Nick smiled at him, glad Greg was finally getting excited about progressing forward with their future together. "Of course we'd have to lock her in her room when she became a teenager though. One look at those eyes, and the guys would be all over her."

Nick chuckled softly, leaning forwards to capture his partner's lips with his own for another kiss. "We don't even have a kid yet, and already you're worryin' about what will happen to em. You're adorable, G."

Greg smiled at him, whispering, "And I know the power of those eyes. One look and your hearts melting, making you wish you could feel these perfectly formed abs against your naked stomach. And those big strong arms holding your thighs as he plunges his length deep into the core of your body."

Nick laughed, shaking his head at him again. "Maybe you should write romance novels instead of tales of Old Las Vegas, G. You're a natural at it."

"Maybe I will. Wonna give me some inspiration?" The younger man playfully tugged at his partner's belt, giving him a wide seductive smile. He giggled softly as Nick rolled their bodies across the bed, pinning Greg to the mattress with his body. "I love it when you do that."

"I know you do." Nick slid his hands across Greg's arms, pinning them down at the wrists, as he leant down to capture his lips for a tantalizing kiss beneath the stars he was just taking his time to admire. Pulling back for a moment's breather, Nick panted his hot breath across his lover's lips, whispering, "You know, if there's one thing Warrick's taught me . . . it's that you must cherish every moment of life, because you never know when time will run out. Just like his did."

"You never truly lose people though, Nicky. You keep them alive... in here," He tugged his hand out of Nick's grip, placing his hand over Nick's pounding heart. Looking him in the eye, Greg whispered, "My Nana Olaf used to say that people never die, because their loved ones always keep them alive. They become a part of us and live through us. His body's been laid to rest, but his soul lives on."

Nick gave his lover a curious look then broke into a wide smile, "He'd say you're high off your ass right now, Greg. You know he didn't believe in any of that. He never thought that we live on or watch over our loved ones from the grave."

"Well if he _is_ still watching over us, he's sure not gonna like what I'm gonna do next." The younger man giggled, slipping his hands down the back of Nick's jeans, cupping the globes of his arse in his hands. "Ooh look... a shooting star." He watched it flying by. "Make a wish."

Nick shook his head, grazing his lips across Greg's, as he whispered, "No need. It already came true."

* * *

**I finally managed a new chapter for this story, that I know you've been waiting for, for a long time. I don't know if this story will exceed past 80 chapters, but who knows. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm sorry for the long wait, I've been trying to write a chapter for this story for a while, but everytime I sit down to do it, I get too distracted trying to really think up the plot that I didn't write anything for hours on end :D I hope the wait was worth it though. Somehow I thought of the idea playing 'Black Ops' with my brother. I don't know how or why, but the idea suddenly hit me as he started rambling about his prestige level again. Lol. I just had to rush to my computer and get this idea down then before I knew it I had another chapter :D**

**And no beta this time, I couldn't get my email to work, which is why I have yet to post the new chapter for 'Just the Three of Us', if you're reading that one. I decided to self beta this one at 3am, so I'm very sorry if there are any mistakes and I will try and get that new chapter for 'Just the Three of Us' to you as soon as I can.**

**Thanks so much for reading, if I didn't totally bore you and you rather enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review! Thanks a lot for all of your previous reviews and favouriting too. My friends keep telling me to stop writing fanfiction and just work on writing my actual books to publish, but I find fanfiction so much more fun to write, especially because you all enjoy the chapters I do give you so much. So I'd be really glad to hear your views on this story so far, since I am writing for you and not me! :D**

**Thanks so much!**

**~ Holly**


	71. Chapter 71: All Gone

**Big Thanks to my beta for helping me out with this chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it :D**

* * *

**Chapter Seventy One: All Gone**

The days of preparation for the upcoming wedding dribbled into weeks, soon turning into months. They couldn't believe how quickly it was arriving. They had so little time left to prepare, but still Nick and Greg weren't in the marrying mood. They weren't sure what it was exactly, it just didn't seem like the right time to get married, especially after losing Warrick. And now Grissom had finally found a replacement to fill in on the workload around the lab, which only made Greg's fiancé's mood even worse.

"I didn't say that... I just said, if you gave her a chance, you might find that she's actually a really nice girl. She's not a replacement, she's a new addition." Greg corrected himself, after having another argument with Nick over the new girl at the lab. "I'm not saying she's better or anything, Nicky. And I didn't mean to say that's she's a good replaccc..." He managed to stop himself from saying it again, only seeing the Texan's glare becoming angrier. "Technically, you haven't worked with her yet, so you wouldn't know. She's a good CSI, smart and funny too. She's completely unique..."

"That's not what you said, and you know it. I get it, she's the replacement. We should all just forget about Warrick and move on with our lives, so here I go." Nick grabbed his coffee cup from the counter and marched off through the house to get some privacy.

"Nicky!" Greg shouted after the stubborn man, feeling guilty after his fiancé had just quoted another line he had said to him in the recent months after Warrick's death.

"Just go away, Greg. You're gonna be late for yah shift if you hang around any longer." Nick calmly spoke to him, as he flipped through the channels on the TV. "Look, I heard what you said, and I don't much care what you think of this new girl or what anyone else thinks of her. Why don't you just go marry her, if you like her that much..."

"I'm marrying you, Dummy. I don't want her. I don't even like her that much. Just like I don't want Jade or anybody else. I want you. I just think you should give her a chance." He explained, trying not to shout. "The whole team is going out to breakfast after work tonight..."

"I'm not goin'. Since I'm not a part of '_the team'_ anymore, I don't think they'll notice or care." He pointed out to him, continuing to avoid eye contact with the younger man, as he mindlessly pushed buttons on the remote.

Greg muttered something under his breath, grabbed his jacket then charged out of the house, leaving the stubborn man alone again. These arguments continued for another couple of weeks, before Catherine decided to intervene, getting Nick to finally meet the new girl, Riley Adams, that wasn't the big threat in his life, like he thought.

"So, you're marrying Greg, huh?" She curiously asked, as Catherine had left them alone for a moment to speak with Grissom.

"Yeah." Nick stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking her up and down, before asking, "Where'd you work before here?"

"St Louis police force, before I became a CSI." She explained, reaching into her pocket for her beeping phone. "Oh, I gotta go. Autopsy just got my results. I'll... speak to you later, Nick." She gave him a warm smile, even though he was still looking at her with suspicion, then walked away towards the elevators.

Nick still didn't like her. He didn't care if she was a good CSI or that she used to be in the police force like him, it just didn't seem right that she supposedly fit so perfectly with the team. He returned to work himself, not bothering to go and find Greg to apologise like Catherine suggested, as Greg was acting as though Warrick never mattered to the team by accepting her so quickly.

"Hey, have you worked with that new CSI, Riley... somethin'?" Nick asked Detective Vega, as they were driving back to the police station with their suspect on board.

"Riley Adams, sure." He nodded. "What about her?"

"Well, what's she like?" He queried, tapping his fingers on his knee. "Is she really that good of a CSI and how does she get along with the rest of the team?"

"Well, I haven't seen that much of her, but she seems... very professional. She's a bit flirty with the guys, but she's good at her job." Vega turned his car into the parking lot, climbing out first to drag their intoxicated suspect out of the car, which they would have to wait to sober up, before the interrogation could commence.

"Nick, I know you're leaving for this whole gay wedding thing soon, but you might want to take some pride in your work," Ecklie caught up to him in the halls, giving him a disconcerting look, "You wanted this job after all. We pulled a lot of strings to get you this position..."

"In case you don't remember, my best friend just died." Nick interjected him, folding his arms across his chest again. "And I earned my position. I did everythin' I was required to do. I'm doing the best I can, given the circumstances..."

"That was three months ago, nearly four. If you can't move on, on your own, we can offer..."

"I don't need anythin' from you." Nick snapped, stepping around him to get back to work.

He hated Ecklie more than his words could express, but he didn't trust himself to tell him how much he hated the way he worked or the way he treated people, as he would probably only end up punching him, until he couldn't speak or look at anyone with those judgemental eyes anymore.

"Hey, why are cryin'?" Nick caught Greg in the CSI locker room, with tears in his eyes.

"Oh... it's nothing," Greg wiped his tears away on his sleeves, reaching for his CSI vest from his locker. "What are you doing up here anyway, shouldn't you be working?"

"I came to check on you." The concerned fiancé stepped around the bench, placing his hands on his lover's shoulders. "Now what's wrong? I'm not leavin' here until you tell me. Is it Connor, how'd his operation go?"

Greg lightly shook his head, "Connor's fine. He's breathing on his own again and there's no more bleeding on his brain," Connor had now been in the Neonatal intensive care unit for a little over eleven weeks. Even though he had to have continuous surgeries to fix the parts of his body that weren't yet fully developed, he was holding onto what little life he had in him, growing a little stronger every day. "But that's not why I'm crying." Greg assured him.

"Then why?" Nick queried, rubbing his hands in soothing circles across the younger man's shoulders.

"Grissom's leaving." He finally blurted it, then took a step forwards to hide in the comforting embrace of his lover. "After... you know, he can't do it anymore. There's not gonna be anybody left. You left. Sara's gone. Warrick's gone forever . . . and now Grissom," He choked up, burying his face into Nick's neck. "I've lost everyone."

"Hey, you haven't lost me," Tightening his embrace, Nick whispered, "I'm not goin' anywhere, I'm marryin' you, remember?"

"You won't be with me forever though. No one ever is." Greg sniffled. "Forever never lasts."

"Hey, you can't think like that, baby." Resting his chin on Greg's soft head of hair, Nick soothingly ran his palms up and down his back, trying his best to calm him down. It came as a complete shock to him too that Grissom was leaving. He never thought the man would ever be able to leave CSI, it meant more to him then his own life, but he understood his reasons.

Nick wanted to say something else to Greg to calm him down or cheer up his mood, but he couldn't think of a thing that would suddenly make everything better, like he hoped. He really had lost a lot of important people in his life, and a few simple words wasn't going to suddenly make everything better like he hoped. Instead he found himself counting Greg's breaths. He wasn't breathing quite so fast now, so he must have been doing something right to comfort him.

"I guess he's going to find Sara." Greg suddenly spoke up. "If I were him... that's what I'd do."

"Yeah, me too." Nick nodded, resting their heads together. "He's not gone forever though, Greg. Just like Sara. You'll still get to see them."

"I don't want him to go," Wiping his hands across his cheeks; Greg lifted his head, remembering, "Hey did I tell you? I got promoted. Isn't it ironic that I get promoted the day Grissom decides to leave?" He smirked through his tears.

"How's that ironic?" Nick queried, removing the tears Greg didn't get. "He obviously thinks you're doin' a good job, and your efforts are worth the promotion to a CSI level three."

"It's because of you that I got it though. You finally got me to take that damn firearms test," Greg graced him with a small smile. "I owe it all to you, Nicky."

"I think you woulda gotten it without me."

"But you're the reason I wanted to become a CSI in the first place. I thought you were gonna stick with it and become a leader like Grissom, but now all of my mentors have left."

"All?" Nick queried, confused.

"Yeah. You . . . Warrick . . . and now . . . Grissom. I've got nobody left to look up too. What if I revert back into the old dorky lab tech?" He asked, making Nick smile at him.

"I don't know, he wasn't so bad to be around."

"You _would_ say that," Sniffling back the last of his tears, Greg wiped his eyes on his sleeves then looked up into Nick's eyes again, giving out a soft sigh, "Well I suppose I just have to move on then. Catherine's replacing him as the supervisor. We're getting a new level one hire... the teams never gonna be the same again."

"Don't make yourself cry again," Nick spoke softly, pulling him back into his arms. "Catherine's not too bad as a replacement, you know, G. I had her as my supervisor for a while..."

"Yeah, and look where it got you, six feet under in a Plexiglas box."

"That wasn't her fault." Nick shook his head. "None of that was anyone's fault on the team. Catherine was a good leader. The team won't change that much."

"Yes it will, everybody from it has gone. There's only me and Catherine from the original team." Giving out another sigh, Greg realised, "Hey, you just said that Catherine isn't too bad of a _replacement_ for Grissom."

"So?" Nick looked at him confused.

"So, why won't you give Riley a chance?"

"Oh my god, Greg. Broken record much? Would you just get off the subject? I don't work with her, so I don't hafta give her a chance, my respect or anythin'."

"Fine." Greg muttered, getting back to the original topic. "But two people aren't considered a team anymore, and I'm not sure if Catherine even likes me."

"How couldn't she? Everybody likes you." Nick assured him, touching a kiss to his head. "But nobody loves you like I do, Greg. I'm sorry I've been a pain in the arse for the last few months. I do still wonna marry you. I've never been more sure of anythin' in my life."

"I know. You lost a part of your heart and you feel lost without it." Greg understood, circling his fingertip directly over Nick's heart, feeling as though he understood his stubbornness towards Riley too. "I know, Nicky... because without you, I feel like I'm lost too. I hate fighting with you. I hate it when you're mad at me, and if I'm not with you, I just know that I'm gonna revert back to my old insecure ways, solving my loneliness with the alcohol."

"Neither of us wants that to happen." Glancing down into the younger man's eyes, Nick whispered, "Let's just leave... like we said. We can find a house somewhere, maybe near the ocean like you said. We'll both be better off."

"What about our jobs?" Greg tilted his head back, lifting his gaze to Nick's. "You wonna just leave everything behind?"

"Sure, why not? Is your happiness less important to you? To me, your happiness is worth so much more. I wonna get you out of here and bring the light back to your eyes."

"It's night time." Greg jokingly pointed out to him. "That's why there's no light in them."

"No, it's more than that. I want the quirky, fun Greg back. I love all versions of you, but the slightly unusual young man, with crazy, sticky up hair and a beautiful smile plastered across his lips all day, is my favourite. He's the man I first laid eyes on and first fell in love with."

"What if he's gone?" Greg queried, circling his arms to fit around Nick's waist. "What if he's seen too much of the world you have, and can't get back to who he was? Would you still wonna marry him?"

"Yes. And I believe with a little change in the environment, anyone can find that happy place that they lost." Nick leant closer to bring their lips together, giving him a passionate kiss that was forbidden inside of these walls. "I'll go anywhere you wonna go, Greg. I don't wonna lose this connection I have with you."

"Okay," Licking his Texan tasting lips, Greg suggested, "I guess we should start looking for houses or _a_ house, like a more permanent one somewhere. Like maybe we could even... you know, raise kids in it."

"I like the sound of that." Nick nodded to him.

"Catherine's gonna kill me for wanting to leave right after Grissom though," Greg pointed out to him, suddenly feeling very guilty. "She'll be all alone."

"She'll understand. We've been through a lot." Nick brushed aside Greg's tear soaked hair from his forehead, giving him a wide smile. "We're finally movin' forward into the future, rather than constantly lookin' into the past . . . I'm sure she'll be happy for us."

And she was, if not a little heartbroken too. Catherine couldn't blame them for wanting to leave, but she couldn't help but feel a little abandoned by her team, as everyone had left now. She still had Riley, but she barely knew the girl, and she saw her as more of a competition to the hot detectives and cute deputies, rather than a woman who she would eventually become friends with, like Sara.

* * *

After fourteen weeks in the NIC unit of Long Beach Memorial hospital, it was finally time for newborn, Connor Valentine to go home, weighing in at four pounds and eight ounces. A much healthier baby weight. Jade decided to move in with Greg's parents for a while, taking Jean up on her offer to help her out with the baby, as she had no experience whatsoever, and Jean was eager to fit into her grandmotherly role, even with a child who wasn't her real grandchild. It just didn't matter to her anymore.

Nick and Greg went to visit him once he was out, staying a little while longer to look at the houses available in the Long Beach area, falling in love with a four bedroom house, just ten minutes from Jean and Daniel's house. It was complete with two fully equipped bathrooms. One of which was connected to a large bedroom facing the garden, with its own private balcony. Downstairs was complete with a large living room, suitable for a big family, with a working fireplace. A dining room overlooked the garden with a fully outfitted kitchen and a joint utility room, much larger than their one back in Vegas.

The living room let in plenty of sunlight, filling the room with a positive energy, rather than the negative one that they had felt for the last few houses, and Nick could see a little of that light returning to Greg's eyes, knowing that this house was the one for them if he wanted to make Greg happy.

Nick was glad that they picked this realtor, as she had disclosed all the details to them on each and every house they had visited. The last one had a rather nice master bathroom with a walk in closet in every room, but they didn't much fancy living in a house where some poor woman keeled over and died in her front room, being found three weeks later by a neighbour, half eaten by her cats. They soon noticed that all too familiar smell of feline urine, instantly changing their minds, which brought them to this beautiful house that they both loved.

"What's wrong with this one?" Greg immediately asked their realtor, hoping there wasn't anything, as he had fallen in love with another little room downstairs that would have made the perfect study for him, complete with its own little bathroom.

Nick was worried that he would never see Greg though, as it was directly opposite the kitchen, so he had everything he needed nearby, but he assured him that he would always have time for him.

"There's nothing wrong with it." Their realtor, Eleanor assured them both, as she led them through to the garden, complete with a heated pool, raised flower beds of brightly coloured flowers on the patio and a sturdy back gate, leading round to the garage at the front of the house.

Greg loved the French doors from the dining room, leading straight out onto patio that came with a sturdy, mahogany table with chairs and a rather elegant looking gazebo canopy over the top, giving the garden a more homely feeling. The best part of all was that the neighbour's houses were blocked by large trees and hedges, giving them plenty of privacy.

"Moon lit dinners and cocktails under there." Greg pointed out to his fiancé, making him grin back at him. "Plenty of room for Rascal too." He indicated towards the grassy garden beyond the pool that was reflecting the sun into his eyes, making him glow with happiness for the first time in a long time. He felt at home already, wanting to move in right away. But the realtor informed them that the sellers had six weeks to decide who to sell it to, and the house had a lot of offers, instantly making Greg worry they wouldn't get it, as Nick was very cheap.

Now with one week left to go for their wedding, Greg was beginning to get even more nervous about the actual event, rather than the house he had his heart set on. He had spent the last few days finalizing all the food and beverages for his wedding with his mother, while trying to decide what he wanted to do with his future. He had already contacted the guests who hadn't yet replied and took another visit to the reception area with his mother and father, finalizing more of the details for the big event, feeling more and more overwhelmed as the days just breezed by him.

While he was over in LA again, Greg decided to visit his godson, Connor, finding him to be so much more lively and active then he was just a few days ago in the hospital. He now giggled, smiled, held peoples fingers and looked around at his surroundings, wondering what was going on in this mysterious new world he was brought into.

Jade seemed to be getting into her role as mother nicely, but she was glad that she had Jean in her life to help her out when he wasn't just acting cute and cuddly in her arms.

Greg returned back home to Vegas, starting on the reception seating plan, now that he had a final list of guests, but he was really starting to miss Nick, having not seen him for two days since he had been away conferencing with the new CSI, Ray Langston, helping him to get the training he needed to join Catherine's poorly depleted team.

Greg spent the next few hours texting Nick, who reminded him to pick up the wedding rings, warning him not to look at them, as he didn't want Greg to see what he had inscribed his with yet, as he really wanted it to be a surprise for the big day.

Greg was looking forward to crawling into bed once this day was over, but his mother decided to call, going after the last minute arrangements with him, before they saw each other for the rehearsal dinner in less than a week's time.

But the days just seemed to fly by, yet again.

Friday morning came rolling by, the day Greg had to pick Nick up from the airport, which just happened to be the day before their wedding. The first thing they had to do was drive all the way over to his mother's house with their overnight things and Rascal in the back.

Nick insisted that they stop every few minutes to let Rascal do his business and give him some water, making the drive that much longer.

"C'mon Nicky, we were supposed to be there at noon to help out setting up." Greg moaned, resting his head on the steering wheel, while Nick was still attending to Rascal as if he was a baby.

"Stop rushin' me, Greg." He smiled at him, putting Rascal back in the car. "Ever since you picked me up, you haven't _stopped_ naggin' me."

"Well it was your stupid idea to book your stupid conference just a few days before the stupid wedding, leaving all the stupid planning and stupid packing up to me. You won't even tell me where we're going on this stupid secret honeymoon you've planned, so how am I supposed to know what stupid clothes to frigging pack?"

Nick snickered softly, rolling his eyes at Greg. "You wonna get one more '_stupid_' in there, G?"

"Oh... shut up," The younger man groaned at him. "It's all your stupid fault that I'm in a bad mood, so don't frigging wind me up. Stupid asshole."

Ignoring his lover's nervous ranting, Nick climbed back in the car to continue with their journey. "Aren't you even gonna ask about my conference?" Nick queried, glancing towards Greg as he started driving again.

"No, because I'm still mad at you for going."

This only caused Nick to chuckle, adoring him even more in his obsessive state. "I'm sorry, it was last minute. I wanted to help Catherine out."

"I don't care."

"Well it went fine, thank you." He remarked. "Langston seems like a great addition to the team, he's very determined to learn everythin' he can..."

"Ha, funny how you welcome the men into the '_team'_ with no problems, but the women you won't even look at. How did you not figure out you were gay sooner, Tex?" Greg remarked, chuckling softly to himself.

"Who friggin' cares who I'm nice to or not."

"I do. You've been yelling at me for weeks for calling Riley '_the replacement'_. Now there's a new member on the team, that just happens to be a guy, and you welcome him with open arms. You're such a stupid frigging hypocrite." He snarled at him.

"Are you gonna yell at me the whole drive? Because I'll get out now if you are."

"Fine, don't let me stop you. I won't slow down though."

"God, you are sooo bitchy, Sanders." Nick chuckled. "I should go away more often; the welcome back routine you got goin' here is hilarious." Greg answered by scowling in his direction, before he turned his attention back to the road, so they wouldn't crash. "As I was sayin' before miss hormonal imbalance snapped at me, Langston seems like a great addition to the team, and he's very determined to learn everythin' he can, to become a CSI. And it was good for me too. I met with this woman Yvonne; she's been counsellin' birth parents, prospective adoptive parents and kids who are goin' to be adopted for years. She does the home studies and follow up visits..."

"So...?" Greg interjected, raising his eyebrows to him. "I told you I don't care."

Nick decided to ignore his last comment, explaining his reasons to him, "So, she works for public and private agencies, as well as lawyers and courts. She's self employed and she has four adopted kids of her own back home. She only has an undergraduate degree on social work, and she managed to get into it."

"Is this really what you wonna do then?" Greg finally took an interest.

"Yeah, I really do. Yvonne used to be a loan assistant, so you really can do anythin' before it." Nick smiled over at him, waiting to hear Greg's reaction, but he just focused on the road ahead of him. "Are you still mad at me? Or are you still havin' a bitch attack?" He teased. "Catherine only just told me about it on Monday, then I told you as soon as I knew I wanted to go to help her out. I woulda given you more notice if I had some."

"No, I'm not mad about that." Greg shook his head. "I'm not mad at you about anything. I'm just seriously stressed out about this."

"Yeah, I can tell." The Texan scoffed, chuckling softly to himself. "You're not changin' your mind, are..."

"Nope, no way." Greg cut him off, looking him in the eye for the first time. "I'm not changing my mind. I'm just nervous as hell. I feel as though I'm about to go on stage or something in front of everybody I've ever met, but I don't know my lines, and I'm seriously gonna screw it up."

"You're not gonna screw it up." Nick assured him, reaching out for his hand to lace their fingers together in a comforting embrace. "You couldn't possibly do anythin' to screw it up. It's gonna be the best day of your life, that you'll always remember, includin' the part of callin' your fiancé a stupid hypocrite in the car." He snickered softly. "Why do yah think Connor was so eager to come out early? He didn't wonna miss his godfather's weddin'." He gave his lover a wide smile as he turned to look at him then released his hand, as he needed it to turn the steering wheel.

Things at the house were even more hectic. Nick's family had arrived the day before, the ones who were attending the wedding that was, and Nick's sisters Gwen and Kayla were already at the Sanders house with their mother and father, sorting out more of the arrangements together, while Jean was doing her usual routine of bossing everyone about, making sure everything was done on time.

"Oh Gregory, don't let that thing in here." Jean hissed, watching the dog walking across her cream carpets.

"He's perfectly clean." Greg protested. "And technically, that _thing,_ is your grandson, mother."

"Ugliest looking grandson I ever saw." Papa Olaf remarked, chuckling softly as his grandson looked over at him.

Greg just rolled his eyes at him, leading Rascal through to the garden, towards a nicer familiar face. "Hi, Dad."

"Hello." Daniel flipped another burger on the barbeque then turned to greet his son for a hug, sparing a bit of meat for Rascal, as he was happy to see him too. "Jade and Connor here have been making up your itineraries for the day, by Jean's instruction of course. She thinks you're going to spend too long on yah hair or something, and miss out something important." He smirked, pointing towards Jade sat under the gazebo with Connor reclined back across her chest, watching her in amazement as she sorted through the papers on the table in front of her.

"Hi." Jade greeted him.

"Hey. Hello, Connor." He greeted his wide eyed godson with a warm smile. "Can I...?" Greg started to ask, but she promptly cut him off, figuring out what he was trying to ask.

"Yes, please." Jade instantly handed Connor over to him, relieved to have someone else to hold him for a while. "He's changed and everything, don't worry." She assured him, seeing the look on his eyes as he carefully readjusted the tiny baby against his chest. "You did remember to pick Nick up from the airport before you drove out here, right?"

"Yes, he's inside." Greg indicated towards the crowd of women fawning over him, but it didn't make him jealous this time, as they were all related to him.

"Oh yeah, you shoulda been here earlier. There was like a whole army of them wanting to see the baby." Jade smirked. "How many siblings does Nick have anyway?"

"Six... four of which are attending the wedding." Taking a seat beside Jade, Greg carefully readjusted Connor again, fearing he might break him if he was too rough. "So Dad, how come you're making that?" He indicated towards the barbeque then tapped his watch. "I thought we were going out for dinner."

"We were, but try making reservations for twenty or so guests some time, and you'll see how hard it is. Your mother and Nick's mother opted to go for a more modern day dinner with family in casual attire to have a meal together. So I suggested a barbeque. You don't mind do you?"

"No, it's actually more relaxing." Greg smiled at him. "Just as long as Papa O stays away from the beer and Mom... you're not so bad though, and you can't drink because you have a baby." He smiled round at Jade.

"True, but I have to agree; burgers, chicken wings and potato salad taste so much better than half this restaurant crap that I can't even pronounce." Jade added, giving them both a wide smile as they looked round at her. "What? It does."

"I agree." Greg nodded, watching as Connor circled his tiny little fingers around his thumb. Every time he saw him he was growing more curious of the world around him, wanting to explore everything. If it hadn't been for the turquoise pacifier in his mouth, he probably would have been exploring everything with his mouth as well as his hands, like most babies did. "Is this new?" Greg indicated towards the clothing Connor was dressed in.

"Yeah, I bought it a few days ago." Jade nodded. Connor was dressed in a short sleeved polo top bodysuit today with blue socks and a cute little denim cap to top it off, covering his dark brown head of hair. "I thought it was perfect for a summery family barbeque, and your mother seemed to approve."

Greg nodded, gently bouncing Connor on his lap, making excitable giggles and baby babble, elicit from the small boy's lips.

As soon as Nick stepped into the garden after catching up with his sisters, he smiled at the sight of his lover holding baby Connor, on his lap, counting his little match stick fingers on his chubby little hands. He couldn't wait to see Greg holding their own child some day, making him all giddy and weak in the knees again.

Nick pulled up a chair beside Greg, watching in awe of both them, while they waited for the rest of their guests to arrive. Catherine, Sara and Grissom arrived a few minutes later, expressing their apologises of being late, but Jean just ushered them straight through to the garden where the table had now been set up and more of the food had been prepared.

"Ooh, is this baby, Connor?" Catherine immediately took a seat beside Greg to take a look at him. Having heard the whole story of how he was born and the pictures of what he looked like in the incubator, Catherine was eager to meet the beautiful little boy in person, noticing just how much bigger he was already from the pictures Greg had shown her.

"Alright, there's burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings... tofu burgers for Sara," Jean smiled in her direction. "And there's corn, potato salad, fruit salad, baked potatoes... there's the ribs and barbeque sauce..."

"I've got the pasta, burger and hot dog buns and the bread." Jillian hurried out into the garden, adding them to the big family feast, before she took a seat beside her husband. She was starting to wish that she had done this for more of her other children's weddings, as it seemed so much easier and more fun to do.

"Alright everyone, let's eat." Jean announced, helping Greg to sit Connor down in his baby bouncer with bunnies hanging from the handle for him to play with, while they ate.

"One more thing." Catherine abruptly announced, opening up her bag beside her. "Since neither of you wanted a bachelor party, I just had to get you a present," She mischievously grinned, presenting them with pink cowboy hats with white fur around the rims, as she figured a bridal veil or a tiara wouldn't be right for the occasion. "Because you're not getting out of it that easy." She smirked.

"Did you have to get pink?" Nick immediately moaned at her, watching the look of disapproval all over his father's face from the other end of the table. "I don't do pink, sweetheart."

"Why not? I think you'd look cute in it." Greg giggled, squirming away from Nick as the older man tried to put one of the girlie cowboy hats on his head. "No... Nicky, you'll mess up my hair." Greg complained, giving him a pout as Nick finally got it on his head.

Watching the teasing between his son and his son's boyfriend suddenly made Judge Bill Stokes remember what he was like when he was young and in love with Jillian. His love for her had never faded, just grown to a more mature relationship, rather than the teenage lust that his son was going through right now.

The newly formed family handed round the food to one another, dishing out their own portions of each delicious, mouth watering piece, unable to control themselves from taking a first bite of each item, before they handed the bowl onto the next person.

Being the traditional man that he was, Judge Bill Stokes had to climb to his feet, signalling for everyone's attention before the meal, by tapping his knife to the side of his wine glass. He knew the Sanders' weren't exactly religious, so instead of saying grace, he decided to go with the speech he was going to reserve for the end of the meal, but from the way that Jean Sanders kept filling up his wine glass, he figured it would be easier to do it now.

Nick felt the butterflies starting up at the surface of his stomach again, listening intently to the first and probably the last time his father had actually made him the subject of his current happiness for this day that he said, "I am really lookin' forward to. I couldn't be prouder of my son, Nicholas, then I am right now."

Never in all of his hopes and dreams of this day, did Nick ever think or imagine that he would ever hear those words coming from his father's lips, maybe from Greg's father's lips, but never his.

He gripped his fiancé's hand beneath the table, using him to ground himself from the excitement coursing through his veins. Even though this had been a very stressful and difficult time for both him and Greg, he suddenly felt that rush of excitement he had been waiting for that over powered all of his feelings of guilt and grief, leaving him with a warm glow.

The Judge continued with his speech of how he always wanted the best for his children, and how Greg really was the best for Nick, even if he was a man. Jean wanted to get up and say something about gender not mattering in the eyes of love, but her husband kept her grounded, letting the man continue.

He eventually thanked the Sanders family members for welcoming the Stokes' into their home, thanking everyone else for coming, along with their loving support of both his son and Greg.

He ended it with a toast as simple as, "To Nick and Greg, I'm honoured to be here today in this warm lovin' home, and that you would include us all in the beginning of your new lives together. I wish you both health and happiness, and may God bless your marriage." He raised his recently topped off glass to the table, giving his son a wide smile, to prove he wasn't trying to deceive him to get in his good books or something, which is exactly what he had been thinking before when his father had attempted to bond with him.

"To Nick and Greg." The guests parroted, clinking their glasses together, before they took a sip.

After a beat, quiet conversation continued amongst the guests, while Nick tried to let go of Greg's hand beneath the table, wondering if Jean had somehow managed to spike his lemonade, making him dream up some illusion that his father was actually blessing his marriage, with God no less, from the very man who said he was going to hell for loving Greg.

Jean started to hand round more drinks halfway through the meal, giving her son and Jade the only two glasses of lemonade this time, while she insisted that the other guests switch to alcohol to get in the celebratory mood.

"Slow down on those beers, Nicky." Greg suddenly whispered to him, as he removed the vertical bottle from his lips. "You don't want a hangover tomorrow, do yah?"

"No." Nick shook his head, feeling the buzz of the alcohol starting to sizzle inside of him. "I'm just happy Greg, am I not allowed to be happy?"

"Of course you are." His sister, Gwen handed him another beer, taking the empty ones from the other guests back to the kitchen with Jean, before she helped her and the other girls out with the dessert.

Jean had prepared a variety of different puddings, just in case someone didn't like the white chocolate cheese cake she had prepared, she included the options of ice cream, chocolate sponge pudding with cool whip topping (which Nick ended up having three pieces of) and she included fruit cocktails with coconut crunch topping and cream and simple fruity yoghurts for the ladies, as they were less fattening.

"I'm stuffed." Nick collapsed onto the bed four hours later, feeling as though his insides were about to rupture like a volcano. "Why'd you let me eat so much, G?"

"Since my mother informed me we're going the traditional way of sleeping in separate bedrooms the night before, I figured I had to do something to feed your hunger." Greg playfully captured his partner's chocolaty surprised lips with his own for a kiss. Kneeling down on the bed beside him, Greg reminded him, "If my memory serves me correctly from past experiences with you and your appetite for sex and food. Food always wins. So after a good full meal of food and plenty of beer, you can't even get it up for sex."

"That's just downright cruel." Nick pouted at him, closing his eyes as Greg's warm lips merged with his own again, giving him an exhilarating kiss that could melt his heart.

"See, no wood." Greg giggled, smoothing his hand down the front of Nick's pants.

"But I haven't been with you in over a week." Nick pointed out to him, thinking his nerves would be much better in the morning if he was well rested and relaxed.

"So you want me to put out the night before our wedding in my parent's house, with our friends and family all under the same roof?" Greg giggled, rolling his eyes at him. "And people call _you_ the polite and well mannered one."

"I am polite and well mannered, but I'm also a Texas boy, hungry for delicious piece of meat like you, baby." He rasped, giving out a drunken chuckle, as the alcohol started to really set in.

Giving his partner a wide smile, Greg moved his body closer, rasping against his parted lips, "I love you when you're drunk."

After a tantalizing kiss that left Nick hungry for more, he asked, "Doncha love me all the time?"

"Yeah, but just a little bit more when you're like this. You're so easy and chilled out." The younger man giggled, moving his thighs to hug his lover's hips. "Let's see if we can work on that little wood problem of yours."

"Mmm, I like the sound of that."

* * *

"Hey Mama, how come we never did this when any of us got married?" Kayla queried, scrubbing down another plate in the sink, before she handed it over to her sister, Gwen to dry.

Jean had insisted that they all sit down and relax after their meal, while she and her family took care of it, but the Stokes ladies were more than used to dealing with the clearing away after a large family meal, quickly and efficiently, and wouldn't let the cook lift a finger to clear away.

"Because you all wanted to do it the traditional way." Jillian pointed out to her, topping off her wine glass to finish the bottle. "Our family has always been about tradition. But... I don't actually know why. We've always done the old, new, borrowed, blue... traditional bachelor and bachelorette parties, includin' the stripper we're not supposed to know about that dances on our future husband's laps."

"My father took Daniel out the night before and got him drunk." Jean giggled at the memory of her hung over fiancé, promising he would never hurt or leave her, or her father would personally hunt him down and castrate him.

"Isn't it funny how men expect us to be sweet little virgins before marriage, while they get to do everythin' in sight?" Kayla giggled, handing another plate to her sister. "My husband, Marcus told me all about his sexual escapades durin' college and Highschool, while Daddy practically forced us to keep our legs crossed until that ring was on our finger."

"Different rules." Catherine chimed in, lowering her wine glass so Jean could top it off. "Luckily my mother grew up in Vegas, and she was no stranger to the charm of a man, or the fact that some women need a sexual connection with someone without the wedding ring in the way."

"So, why did you get married?" Jillian queried, recalling the discussion about Catherine's life with her son. "I heard you married your husband, then it all fell apart after the child."

"Eddie and I were in love, once upon a time. But marriage really wasn't for us. It ruined our relationship in some ways, but I think I just had to mature from the relationship to take care of Lindsey, while he continued with his old ways." Catherine explained.

"The trick is to let them believe you're a virgin, sis." Gwen chortled, handing the dried plate over to Jean. "They're not gonna know unless they are physically lookin' for yah hymen."

"I don't think Damian had a hard time believin' you were one. You slept with him within the first week." Kayla playfully shoved her sister now that her hands were free, watching her mother rolling her eyes at them. "Oh c'mon, Mama. Do yah still wancha new in laws to believe that we're this perfect little family that we show the world? We're far from perfect. Lillian had an abortion when she was sixteen and little miss perfect here," She indicated towards her big sister, Gwen. "She was knocked up, before she was in her first bra."

"I _was_ in my first bra. I just stuffed it." Gwen pushed out her chest, giving her sister a smile, "You're just jealous because you never got this big. I was just a late bloomer and a bigger bloomer than you." Gwen chortled, taking another plate from her sister. "And so what, you were barely in a bra when boys were takin' it off."

Jillian continued to roll her eyes, feeling embarrassed in front of Jean, as her girls continued to argue about their sex drive and sexual escapades in their youth.

"At least I kept my legs together until my late twenties." Kayla responded, spotting her father suddenly appearing at the door. "Hello, Daddy." She played the innocent darling daughter he adored.

"More wine, Billy?" Jean grabbed him another bottle, enjoying the girl talk after spending so much time with men who didn't talk like this, even the gay ones.

The Judge gratefully took the wine bottle then returned to the garden with Papa Olaf, Grissom and Daniel Sanders, giving them a top up of their own glasses.

"Alright, who wants another glass?" Jean popped open another bottle, watching all the girls quickly raising their glasses to her. "Not drinking, Sara?" She queried, looking over at the butch young woman her son used to rave home about, suddenly glad that she _had_ rejected him, so her son could marry Nick.

Sara shook her head, "No, thank you..."

"Oh c'mon, Sara," Catherine gently nudged her, trying to get her in the mood. "It's a celebration. You've got no work tomorrow. You can just sit around and relax with the girls."

"No really, thank you, but I'm fine." Sara assured Greg's mother, before she climbed down off her stool, excusing herself to the ladies room.

"More for us." Jean giggled, topping up Jillian's glass, making the poor woman even more tipsy. "I feel like we should be drinking cosmos on the patio for this." She smirked, pouring Catherine another glass.

"Two cosmos and this one'll be kissin' everythin' in sight." Gwen continued to tease her little sister, getting splashed in the face from some of the bubbles in the water. "Ouch, not in my eye."

"Serves you right. That was _one_ time, and that was my sixteenth birthday party. You said you watered it down." Kayla glared at her big sister, handing her the last plate, before she could dry her hands and drink her wine.

"I _did_ water it down. You were just a light weight back then." Gwen smirked, then paused as she saw the look in her mother's eyes. "Right, I'm sorry, Mama. You didn't actually know about that... but she was fine, that's why she spent the next day in bed. It wasn't because she ate too many s'mores."

"I expected as much." Jillian rolled her eyes. "You do the best you can, but your children are doomed to follow in your footsteps."

"I hope that isn't true." Catherine suddenly thought of her own daughter dancing on tables and sleeping with any rich man who wanted to get in her pants.

"Oh, don't scare the mother of a teenage daughter." Jean warned the group, gently patting the woman on the shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear." Jillian gave her an apologetic smile. "I wish my mother had told me straight up how hard it all is though."

"It's best to just think of it from your own mother's point of view when you were doing the same thing your daughter is now." Jean suggested.

"So true." Jillian agreed. "That's what I always reminded myself of when I had these girls wreaking havoc in my house. I couldn't scold them for doin' somethin' I did at their age. I felt like a hypocrite when I did. I just wanted them to be better than I was."

"Whereas Daddy wanted us to be carbon copies, especially Billy junior and Nicky." Gwen pointed out to her. "Billy decided to go for politics instead of law and Nicky turned out to be gay, so his plan really didn't work."

"Your kids never turn out the way you hope." Jillian raised her glass to Jean, wanting another top off, before her glass was even empty. "I mean here are these people who were literally created and grew inside of your own body, so you feel like you should know everythin' about them and be closer to them than anyone in the world, but I feel like I barely know my own children anymore. It's like you're all strangers to me."

"We're just growin' up, Mama." Her youngest daughter, Kayla smiled at her. "Would you rather we stayed babies forever, wantin' you to do everythin' for us?"

"I miss those days." Jillian nodded, realising she was scaring Catherine again. "Oh I still see them all the time, don't get me wrong. But I miss them all livin' under the same roof as me, shoutin' for my help with somethin' or wantin' to know where their favourite purple shirt is." She directed her gaze towards her daughter Gwen, before she continued, "Or pickin' Nicky up off the floor to nurse his grazed knee. Assurin' Gwen that her body will grow to be just as beautiful as all the other girls one day, and tellin' Lillian that she did the right thing, even if I didn't agree with her decision. I miss those days. Now I'm sendin' off my last baby into married life, hopin' I taught him right."

"Of course you did." Jean assured the poor woman, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Kids are programmed to be the people they're going to become from the moment they're born. We do the best we can to teach them right from wrong and what life is all about, but who really knows everything you can teach your kids to make sure that they're prepared for everything they come across."

"Oh, we're scarin' another young mother." Jillian signalled towards Jade, entering the room, with her sleeping baby in her arms. "He's finally asleep then, how'd you do it?"

"The singing thing, like you said. Thanks." Jade awkwardly smiled to her. "I'm gonna turn in now... oh and Jean, there's someone crying in your bathroom." She pointed off down the hall, before she made her way off towards the stairs with her baby, planning to finally get him down in his crib, so she could get some sleep too.

Jean and Catherine quickly hurried off down the hall together, remembering that Sara had gone in there a few minutes ago. "Sara!" Catherine's concerned voice called through the door, before she gently tapped her knuckles on it, listening to the soft sobs coming from inside.

"Sara!" Jean shouted through the door next. "Are you alright in there, dear?"

When Sara finally opened the door, Catherine and Jean immediately saw the pregnancy test box sat on the sink and the visible tear streaks through Sara's makeup. "Are you pregnant?" Catherine immediately asked her, surprised.

"I meant to do it before we left," Sara explained, speaking quietly so they wouldn't hear the emotion in her voice. "I'm two months late." She held up the positive test, waiting for their reactions.

"Should I be happy or...?" Catherine queried, being cut off by Jean.

"Of course you should be happy. A baby is a _wonderful_ thing to experience." Jean tried to assure her, gathering the tearful young woman in her arms to comfort her, just like she had done with Jade just a few hours ago, after listening to the poor girl crying over not being a very good mother to her baby.

* * *

Greg loudly gasped at the intense sensation tingling its way through his body. He was relieved that after a few hours of foreplay Nick could get it up, as he was beginning to feel more relaxed about tomorrow already.

Throwing his head back against the pillows behind him, Greg lifted his hips off the bed even more, feeling his body beginning to quake with his orgasm, immediately making him worry that he was going to scream when he popped and alert the whole household of what they were doing.

Just as he was about to scream Nick's name, Nick suddenly stopped his movements, rushing to cover his hand to his mouth. "Oh my god, are you okay?" Greg immediately asked, spotting the look in his eyes, but before Nick could answer he literally threw up, spewing up the alcohol from his stomach across his fiancé and the bed.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry... fuck," Nick controlled the urge to do it again, quickly pulling out of Greg to bolt to the bathroom.

Greg slowly sat himself up on the bed, cringing from the smell of Nick's vomit on his chest, feeling as though it was burning his skin. "Nicky, are you okay?" He called out to him, hearing him thankfully purging the rest into the toilet.

"No." Nick grunted, resting on his elbows around the toilet bowl. After a few rounds of vomiting, he had finally stopped emptying his stomach, but now his head was starting to ache and he felt completely embarrassed for throwing up on Greg the night before their wedding.

Greg grabbed himself a towel to wipe himself down then knelt down beside Nick, gently smoothing his palm up and down his back. "Well that'll certainly be something to remember, huh?" He smirked, trying to lighten Nick's mood.

"Don't make me laugh." Nick grimaced, holding his churning stomach. "I'm sorry I threw up on you, I couldn't hold it."

"I've been covered in worse." Greg joked again, reaching for a wash cloth from the sink to hold to Nick's forehead. "Are you okay, baby?"

"Embarrassed." Nick clutched his head in his hands, enjoying the soothing touch of his lover's hands.

"Don't be embarrassed."

"I am, in Highschool this girl did the exact same thing to me, and I remember exactly how I felt about her after that."

"I don't feel anything different about you just because you threw up on me." He assured him, touching a kiss to his forehead. "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up in the shower, before we move down the hall to my bed."

Greg showered them both down then tucked Nick into his bed, while he cleaned the mess up in the bedroom his mother had prepared for Nick to sleep in. He really didn't want to have to explain the dirty sheets to anyone downstairs, so he tried to wait for them to go to bed so he could put them in the wash, but the ladies were still chortling and talking well past three am.

When the last of the ladies finally turned in for bed, Greg checked on Nick beside him, who was fast asleep, before he snuck his way down the stairs, loading the dirty sheets into the washing machine, to wash the stench of vomit from them.

"Don't say a word." Greg warned his mother, as she stepped into the laundry room. "Not one."

Jean could only giggle anyway, figuring out for herself what the boys had been up to. "Don't worry honey, Daniel couldn't keep it in his pants the night before our wedding either."

"That's not what happened." Greg assured her then nervously bit his lower lip as Jean started to sniff the air.

"Is that..." She sniffed again. "Vomit? Well you seem alright, is Nicky alright? I hope it wasn't my food."

"No, I believe it was all the alcohol you kept giving him." Greg stared up at the ceiling as he suddenly heard loud banging from someone running, accompanied by the sound of someone else purging. "Looks like you're gonna have a lot of hung over people at the service tomorrow." He couldn't help but smile as his mother realised the flaw in her plan to get everyone drinking and relaxed. There was just a few hours left before the wedding day now, and she realised that she was going to be dealing with a lot of vomit clean ups and there wasn't enough aspirin in the house to deal with the hang over's that would accompany them in the morning.

* * *

**There it is, chapter 71. I recon theres about 2 more left to go now. I have the ideas down, just need to write it all out with the dialogue and everything. Not sure how long that'll take, I haven't been writing a whole lot lately in my spare time, but this story should finally be finished by next month. :D Thanks so much for your reviews on the last chapter, I'm glad you enjoyed it!**

**If you're waiting for an update for Something Missing, I should have it finished by the end of today. Considering its nearly 5pm my time now, you won't have to wait long :D**

**Thanks so much for reading, please remember to review!**

**~ Holly**


	72. Chapter 72: The Big Day

**Chapter Seventy Two: The Big Day**

"Alright, that's everything sorted here then. Hair, makeup and clothes for the ladies and children are being sorted out by Kayla, Gwen and Jillian. My mother is dressed and ready in the kitchen. Make sure you don't forget her when you're leaving. I have the rings and everything with me. Sara and Catherine are getting Nicky ready. Make sure Gregory is ready, and make sure you bring that bag for Connor. It's got everything he'll need for the day in it." Jean warned Jade, grabbing everything she needed to go and set up with Daniel, Grissom, Papa Olaf and the Judge. "Any problems, call me right away."

"Okay, I will." Jade nodded, waving Jean and Daniel off, before she hurried off up the stairs to Greg's room, gently knocking on the door before she walked in. His suit was still laid out across his unmade bed, and the bathroom door was wide open, sending Jade right in to see where he was.

"Oh... my god." She gasped, looking at the burning amber hair on the young man's head. "Holy Shh...! What...? What did you... what happened?" Jade was lost for words at the sight, only making the butterflies in Greg's stomach even more violent.

"I didn't do it on purpose... not really," Sighing heavily, Greg dropped to the lid of the toilet seat in his pyjamas, clutching his head in his hands. "It went wrong. What am I gonna do? I don't even wonna leave my room looking like this."

"What colour is it supposed to be?" Jade looked around for a box, finding one sat on the counter for an Auburn red that almost looked like a dark brown, nothing like the colour Greg's hair was at the moment. His was more of a very bright cooper red, almost orange in the light. "Oh... how long did you leave it in for?"

"I don't know... my watch broke." He held it up. "Nick likes rich red heads, not ginger." He complained then looked up at her reaction. "Does it really look that bad?"

"No... no, not so bad." She tried to lie. "You do kinda look like Leeloo from the fifth element though." She teased, giving him a smile as he frowned up at her.

"Don't be mean to me on my wedding day."

"Sorry." She sweetly apologised, hoping he'd forgive her. "Well... the last time I dyed my hair it took two months to grow out, so I'm not sure I can really do anything, but shave yah head." She teased.

"I'm not getting married like this, and there's no way I'm shaving my head." He protested then winced as she suddenly pulled one of his hairs out. "Ouch! What did you do that for?"

"I was gonna see how healthy your hair is. The one thing my mother taught me. If it snaps your hair is weak and can't take another dye job, but a bounce is good." She pulled it between her fingers then glanced up at Greg, giving him a slight smile. "Okay, if you can get dressed and ready quickly, we should be able to dye it with... maybe a darker red or a brown, give you a more natural look, but you've gotta look after Connor while I rush out and get it. Your Mom's already left to set up."

"Okay." Greg nodded, wiping away the tears from his cheeks, grateful to have a friend like her.

"And no more tears, Nick threw up on you. I really don't think he's gonna care what you look like," She giggled softly.

"What? How did you know that?" He gasped.

"Please, these walls are pretty thin and Jean pretty much announced it over breakfast." She grinned, then gave him a pat to the shoulder. "Trust me, he's just gonna be glad that you even wonna marry him after that." She winked at him then pointed across the hall. "Connor's still sleeping. I just fed him, so you'll just be on vomit and diaper duty."

"Lucky me." He remarked, dropping his head into his hands.

"I'm fixing yah Leeloo hair for yah, G. You could be a little nicer to me about it." She warned him then hurried out of his room and down the stairs to grab her car keys. "Kayla, I've just gotta rush out and get something for Greg." She called into the kitchen, where Kayla was arranging her niece's recently curled hair into a beautiful half up, half down updo, arranged with flower clips to hold everything in place.

"Okay, Jade." Kayla nodded to her, watching the young woman hurrying out of the door, without her baby in her arms. "Zack!" She called out to her nephew, watching him reluctantly coming inside to see what she wanted. "Can you go and tell your Mom to check on Jade's baby?"

"Why can't you do it?" The sixteen year old protested, watching his aunt indicating towards his sister's head of hair, showing him that she was busy. "Fine." He hissed at her, grudgingly making his way off down the hall towards the front room, where the ladies were doing their makeup. "Mooom!" He shouted through the half open door.

"Whaaat?" Gwen mocked her son's tone of voice, as she buttoned her daughter, Charlotte into her dress.

"Aunt Kayla said to check on Jade's baby."

"Where's Jade?" His grandmother quickly shot to her feet, watching as Jade's car pulled away from the drive. "I'll do it, sweetheart." Jillian stepped around her grandson then hurried off up the stairs towards Jade's room, shrieking in fright as she caught sight of the ginger haired man in her bedroom.

It took her a moment to realise it was Greg; making her wonder what on earth he was even doing dying his hair with such a horrible colour.

Placing her hand over her pounding heartbeat, she cautiously made her way into the room, as if he was carrying some infectious disease or something. "Oh my goodness, Greg... you scared the life out of me."

"Sorry... I kinda had an accident with my hair dye." He awkwardly smiled at her. "Jade ran out to get something to fix it for me, while I watch Connor for her."

"Oh, alright dear, but I really don't think it's appropriate for Jade to keep leavin' her baby with everyone, especially with you," She sighed. "Oh, I meant because it's your weddin' day and you're supposed to be gettin' ready. Not because you're incapable or anythin' like that." She quickly explained, not wanting any tension between her and her new son in law.

"She only left him with me, so she could help me out." Greg defended his friend, trying not to get into an argument with the mother of his fiancé just a few hours before their wedding. "Connor's fine anyway, he's fast asleep." He pointed out to her.

"Mm," The woman nodded then glanced at his hair again. "What colour were you goin' for, honey?"

"Like a... auburn red." He shrugged, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pyjamas. "Nicky likes red heads, so I thought it would be a nice surprise for him."

"Oh, he'll be surprised." She snickered softly. "I just hope you care as much about your marriage, as you do your weddin' day. Your weddin' day may be one of the biggest events of your life, but it's the days after it that matter, Greg. On my weddin' day for instants, my husband had a black eye because he got into a fight with my brother. I was burstin' out of my dress from my pregnancy of Bill junior and my father was as drunk as a fish, before we even climbed in the cars. It's the little things like this that make the day memorable though." She smiled at him, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. "Don't you worry about this hair or anythin'. The bottom line is, by the end of the day you're goin' to be married to my son, and nothin' can change that."

"You've given that speech before, huh?" He smirked, finally allowing a smile to spread across his nervous lips.

"Oh yes, I've dealt with several bride-zillas in my time, along with a few nervous grooms. The fate of your weddin' day doesn't determine the rest of your life though, honey. You do."

* * *

"I really like this," Catherine held up Nick's single breasted, satin framed lapel jacket, admiring it once again. "What's Greg wearing?" She asked, lifting her gaze towards Nick to watch him shrugging as he buttoned his white shirt across his chest, before he tucked it into his smart dress trousers that felt a little snug. They fit perfectly when they went to get themselves measured up for their clothing just a few weeks ago, making him fear that he had perhaps gained a little weight from all the nervous tension, leading towards this day.

"Um... just a suit I guess. Tuxedo." He shrugged, barely remembering the vows he had been rehearsing. "Are you sure it looks alright?"

"Yep, positive." Catherine hung the jacket up again, then reached for the engraved cuff links he borrowed from Daniel Sanders. They were still a nice shiny silver colour, engraved with the initials 'DS' that Daniel got from his grandfather, Donovan Sanders, the day of his own wedding to Jean.

Catherine turned over the cuffs of his shirt, closing them together for him with the cufflinks, before she gave him a smile, seeing the nervousness still written across his features. "You know Nicky, Greg really isn't going to care about what happened the night before your wedding day." She tried to comfort him.

Nick glanced up at her surprised, wondering how she could possibly know.

"Jean... she kinda... told everyone over breakfast, while we were nursing our own hangovers. The point is, Greg won't care."

"I wasn't thinkin' about that... not until you put it back in my head, anyway." He smirked, adjusting his shirt in his pants again. "I was thinkin' about Warrick, he was supposed to be my best man."

"Oh... sorry," She spoke softly, not realising she was a replacement, until now. "You know he'll be there in theory though. He wouldn't miss it for the world." She smiled. "I know I'm a poor substitute for a best man..."

"You're the most beautiful best man I've ever seen." He complimented her in her blue summery dress with the white flowers clip holding back her hair and the subtle makeup that his sister Kayla had helped her with.

"Well thank you, that sister of yours is really good with hair and things."

Nick nodded, explaining, "She went to beauty school. My father never knew about it. She was writin' home about gettin' her law degree, when really she was workin' on becomin' a licensed professional cosmetologist." He proudly stated, standing still as Catherine put his red tie around his neck, tying it for him. "She's done the hair and makeup for all my sisters weddin's, even her own."

"Wow, no wonder she's so good. I'll hafta get her to teach me some tricks before I leave." She smirked then reached for his waistcoat, giving him a grin as he tucked his shirt in again. "Good thing yah didn't go for the cummerbund, aye?"

"Don't start with me." He glared at her, buttoning up his waistcoat over his shirt and tie. "I haven't put on _that_ much weight anyway, does it really show?"

"No." She assured him. "You look fine, just relax."

"Easy for you to say." He remarked, reaching for his jacket and pulled it on, checking how everything looked in the mirror. "Man, I'm nervous as hell now. We've got less than two hours to go before I'll be walkin' down the aisle."

"Just relax. I was such a nervous wreck; I almost gave myself a stroke with Eddie." She brushed down his suit jacket then adjusted the sleeves of his shirt, taking another look at him now he was fully dressed. "Looks perfect, just don't crease it or get anything on it and you'll be alright."

"Yah think I'm gonna throw up on it like I did my fiancé?" He smirked, taking a seat to put his shoes on. "I still can't believe I did that or that Jean decided to tell everyone."

"What were you doing at the time?" She queried, smiling as she saw his awkward reaction. "Oh... right. Well maybe that's a reminder to you to not have one too many beers right before a strenuous activity with your lover." She snickered then cast her eyes towards the bathroom as Sara finally emerged from it, adjusting the straps of her dress as she stepped out.

"Wow, you look nice, Sara." Nick immediately complimented her.

"It hurts like hell." She complained, trying to give herself more room, but the straps were stretched to the max. Sara reached her hands beneath her dress, hoisting her bra up as much as she could to hold them closer to her chest, but they were just too big, making her more uncomfortable. "Do you think I need a more supportive bra on or something? These things feel huge to me."

"Umm..." Nick awkwardly looked towards Catherine, watching her trying to help her friend to hoist up her bra, but it was clear that the dress needed to be taken out a little, before she ripped it from breathing out too much.

"Let me go and grab one of the girls downstairs. Maybe they're good with a sewing kit." Catherine suggested, hurrying off out of the room to find someone.

"Sorry, Nick. I didn't mean to say that in front of you." Sara apologised to him, holding her chest in her hands.

"It's alright." He grinned at her. "All girls need a gay best friend, right?"

"You offering to be mine?"

"Sure, I probably wouldn't be very good with the fashion and stuff. But I have a perspective of datin' men . . . one, anyway." He smirked then looked towards the door as Catherine quickly returned with Gwen and a sewing kit.

"Alright Nicky, downstairs." Gwen instructed, ushering her baby brother out of the room. "Ooh, that looks nice." She admired his suit, while pushing him off towards the door. "Just don't go anywhere near your fiancé's room." She quickly warned him, before closing the door on him once he was out.

"But that's the beauty of bein' gay. I don't have to worry about the bad luck superstition." He called back to her from the doorway.

"No, Nicky." She directed her stern tone of voice towards the door. "You can hold out seein' him for a little longer."

"Don't crease the suit!" Catherine added, before they got to work on adjusting Sara's dress for her, so she wouldn't have to worry about exposing herself at the ceremony, especially in front of Nick's very conservative family.

* * *

Once Jade had acquired the right hair dye, darker than the colour Greg had picked out, she drove off back to the Sanders house, discreetly grabbing Kayla to help her out with Greg's hair. Kayla left her mother in charge of putting the flowers in the kids' hair then hurried up the stairs with Jade, to deal with the little hair emergency of Greg's.

"Don't worry Greg, your new sister in law Kayla's here to the rescue." She chuckled, taking her first look at his bright orange hair. "Goodness, Jade said it was orange, but she never said it was this bright."

"It's gone slightly darker since Jade left." Greg was kidding himself, as it seemed to be getting lighter as the sun rose higher in the sky, making his hair look almost radioactive.

"Alright, to the bathroom." Kayla instructed, immediately tugging his pyjama top off him before they entered, so she could get to work on his hair, without ruining any of his clothes. Greg thought he would have been used to women bossing him around by now, but Kayla still surprised him as she instructed him to bend over the bathtub, so she could start the process.

Jade stepped out the door to go and check on Connor, quickly blocking the doorway as Nick suddenly appeared on the landing of the stairs. "You can't go in there." She warned him.

"Why is everyone stoppin' me from seein' _my_ fiancé?" Nick complained, stubbornly folding his arms across his chest. "He's _my_ fiancé."

"Because he's still getting ready, and its bad luck, that's why." She pointed out to him, not wanting to reveal the little hair mistake that was meant to be a surprise. "You only have to wait another hour or so, Nick. You can wait that long."

"Why's my sister in there then?" He queried, suddenly feeling very paranoid, like everyone was in on something that he wasn't allowed to know about.

"Because... he needed help gelling his hair. He wants it perfect for you." She answered, looking at the door across the hall as her baby started to cry. She wanted to attend to his needs, but she had to keep Nick out of Greg's room at all costs. "Do you really wonna ruin the surprise Greg has install for you? He's managed to keep his hands off your wedding vows to him and reading the inscription on the rings, so you can do this one thing for him."

"You have no idea what I'd do for him." Nick returned, coldly.

"I'm not questioning what you would or wouldn't do." Jade responded, suspecting he was tense from his nerves, so it would be best for her to get out of his way, but not from the door, she still had to protect Greg's surprise.

"Why should you get to see him and I can't?" Nick asked her, still seeing her as a threat. "I'm the one who's marryin' him; he's spendin' the rest of his life with me..."

"I'm not a threat, Nick." She interrupted him. "I know you're the best thing that ever happened to Greg, and I wouldn't wonna ruin that for the world. Believe me, I don't want your fiancé, Nick."

Nick rolled his eyes at her, still looking at her as though he was envious of her and Greg's unique friendship, so instead of holding it all in and smiling at her like he usually did, Nick decided to rant, "You asked him to be with you for the birth of Connor. He also happens to be your child's godfather and he always drops everythin' when you need him, especially me." Nick pointed out to her, still hearing the baby crying behind him, but he had to get this out. "Don't tell me you wouldn't love to have Greg as your baby Daddy."

"Oh my god, Nick. If you must know, I asked him to be with me during Connor's birth because he's my lifelong best friend and I was scared to death. He's the only person in my life who has ever stuck by me." She shouted back him. "Yeah I love him, I don't deny that. I kinda love you too, if you must know. I woulda asked you to be there too, since you're _joint_ godfathers to Connor, but the doc only said two people, and I'm not real comfortable being naked in front of a man I haven't known that long. Greg and I have a brother and sister relationship, not the kind you think we have. I've been helping you to plan your wedding, I'm not gonna take him away from you." She assured him.

Nick gave out a heavy sigh, as he leant back against the opposite wall, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from." He apologised. "I just have this feelin' that Greg's gonna change his mind about wantin' to be with me and go for the next best thing." He pointed to her. "You're the right gender, you two are great together and you've already got a kid. He won't care that the kid doesn't have his DNA."

"Do you really have that little faith in your fiancé? His love for you is much stronger than that. If this is about the throwing up on him thing, he's already forgotten it."

"God, did Jean tell _everyone_? It was a freakin' accident, not somethin' I want spread around for everyone to laugh about." He whined, brushing his fingers through his hair, beginning to mess it up.

"You know Jean, she can't keep anything secret." Jade finally took a step away from Greg's door, pushing open her door to retrieve her crying son.

"You really want us to be _joint_ godfathers?" Nick queried, following her in. "Like you said, you barely know me."

"I know you enough, and there's no one else up to the task." She smiled at him, cradling Connor against her, as she turned to face Nick. "If you want it all official like, I can do that. If I died, I know that there's no one else in the world I'd want to raise my baby then you two. And Greg's not gonna leave you for me, he's got everything he needs with you. We're too close to have that kind of relationship, and I kinda prefer you with him."

"Really?"

Jade gave him a nod, then carefully handed Connor over to him, watching his natural fatherly instincts taking over. "Technically speaking, you and Greg are both my baby's Daddy now, since you're getting married and all." She pointed out to him.

"Greg... eh... Greg isn't his father, right?" Nick double checked.

"No." She shook her head, surprised that he would even ask that. "Marty or... Mark... something with an M. I tried to track him down, but I didn't have a last name. I haven't slept with Greg since I was twenty two, and he left me for New York right after that. I don't want that kind of relationship with him. He's essentially my brother, so you really have nothing to worry about."

"Okay." Nick smiled at her then looked down into Connor's pale blue eyes, giving him a gentle tickle as he looked so adorable. "Can you do me a favour then?"

"What?"

"In Greg's room there's a troll in the bedside drawer with green hair," He explained, smiling as she immediately gave him a funny look. "It's not whatcha think. It's a lucky charm. Greg gave it to me, and I need it with me today. I didn't have it on me the day that... Warrick," He spoke softly, cutting himself off. "So can you?"

"Yeah, sure." She nodded, reaching her hands out for her baby. "But I shouldn't let you hold the baby for too long. He hasn't been all morning, and you look really good in that suit."

"Oh yeah... right," He handed Connor back over to her then stepped aside, so she could make her way across the hall to grab his lucky charm from the draw for him.

* * *

"Smile Nicky!" Catherine exclaimed, snapping a picture of Nick and Jade with Connor in her arms, walking down the stairs together. "Sorry, Greg's mother told me to get lots of pictures of you guys getting ready." She apologised, checking the image, before she took a close up of Nick. "The cars are right outside, so is everybody ready to go?"

"We're just waitin' on, Greg." Jillian announced, fitting a fresh tiara to her granddaughter, Mindy's head, as the last one had suddenly disappeared from the four year olds hands. "I'm just tryin' to round up the kids to get em in the cars. Jade, I presume you have a car seat for Connor?"

"Yeah, it's upstairs..."

"I'll grab it." Nick suggested, leaving the ladies downstairs, while he hurried back up them to grab the car seat from Jade's room. Just as he was stepping out into the hall, Nick caught a glimpse of Greg getting ready, as Kayla was just coming out of his room, closing the door behind her. "He still not dressed?"

"Um... no, almost. He's gettin' there." Kayla smiled, ushering her brother away from the door and down the stairs, where Catherine snapped another picture of him, after capturing a few of his nieces and nephews being hurried out to the cars. "C'mon Mindy," Kayla reached her hand out for her daughter, leading the child out onto the drive, checking on her other two children, Freddie and Tyler to make sure they were ready to go too.

"Where'd Jade go?" Nick queried, looking towards Catherine.

"Oh, Greg's Nana Olaf decided to take a walk. Gwen's got the baby, so Jade could rush out after her." She pointed to the door. "Did you want me to go and check on Greg? We've got twenty minutes before it starts."

"Yeah, sure." Nick set down Connor's car seat then stepped out into the drive, helping Gwen and Kayla to get their kids strapped in, before he spotted Jade holding Nana Olaf's hand, leading her back up the drive to the house.

Nick knew from Greg that his Nana Olaf had recently been suffering from Alzheimer's, more recently to the point where she didn't recognise her own family members. She did have periods of being seemingly back to normal, but it seemed to be getting worse, making him worry, as his own Nana from his mother's side went through the same thing, just a few weeks before she died.

"Everythin' okay?" Nick asked Jade.

"Yeah, Nana here didn't wonna be late for her grandson's wedding, so she decided to walk." Jade smirked.

"My grandson's getting married today." Nana Olaf repeated, with a proud smile on her face. "My Jean will be so proud of him; he's got himself a nice Texas boy."

"Nana, this is him, remember? Nick." Jade spoke softly to her.

"I know it's him, sweetheart." Nana Olaf rolled her eyes at her then walked away from her into the house, mumbling something about getting her purse.

"Here he comes." Catherine announced, leading Greg out the door by his hand.

Nick whirled around to look at him, looking at the younger man wide eyed as he immediately caught sight of his red hair, just a little darker than Jim Carrey's from his role as the Riddler, but more of a rich reddish brown, and more natural looking.

"Alright, everyone in the cars." Jillian hurried them along, without giving Nick a chance to take a closer look at his fiancé, as they had to get in separate cars. She helped Jade with the baby's seat, while Jade made sure that Nana Olaf actually got in the car then double checked everyone was strapped in and present, before they set off.

The drive to Saint Gregory's was a short one, giving the girls plenty of time to get the children in order, ready to enter the church.

Catherine took a few more pictures of them all on the steps of the church, before they went in. She snapped a few pictures of the inside of the church then straightened Grissom's tie for him, while Jean was getting everyone in order to enter.

As soon as the processional music began, Papa and Nana Olaf began the processional march, followed by the bridesmaids and their ushers, before four year old Mindy started walking, tossing handfuls of flowers from her basket, until she reached the front where her mother sat her down on her lap.

"Alright then sweetheart," Jean reached out for her son's arm, after Daniel started walking Jade and Connor down the aisle, followed by Jillian and Nick. "Time to go." She whispered, finally noticing his hair. "That's a nice colour, sweetheart. Very close to your natural colour too." She smiled.

"Thanks." Greg gave her a nervous smile then linked arms with her, feeling his heart pounding in his chest as he was finally stood at the double doors, watching his fiancé just reaching the altar with his own mother.

Jean slowly began walking with Greg at her side, walking at the normal pace to the music, while they each smiled at their guests, relieved that this day was finally here. "I'm so proud of you, honey." Jean whispered to her son, before she took a seat beside her husband in the front row, watching as her new son in law, Nick smiled warmly at her son, with a look of pure love and admiration plastered across his face.

Nick and Greg slowly turned to face the pastor, feeling their stomachs bubbling with excitement, rather than fluttering with nerves, as they were finally back together, about to be joined together, forever.

The pastor smiled then cleared his throat, before he began to speak, "We are gathered here today, in the sight of God, and these witnesses, to unite, Nicholas Parker Stokes, and Gregory Hojem Sanders, in holy matrimony. They bring the dreams which bind them together in an eternal commitment. They bring their gifts and talents, their unique personalities and spirits, which God will unite together into one being, as they build their life together. We rejoice with them in thankfulness to the Lord, for creating this union of two hearts, built on friendship, respect and love."

He paused to smile at both Nick and Greg, before he started up again with the opening prayer, as requested by Jillian Stokes,

"Our father, love has been your richest and greatest gift to the world. Today we celebrate that love. Protect, guide and bless, Nicholas Parker Stokes and Gregory Hojem Sanders, in their marriage. Surround them and us with your love, now and always. Amen."

"Amen." The audience parroted.

"Let me charge you both to remember, that your future happiness is to be found in mutual consideration, patience, kindness, confidence, and affection." The pastor turned to Nick first. "Nicholas Parker Stokes, it is your duty to love, Gregory Hojem Sanders as yourself and protect him from danger." Nick wondered if perhaps Jean herself had snuck in that vow. "To support him and love him, for as long as you both shall live."

"I will." Nick responded.

The pastor smiled then turned to Greg, "Gregory Hojem Sanders, it is your duty to love, Nicholas Parker Stokes as yourself, and to support him through the good and the bad. To love and to cherish him, from this day forth."

Greg gave his fiancé a smile, holding his hand as he parroted, "I definitely will."

The pastor smiled at each of them again then turned to face Greg. "As I understand it, you have both chosen to write your vows yourself. Gregory, would you like to go first?"

Greg smiled as he looked into Nick's eyes, feeling oddly nervous as he was about to declare his love to Nick in front of a crowd of family and friends, rather than between the sheets of their bed. He nervously cleared his throat, gripping Nick's hands tighter beside him, before he began his wedding vows that he had been rehearsing for the past week, while Nick was away.

"Nicky, I love you with all my heart; from now until death do us part. I'll love you when we're rich or when we're broke living in a ditch."

The crowd chuckled softly, shaking their heads at Greg, as he was so predictable with his funny jokes. Even if they were romantic, he was still the same ole Greg.

"I'll love you when you're sick; I'll always rush to be with you quick. I'll love you through the good and the bad; when you're happy or sad. I'd love to have and to hold you, even if you're cooking grows mold."

Nick bit his lip, as he tried to suppress a laugh, falling in love with Greg even more.

Greg noticed the action, smiling himself, before he continued, "I vow to be honest, caring and truthful, to love you as you are, and to grow old at your side . . . as your lover and your best friend. I never knew that I would be so lucky in love to find you, but now that I have, I'm never letting you go. Before you told me that you loved me, I couldn't imagine my life with you, but now... I can't imagine my life without you. I love you, Nicky."

Jean suddenly got all choked up, tears formed in her eyes a few seconds later, immediately pooling down her cheeks as she looked at her son and Nick holding hands ever so tightly, as if they never wanted to let go.

"And you, Nick?" The pastor asked.

Nick inhaled a deep breath to stop a tear from running down his cheek, before he spoke, knowing there was nothing he could say to top Greg's vows as they were the most beautiful vows he had ever heard.

"Many people spend their lives searchin' for their perfect soul mate, their one true love. I am happy to count myself among the lucky ones, because I found you, Greg Sanders. You are the most beautiful, intelligent and wonderful person I know. From the very first moment I saw you, I knew you were the one for me. The one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I wanted to be your lover, your companion and your best friend, for the rest of my life. Ever since I met you, I feel as though I've been on a roller coaster ride that just keeps gettin' better. I never believed that dreams came true, but now that I've found you and get to hold you in my arms forever, I know they do. I promise to love you faithfully, to care for you and to cherish you, to make you laugh and to hold you when you cry . . . I promise to provide you with the love and support that you need and to respect and honour you forever. All the days left to me, I vow to spend them lovin' you."

This time it was Jillian's turn to cry. She pulled a tissue from her sleeve, looking at her husband shocked as she watched him wiping away a tear from his eye. Not one of his children's births or weddings had he cried, but on this very special day; the day their baby was getting married, he decided to spill the first tears she had ever seen since they wed many years ago.

"Good." The pastor smiled at them both. "Do you have the rings?" Jade immediately stepped forwards, handing them over for the next part of the ceremony. "Greg," The pastor looked at him first. "Would you like to go first?"

Greg gulped hard as he nodded, taking the ring for Nick between his thumb and index finger as he looked into Nick's eyes for courage, hearing his mother sniffling in the background. "I give you this ring to symbolize my love for you. As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my husband from this day forth, joining my heart and soul with yours forever." Greg spoke softly, before he flicked a tear away from under his eye.

Jade turned her head away so she could sniff back a tear threatening to spill, catching Nick giving her a wide smile, as he caught her in the act.

Greg slowly slid the ring over Nick's finger, feeling warm tingles rushing through his body. He had fantasized about this day since they got engaged, and now it was finally here, it was a million times better than any dream.

"Okay, Nick," The pastor turned to him, smiling warmly at him to signal it was his turn.

Nick inhaled a deep breath as he held the ring for Greg between his thumb and index finger, looking up into Greg's eyes, before he started to speak, "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. As I place it on your finger, I commit my heart and soul over to you. I marry you with this ring, with all that I have and all that I am."

Greg smiled excitedly as the ring slid across his finger. The excitement and warm tingles inside of him bubbled even higher to the surface, making him feel as though he was about to burst with joy.

The pastor smiled at them both, seeing the wide smiles on each of their faces as he started to read, "Because Nick and Greg have desired each other in marriage, and have witnessed this before God and our gathering, affirming their love and devotion to one another before us. They have pledged their love and faith to one another, sealing their vows in the giving and receiving of rings. By the authority vested in me, I do proclaim that they are husband and husband in the sight of God and man." The pastor turned to Nick. "You may now kiss your husband."

This was the part Nick was the most nervous about; kissing his husband in front of family and friends, some who had never even seen two men kiss.

Nick inhaled a soft breath, inching closer towards Greg who still had a wide excitable grin on his face. As soon as their lips touched the whole audience went wild with excitement, literally climbing to their feet to cheer. Nick managed to catch Grissom in the act of wiping away tears, while his own wife was staying strong, despite the news of a baby on the way, that she had yet to tell him about.

"It is now my privilege to introduce to you for the first time, Mr and Mr Stokes-Sanders." The pastor announced, getting loud cheers and applauding from everyone again.

Greg took Nick's hand as they smiled at each other, turning towards their audience to walk off down the aisle together, that they originally came down alone. Jade lifted Connor from Daniel's lap, following next, smiling at the crowd as they followed the newly married couple off towards the doors. Next the bridesmaids and ushers, walking down in pairs before the remaining guests started to stand, heading out in couples to drive over to the after party.

"Here are the directions." Jean called out to the guests, holding up the printed papers she had in her hands with directions on them. "And my cell number is printed across the bottom in case you get lost." She smiled at all of them, greeting her friends from P-FLAG who wanted to congratulate her on her son's beautiful wedding. "I know, wasn't it wonderful? I'm thinking of becoming a professional wedding planner." She chortled, but the women thought she was serious, asking for her number, should their sons or daughters finally decide to marry.

After a few thousand more pictures were taken, Nick and Greg were eager to get into the limo together, hugging each other tightly as they let out their held in tears of joy. "Oh my god, I've never been so nervous in my entire life." Greg admitted, burying his face into Nick's neck as he did the same to him.

"Me either." Nick pulled the troll from his pocket, holding it up to show Greg. "I was holdin' him the whole time I said my vows."

"Aww," Greg pressed a kiss to Nick's jaw line, wrapping his arms around him tighter. "I love you, Nicky."

"I love you too." Nick smiled widely, bursting at the seams with excitement and happiness. "I can't believe we're really married." Nick rested his head on Greg's shoulder as he stared down at the ring on his finger, across his partner's back. "It wasn't too Christian for you, was it?"

"No, stop worrying. It was perfect." Eager to read what his ring finally said, Greg slipped it off his finger, reading the inscription inside, "I found my soul mate," He turned it in his hands. "And I'm never letting you go."

"Do you like it?" Nick smiled, sliding the ring back onto Greg's finger, before he touched a kiss to it.

"I love it," Wiping his tears of joy away, Greg asked, "Doncha wonna see what I wrote for yours?"

Nick slipped the ring off his finger, reading, "Without you . . . I'm incomplete. But with you . . . I feel whole." Nick smiled at his new husband, before he wrapped his arms around him tightly, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. He couldn't think of anything to say after they had already said it to each other in the church, so he just decided to hold him, feeling closer to him than ever before.

Greg closed his eyes, inhaling a deep breath of his lover's scent, whispering, "Mmmm, you smell so good. I can't believe how much I missed you this morning. It wasn't like I had to wait long, but I really wanted to be with you every minute of the day."

"Me too, baby." The older man chuckled. "I loved your vows. I wish I'd worked on mine more."

"Are you kidding? I loved yours, they made me cry." Greg pointed out his visible tears, before he pressed soft kisses to Nick's hairline. "I love you so much; words can't even express it right now." He giggled softly.

"I know . . . me too. Oh, and your hair." Nick lifted his head to once again admire the flame red hair style that he adored. "I totally love it, but you didn't have to do this for me." Nick smiled as he ran his fingers through the soft flaming hair, feeling his heart pounding heavily inside of his chest.

"Yes I did. Besides, I guess I kinda like it too." Greg smiled to him. "But you shoulda seen it before when I completely screwed it up. It went bright orange; there was no way I was walking down the aisle with bright orange hair. Jade wanted to shave my head, but luckily we came up with a better solution. This is more of the Flame Auburn red that I was looking for."

"I love it, but seriously, you don't have to keep it like this if you don't like it."

"I like it. I love it. I don't think I've ever had my hair all one colour in a long time though."

"You look gorgeous." As Greg gave him a sweet smile, Nick just had to kiss him. Cupping the younger mans cheeks in his hands as he did so, he felt like the luckiest guy in the world. "I love you so much too, baby."

"Don't make me cry again, I already feel like a sissy as it is."

"You? Look at me, I've been freakin' out that you wouldn't wonna marry me, because I threw up on you last night." He chuckled, holding Greg's body closer against him.

"You know I don't care about that. Till death do us part, whether you throw up on me, cuss at me or fart under the covers in the morning. I love you."

"I'm so glad you didn't add that to your vows." Nick smirked, closing his eyes as Greg touched angel kisses to his eyelids. "I don't think I've ever felt this happy in my entire life."

"Just you wait big guy, there's plenty more happiness ahead of us." Greg assured him then wiped away each of their tears with his fingertips, tasting their saltiness off his fingertips with his tongue. "So, will you tell me now where we're going on our honeymoon? I don't think I can wait through this whole party."

"Sure you can, but I'll tell you anyway." Nick pulled out the tickets from his jacket pocket, handing them over to his husband. Greg looked at him surprised as they weren't to just one place; there were tickets to all different places. "We get four weeks to explore Greece, France, Italy and Spain, with a return trip to Hawaii for that beach ceremony you wanted, with just the two of us, before we move into our new house, right here in LA."

Looking up at his husband surprised, Greg gasped, "But... we didn't get the house... did we?"

"We got it, baby. I upped the offer and they took it." Revealing the keys to their house from his pocket, Nick smiled in awe at the adorable look on his lover's face, hoping he could see it for the rest of their lives together. "What my baby wants, my baby gets." He sealed a kiss to his lips then hugged him tightly, smoothing his hands up and down his back. "And you better get used to it, because from now on, I'm gonna treat you like a prince, my darlin' husband."

* * *

**There's chapter 72, just the epilogue to go now. I hope you enjoyed it, especially the little surprise in there for '**_janet1982_' **too. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and thanks so much for all of your reviews on it. Thanks to my beta, Alisa for your help on this one too. I will get back to writing '**_Just the Three of Us_' **soon, I just wanted to get this one finished first. :D**

**Have a great weekend!**

**Thanks so much for reading, please review!**

**~ Holly**


	73. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

Clearing away the papers that scattered his desk, Nick smiled as he once again caught sight of the pictures sat on his desk, reminding him of the loving family he had back at home that he was more than eager to get back to. "Bye, have a great vacation!" His co-worker, Adele Martin waved to him, before she spun on her chair to answer her ringing phone. "Awaiting Family's Adoption, how may I help you?" She professionally answered it.

"Hey, Kathy." Nick stepped up to her desk, watching her hole punching some files, before she looked towards him.

"Uh oh, I've either done something wrong . . . or you need a favour."

Nick smiled at her. "You know me too well, Kathy. I was gonna ask if you can take my home visit with Jeff and Georgia Harvey, on Monday? I've got the week off. It's at four o'clock. Their address is on file."

"Ooh, doing anything nice?" She immediately asked, writing a reminder to herself.

"Its Greg's birthday tomorrow, we're takin' a long weekend away with the kids to Hawaii. I'll be back next week." He reported.

"Ooh, that's sounds wonderful. I wish my husband would do things for me like that." She chortled. "Sure, I'll take your home visit. You owe me one big time though, Nicky." She warned him with a warm smile. "Have fun."

"I will." He gave her a smile, before he turned to walk away, being stopped at the stairs by his colleague, Kevin Barclay.

"Hey, Nick. Which picture do you think is better?" The younger man held up two pictures of himself, one of which was him sat with his four month old niece and the other was him on the beach in some khaki shorts and shades.

"I don't know," Nick gave him a curious look. "What's it for? Are you secretly goin' into modellin'? Because if you are, I'd suggest the beach one, but if you're applyin' for adoption, the one with yah niece would be great."

"No, for internet dating." He chuckled, placing the pictures at his sides, as he explained, "I started talking to this guy a couple of weeks ago, and he wants to see a picture of me, so which one do you think is better? I don't wonna scare him aware..."

"You don't wonna attract some weirdo either." Nick remarked, before he pointed to the one at the beach. "I'd go for that one. Be safe though, Kev. You can never tell if someone on the internet is legit." He warned the younger man, as if he were his father.

"I will, jeez Nick, you really do sound like my father sometimes." He chuckled, before he added, "If I ever had one who cared as much as you that is. But don't worry, I'll be fine." Kevin gave him an innocent smile, before he turned and walked away towards his desk. Nick had tried to warn his younger co-worker so many times about the dangers of internet dating, but the younger man wouldn't listen.

He was as stubborn as his own children, when they had their mind set on something.

"Honey, I'm home!" Nick called through the house, waiting to be pounced by his lover, but there was no sign of him. "Greg?" Dropping his things by the door, Nick pushed the scattered children's shoes aside with his foot then made his way through the house, finding them all out in the garden. He smiled at the sight of them all giggling together then slid the French doors open, stepping out onto the patio, where he was immediately spotted by all five of them.

"Daddy!" His two adopted sibling boys, ten year old Ryder and six year old, Jacob, immediately climbed out of the pool, rushing towards him with wide smiles on their faces. They threw their wet little arms around his neck as he knelt down to their level, giving him a warm hug as they had missed him so much.

Nick was working their case in court six years ago, shortly after Jacob was born. Their mother was in her early twenties, accused of neglecting her children for drugs. Nick managed to get them into foster care, while their mother tried to sort herself out, but instead she overdosed, leaving the boys without anyone to go home to. Nick and Greg immediately fell in love with them, going through the adoption system themselves to fulfil their dreams of having children, even if they weren't their own.

Nick lifted his head after kissing them each on the head, just in time to watch his lover stumbling out of the pool, hurrying towards him for his own hug. "Ew, Greg," Jade complained from the sun chair, wiping herself down where the water from his flailing arms had splashed her.

Greg just giggled in response, wrapping his arms tightly around his husband's neck, while the pool water dribbled down his red hair, onto Nick's shirt. "I missed you." He whispered, soaking Nick's clothes from the pool water on his body.

"I can tell." Nick chuckled, pulling back slightly to greet him with a proper kiss. Even at thirty nine, Greg was the same beautiful man he had married eight years ago, with the same sense of humour and adorable charm.

"Uncle Nicky!" Eight year old, Connor stepped out into the garden, holding his arms up to his favourite uncle, for a hug of his own.

"Hey there, little man." Nick lifted him up onto his hip, greeting the small boy in his strong embrace. "Hey, Jade. You keepin' Greg company _again_ I see?" He finally acknowledged her presence, giving her a wide smile.

"No, we actually came for the pool, didn't we, Connor?" She grinned towards her son, who happily replied,

"Yeah!"

Nick chuckled again, before carefully setting Connor down on the ground, so he could greet the littlest member of his family, confined to her play pen beside Jade. Carefully stepping over the sunbathing dog, Nick made his way over to the play pen, greeting his little angel with a wide Texas smile. "Hello, Princess." He whispered to her, smiling as she tried to push herself up onto her feet, struggling to stand up on them, as she had only just reached the crawling stage of development.

After five years of having and raising their two boys, Nick and Greg had finally considered surrogacy for another child, giving them their beautiful six month old baby girl, Ava. They found the surrogate mother through Jean's P-FLAG support group, then they used Nick's sister, Kayla's eggs and Greg's semen, giving them their first child that shared DNA with each of them.

Ava was an almost perfect carbon copy of Greg, with her big beautiful brown eyes and her short strands of slightly curled reddish brown hair on her head, which was currently sticking up all over the place from the summer heat. She looked up at her father with her wide beautiful eyes, giving him a cheeky smile, making her two front baby teeth more visible on her soft pink gums.

"She's been swimming today, she was loving it." Greg reported, grabbing himself a towel. He smiled as he watched baby Ava giving out an excited squeal, from Nick lifting her from her play pen into his arms. "She was kicking her legs about and everything."

"Aww, has she had her nap today?" Nick queried, touching his lips to her soft head, inhaling that adorable baby smell that he missed, while he was at work trying to give other children the chance to have a family.

"Yep, I wanted her wide awake for the dinner thing before we leave." They had agreed to meet with the old gang for dinner, celebrating Greg's fortieth birthday, before the family left for their family holiday in Hawaii. "Everything's all packed and ready, and Jade's promised to look after Rascal, Suki and Rice." He grinned at his friend, watching as his godson carefully patted their silver tabby cat, Suki on the head, while their white cat, Rice was sat on the window ledge inside the house, washing her paws.

"You comin' to the dinner, Jade?" Nick offered. "There's room for you and Connor. Grissom and Sara are bringin' William and Edward; there'll be plenty of room." He assured her. "We can pick yah up at half seven."

"Fine, we'll go." Jade agreed, climbing up from the sun bed. "Go getcha clothes back on, Connor. We've gotta get back home and get showered and changed." Connor reluctantly left Suki grazing in the sun then hurried back inside to grab his clothes, just as his mother had instructed.

Nick pulled his husband into his arms again, unable to resist another kiss from his lips, as he looked so delicious with the pool water running down the sides of his face. "Yah miss me that much, Darlin'?" The Texan smiled at him.

"More." Greg playfully invaded his mouth again, wrapping his arms tightly around him and their baby girl, before they were pulled apart by a loud throat clearing from the doorway.

"Hello, sweethearts." The cheery figure greeted them.

"Nana!" The boys immediately climbed out of the pool again, rushing towards the woman.

"Don't you dare get me wet." She scolded the two of them, leaping back to hold them at arm's length. "I spent hours deciding what to wear and I don't have a change of clothes."

"Boys." Nick called them away from her, letting his husband go to greet his mother and father.

"Same applies to you, Gregory. You should be dressed," Jean tapped her watch. "You're running late already for your _own_ birthday. And it's a big one, so you can't miss it. It's not every day that my only son turns forty, you know."

"Relax Mom, it's nothing big, I have one every year." Greg giggled, drying himself with the towel, before he hugged his father.

"Yes, but this one is special. You're turning forty, you're no longer considered immature." His mother teased him then reached out for her granddaughter, desperately wanting a hug from the adorable little infant. "My goodness you're getting heavy little one, what are you feeding this kid?" She grinned at her fathers.

"Same baby food as always. She's started on a few solids, water melon is her favourite. And she started crawling the other day." Greg proudly stated, giving his mother a smile as she gushed with pride over her grandbabies development since the last time she saw her. "I'm gonna go get dressed. C'mon boys, you too."

"Ooh, but Daddy!" Ryder immediately complained, reluctantly climbing back out of the pool as Nick gave him a stern look not to argue about getting out the pool again, as it was a constant argument with him.

"I swear that boy was a fish in a previous life." Jean chortled.

"A Shark!" Ryder exclaimed, going to jump back into the water, but Nick caught his arms before he could.

"You need to go and get dressed, Mr Shark." He pointed him off towards the house. Ryder stubbornly folded his arms across his chest, continuing to moan and complain about wanting to swim for just a little while longer.

Jacob however obediently followed after his father, Greg, racing him up the stairs towards the bathroom. Having only been one year's old when he joined the family, Jacob believed Greg and Nick to be his real parents, even though they had told him about his real mother, while his big brother retained some of the memories from his past parents, making him the stubborn little trouble maker he was today.

Nick and Greg believed in complete honesty with their children, letting them know exactly how they came to be together and where they were from, hoping their children would respect the same tradition and be completely honest with them in the future.

"Daddy, can we go in the pool when we get home?" Jacob sweetly requested, standing perfectly still as Greg showered him down and washed his hair in the bathtub.

"It'll be too dark by then, and we're going on holiday." He reminded him. "You'll get to sleep on the flight then by the time you wake up, we'll be at the hotel in Hawaii where your Daddy Nicky and me got married." Greg grinned widely, holding a wash cloth over Jacob's eyes as he tilted his head back to wash the shampoo from his hair. "Alright, here's a towel. Your clothes are on your bed, and I'll be in, in a minute to help you out with yah laces."

"Okay." Jacob threw the towel onto his head then charged across the hall imitating a car's revving engine, before he crashed into his brother, toppling to the floor, while making all the sound effects as his imaginary car crashed.

"What are you doing, dork?" Ryder stepped over his younger brother, hurrying down the hall towards the bathroom. "Dad, I don't wonna go. I hate flying." He complained to Greg, knowing he was the more sympathetic parent.

Removing the toothbrush from his mouth, Greg said, "You've never been flying before. I was scared of flying when I was a kid. But trust me, there's nothing to be afraid of."

"I'm not scared!" The boy protested, stubbornly folding his arms across his chest. "I just don't wonna go."

"Okay fine, we'll leave you here. We'll explore the reefs, go diving, snorkelling, oh and the cruise ship with the see through glass floor, where you can see the fish and sharks swimming underneath us. Oh and there's the fancy hotels to explore, the hiking..."

"You can't leave me here!" Ryder complained, watching as his father grinned, having worked his magic on him again.

"Get in that shower then. We're leaving for the restaurant in ten minutes." He pointed over to it, grabbing Ryder a towel, for once he was done.

Ryder quickly tugged his swimming trunks off then jumped in the shower, while Greg finished brushing his teeth, before he shaved his jaw line. Once he was done, he went to check on Jacob, as he had only just started to dress himself. He had managed to get everything on perfectly, except his t-shirt that was both inside out and back to front.

"Dad!" Ryder called from his bedroom, hurrying into Jacob's room with a towel round his waist. "I want my blue jersey shirt."

"I think it's in the wash." Greg remembered, helping Jacob with his socks. "The red ones in your wardrobe though."

"Daaa-d!" He whined, childishly stomping his feet. "I want the blue one!"

"Well you can't have the blue one." Greg mimicked his whines, lifting Jacob off the bed to brush his hair. "The red ones in your closet or you can wear one of those check shirts that you wanted so badly, but you've never worn." He pointed out to his son, while styling Jacob's hair into a cute little Mohawk down the middle of his head.

Ryder gave out a throaty moan, before he stormed down the hall back to his own room, reluctantly grabbing one of the check shirts from the back of his closet that he hated to wear, as he didn't like the way the collar scratched his neck.

"Hey babe, do you know where my blue shirt is?" Nick called through the hallway to his lover.

"It's in the wash. You wore it to that fundraiser thingy the other day, and I never got a chance to wash it." Greg reported, appearing at their bedroom doorway. "Are you gonna start moaning at me now, Tex?" He smirked.

"No, I'll forgive yah." Nick winked, grabbing a green shirt and clean pair of jeans, as the ones he was wearing, were wet from the people he had hugged. "Did you pack the baby's bag?"

"Yep, it's by the front door. I even got extra diapers and bottles for the flight, just in case. She should be fast asleep by then though." He hoped, changing himself into a clean shirt and jeans, before he styled his own hair.

Twelve minutes later, the four boys were finally ready, hurrying their way down the stairs to get their shoes on so they could leave. Nick changed Ava's diaper and clothes before they left, carefully loading her into her car seat in the back of his truck, before he lifted each of the boys inside, helping Jacob with his seatbelt as he had decided to start making farm animal noises, getting too distracted to do anything.

"That boy reminds me more and more of you every day." Jean giggled, pressing a kiss to her son's cheek. "We'll go pick up Jade and Connor, and we'll meet you at the restaurant. Bye, sweethearts." She waved to her grandchildren, before she hurried over to her husband's car, climbing into the passenger seat so they could go.

Nick and Greg waved them off before they climbed into their own car, debating what driving music they should put on, before Nick finally drove in the direction of the restaurant, greeting Catherine and a very grown up Lindsey, along with Grissom, Sara and their grown up boys. Nick hadn't seen either of them since they were babies, but they were really starting to look more and more like their parents, especially William, he had the same look in his eyes as Grissom.

"Sara, come and see Ava." Greg lifted the alert six month old into his arms, introducing her to her Aunt Sara, as she had only seen her through pictures that Greg regularly sent her. "Ava, this is your Aunt Sara and Uncle Grissom. And these are your cousins, William and Edward." He pointed out the two little boys to her, watching her big eyes, curiously scanning over the four of them.

"She's beautiful, and so big already." Sara smiled, lifting her from Greg's arms to give her a proper hug. "God I miss Edward being this size. Four years old and he hates being cuddled like a baby already." She giggled, watching Ava's tiny little fingers wrapping around her thumb. "Wow, strong grip."

"Yeah, Nicky recons she's gonna be a lefty. She's been picking up toys and things with her left hand more than her right, and she always squeezes a little bit tighter with her left." Greg proudly stated then swept Jacob up into his arms, as the small child started to holla like an Indian, excitedly weaving around the adults' legs. "And you, you're just a little monster lately, huh?"

"No." Jacob protested, giving his Aunt Sara a cheeky smile, as he shyly buried his head against Greg's shoulder.

"Okay, our tables ready." Nick announced, ushering them into the restaurant. Edward wanted to be lifted up by his father like his cousin, Jacob had been, while William and Ryder hurried after Nick, racing each other to the table to get the best seats.

"C'mon Dad!" William hurried the sixty year old along, wanting him to sit next to him in the booth. Grissom hurried along as fast as he could, taking a seat beside Mr and Mrs Sanders, who were already there with Jade and Connor.

Greg, Sara and Catherine slid in the other side with their own children, ordering a round of drinks, before they ordered their food, laughing and talking together, just like old times.

Greg smiled round the table at all of his friends, watching Nick replacing the pacifier to Ava's mouth who was perched on her father's lap, looking around at the table of her family members. Catherine started talking about the new team she was in charge of, telling them all about the stupid mistakes they were making, that made the old team chuckle.

"It'll never be the same without you guys." She smiled round at them all.

"Well I for one am glad that you all came to your senses." Jean Sanders added, giving her son a proud smile. "Writing books is a much better use of your time then solving murders and becoming victims yourselves."

"Not in front of the children, Jean." Nick scolded her, standing Ava up on his lap. She rested her small hands over his wrists, lifting her legs one by one, bending them occasionally at the knee, which made it look as though she was dancing to the music playing in the background.

Greg smiled at his husband and daughter then turned his head to the other side, watching Sara and Grissom who were sat opposite him, with wide smiles on their faces as William told them a joke about a spider he had heard at school, while his younger brother, Edward and cousin, Jacob listened intensely, wondering why they all found it so funny.

Greg couldn't believe his life had brought him here. He couldn't believe he almost gave up on his life. He couldn't believe he used to look to the bottom of a drinking glass to see his future. Had it not been for his amazing husband, Nicholas Stokes, he would have never made it here, to this table, with this group of amazingly wonderful people surrounding him. He felt like Nick was the reason why his life had suddenly rearranged itself into this much better outcome, with his three beautiful children to show for it, giving him a second chance in life.

Glancing towards his husband, Greg chuckled softly as his little girl gurgled, clapping her little hands together as she squealed in excitement from the people around her gently tickling the adorable bundle of joy. He really couldn't imagine his life without anyone at this table, especially Nick as he was the reason that all of this came together in the first place.

As the waitress carried the brightly lit birthday cake over to the table, Greg swore he could see the ghosts of Warrick and his Nana and Papa Olaf around the table, waiting to hear what his wish would be for this birthday.

"Make a wish, baby." Nick beamed a smile across the table at him, making Greg's heart soar all over again, as if he was looking at him for the first time. Inhaling a deep breath, Greg pursed his lips together then closed his eyes, making his wish before he blew out the candles, hoping his next wish would come true too.

**The End**

* * *

**Author's note:**

That is well and truly the final chapter of '**Without You**'. I've actually had most of the epilogue written since the beginning of the story, but I made a few tweaks here and there to make it the perfect finish to this story. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I can't believe it's taken this long, but I'm glad it's finally finished.

Thanks so much to my beta Alisa for your help on this last chapter :D and I hope you get well soon girl!

I wonna thank you all for reading this far, and a BIG thanks to those of you who continued to give me your feedback through it all. I hope I didn't disappoint you with the ending, and I'm sorry but there definitely _won't_ be a sequel to this one, I think I've taken the story as far as it can go. I'm working on a few more projects right now, if I think they're any good, I'll definitely be posting them here on Fan fiction, so you won't suddenly have nothing to read :D

'**Just the Three of Us**', is still in the works and I should have some more chapters for you soon. '**Family of Secrets**' sequel is either going to be called '**Keep your Eyes Closed**' or '**Not so Alone**', I can't decide yet. I have a few ideas for the new story, but not enough to start posting just yet. As for '**It's not what you think**' and '**No Regrets**', I'm not sure what to do about them right now. I might try rewriting '**No Regrets**', as I don't think it was very well written on my part and as for '**It's not what you think**', I do want to get back to writing the angst/mystery kind of story that it was going to be, but I think I'm better suited to romances, as the ideas seem to flow easier.

You may have noticed that I took down my other stories '**You**' and '**Take Me There**' as I've decided to finally rewrite them. But I was going to change quite a lot of it, so I took them down completely, rather than just posting the new chapters like I usually do. But I'll get to them later though.

And according to the polls I've been putting up lately, the majority of voters prefer Love, M-Preg and Humour stories, based around 'Grave Danger', 'Fannysmackin' and 'Play With Fire' episodes, so I'll definitely try to write some more stories based on those categories :D

Big thanks to Alisa123, janet1982, DeliciousSin, AgentPufferfish, CMAli 1, didicte, Leggomygreggo21, Kat-Sakura, Greggo'sLittleWriter, Noyu123, Dreamer22, Megan, Lady Sally, almostkaity, animelvr23, Greg'sgirl5, NickandGreg4ever, Greggo'sLittleFicWriter, The Walking Chill Pill, WhenFireAndIceBurnAsOne, katwinchester, Lidia, Jazmingirl, Jordan16, InsaneMembrane, PiratedxHearts, DarkLavi, Eternal-Depths-Of-Emerald, CSISanders1983, burrollie, CSIViami, ewab, gwingwin, CrazyLeex and everyone else who reviewed, thank you for all of your support for this story.

Thanks so much for reading, please review, I would love to hear what you all thought of this last chapter :D and I'm open to any suggestions for new stories too. I'd love to dedicate one to one of my readers :D

Started 30th January 2010 = Finished 16th May 2011

**Thank you so much!**

**~ Holly**


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